Editor’s note: Oladele Saheed, the NAIJ.com partner blogger, in his latest article, explains five reasons many Nigerians fail in IELTS.
Saheed is the founder of War Against the Falling Standard of English Project (WAFSEP).
He has trained teachers in over 200 schools and trained many journalists and other media practitioners across Nigeria.
He has kindled people’s interest in vocabulary learning through his Online Daily Vocabulary Quiz (DVQ).
He has also got approval of the federal ministry of education to use his Remedial English Pronunciation Software (REPS).
Oladele could be contacted via: 07010053775 or eruditeclp@gmail.com
More details in NAIJ.com’s step-by-step guide for guest bloggers
After six years of primary education, six years of secondary education and four to six years of tertiary education in English, Nigerians are still mandated to pass IELTS, just like TOEFL, for overseas opportunities. The requirement is not as bad as the rate of failure in the test.
Three years ago, someone was directed to us at Erudite Millennium Ltd. He needed intensive coaching for IELTS having failed it twice. The funny part is he had got his first and second degrees in education from two reputable universities. Yet IELTS took him a third attempt to pass!
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In the first place, Nigerian graduates deserve a waiver after our long romance with English. However, if waiving it is herculean, helping people out of failure shouldn't be.
Here are five reasons many Nigerians don't do well in IELTS:
1. Some people believe since it is English, it is a sure pass. They get to exam halls and realise the need to prepare. It is usually too late. No matter how good you are, you need to prepare.
2. Many people think one or two months preparation is enough. It may be, but it depends on you. Your general knowledge of English matters. Preparing for the test is not as good as developing yourself. If your English is poor, crash preparation can't earn you a high band. You need to work on your English generally.
3. Native speakers of English are usually unintelligible to Nigerians. This is partly due to their rapid speech and the nature of English as a stress-patterned language. Many people don't do well in IELTS listening because they lack the ability to understand what native speakers pronounce. Hence, when you watch English films, pay attention to how words are pronounced. Don't just hear BBC news; listen to it.
4. Nigerians are also unintelligible to native speakers. Mother tongue interference is one of the factors that make native English language speakers strain their ears to catch what we are saying.
To be able to do well in IELTS speaking, you need to be confident and skillful. Examiners expect your skill to reflect in your use of language. The way you pronounce gives them the first impression about you. Mutual intelligibility is important. If you pronounce death as /det/, they may understand it as 'debt' because of the silent 'b'.
5. Many people don't read beyond English. To be able to do well in IELTS reading, a bit of versatility helps. Passages can be taken from any field. When people get passages where they don't expect, they become confused.
I remember a proficient language graduate who got demoralised at the start of his TOEFL because he got his three passages from geology and geography. The best is to read wide to deal with the worst.
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Finally, one other reason people find it difficult to get required IELTS bands at a sitting is their inability to seek help. Having tutors to guide you is essential. If you are intending to take IELTS, TOEFL, GRE or SAT, our team at Erudite Millennium Ltd is available to help you. Contact us.
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that the founder of Erudite Millennium Limited, Saheed Oladele, explained six vital things people should start doing if they don’t want their languages dead.
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Source: Naija.ng