CELPIP easier than IELTS?

[wsj78]

Any feedback on this topic would be helpful. Even after years of being 'proficient' in English, IELTS still sounds a little challenging. I don't know if any preparation would really help in achieving a better score. For example, listening skills have to be near perfect. Thanks

[Leon]

I think you can only take CELPIP within Canada and even in certain cities.  There is some IELTS preparation material available too if you look for it.

[wsj78]

Thanks Leon. I didn't think taking a test to prove proficiency in English would be very challenging. But after checking few IELTS preparation materials, I'm not so sure especially when I found out I need 16 points.

[Leon]

There's no way around it so you'll have to do your best, prepare and take it and if you don't get 16, you can prepare some more and take it again.

[jnathan]

IELTS is the worst possible Language testing system, its like a Language test for blind persons - especially the listening part. In this age of Audio Visual, they are making us listen to audio. TOEFL has some photos that at least gives you some ideas about the place or the probable topics the speakers talk about.

I hope the CIC will get this thing to their mind as soon as possible.

IELTS is easy too but you need to practice and scoring 16 would not be easy mate.

[wsj78]

Thanks jnathan for your comment on the Listening skills. An uncle of mine took the TOEFL test back in the 70s and he could not believe that IELTS is using the same method of testing. He had to listen to a speaker system in a big hall along with scores of other test takers. I hope there are headphones in test centers! By the way, are the reading and writing sections still paper/pencil based? 

[Leon]

Hehe, I took a test like that once.  I was not a TOEFL as far as I know, it was a test for kids who wanted to get out of English in secondary school.  I had been in the US so I figured I might give it a try.  There was a huge hall full of people ready to go with their pencils at the start of the tape and it was so fast that you have to keep your ears peeled and keep writing.  At the end of each page, there was a small break and you could hear the crowd sigh.