My work has changed...

its fantastic...its a time of change for me again.
I am now teaching students from around the globe.They come from Algeria,Korea,Russia,New Zealand,China ,Brazil ,Australia,Turkey and Japan at the moment.Its confusing for me ....getting a system in place so I am organised is proving tricky. Students are coming to me from a large variety of contacts and I'm required to keep records for some but not for others.
I am really enjoying using the new teaching software..interactive white boards ,group video conferences,shared browsing ..its brilliant.The same tools I used to use in the classroom teaching geography I am now able to use on line teaching English.This is much better than the Skype based conversation lessons which I still do a little of.

IELTS

For many students the IELTS are the holy grail in terms of attainment in English learning.To the uninitiated these are the key to the future...this is what gets you into your chosen country to live or to study. The International English Language Testing System are a set of exams which test a persons level of English.The speaking part is  a short exam..around 15 minutes .But its intense.And so easy to mess up.
How to pass IELTS:
Keep focused.
Listen to every question AND respond.
Your answer does not have to be true.The examiner justs wants to hear you speak.He/she is not interested in your story really.
For PART 1
 give a direct answer first followed by a 
short explanation.
In total 35 seconds for each question...
For PART 2
Read the question,
prepare your first sentence to help get your 'flow',
remember to EXPLAIN why you chose to describe the particular item/experience/topic.
Remember it doesn't have to be true.
You have 1 minute to prepare and 1.5-2 minutes to speak.
For PART 3
You need to give more detail,
Treat it as a discussion rather than information requiring direct responses,
In total 45 seconds at the most for each question.
THEN ITS OVER!!!
Have you done enough to get your 6.5 or 7 score?
Students make mistakes for all sorts of reasons.
Nerves can get the better of them.
There can be a lot riding on the exams.It can mean a permanent visa for Australia or the opportunity to study for a masters in London.
Its hard.
The level of English expected is advanced .Examiners are looking for complete and complicated sentences ,with connections and prepositions used freely.
Spoken not written English.
A fair amount of students speak in a formal fashion using words that may be commonly used in written English but not in spoken English. Using words such as "in addition..." in speech is not common in everyday English usage.
I have great sympathy for the IELTS students who work so hard to succeed.