Page 3 - ELG1601 Mar Issue 434

ELlanguage news
March 2016 Page 3

Ielts under Foreign

fire in Oz Thai up?

visa row THAI STUDENTS undervalue
their country’s English language
teachers simply because they are
not foreign, Khaosod English
news website reports. ‘They will
value us less if they know we are
ELENA MURDOCH students with disabilities in Papua a Thai teacher,’ said Natthawut,
writes New Guinea but used a vocational an English-language teacher
English test instead because of the from the city of Hat Yai.
IRISHMAN AND native Eng- ‘rigidity of the administration of For this reason many teach-
lish speaker Kevin Wall is used Ielts’. ers pretend to be foreign. Some
to adversity. It took him over a As for using Ielts to test native pretend to be Thai Americans or
decade to learn to walk and talk speakers, Ingram says many of Singaporeans. This is not illegal
after he was born with cerebral them fail to achieve the highest and parents are aware of it, and stu-
palsy. He went on to become a band score as they are unfamiliar dents at many schools are forced
skilled mechanic, elite rower with the vocabulary used. ‘If native to speak English in the belief their
and West Australian Paralym- speakers are asked to tick boxes in Courtesy Old Royal Naval College teachers cannot understand Thai.
pian State Champion. However response to questions about a text in However, Khaosod quoted
he didn’t expect English to be some field unknown to them, they experts who note that teaching
yet another hurdle in life. will perform less adequately than English to beginners without any
Wall failed three times to gain the some expert in that field,’ he says. mother-tongue support is not always
required Ielts band scores for gen- Kim Dienhoff, manager exter- the best way. According to the
eral skilled migration and a chance nal affairs for Australian Ielts Thai ministry of education, teach-
to try out for the Australian Para- partner IDP, told the Gazette, Esol students enjoy baroque classes ers in English programmes are not
lympics team. He finally gained ‘We do not comment on any indi- required to be English native speak-
scores of seven in all bands on his vidual test-taker, but Ielts makes Two students enjoy an unusual Esol classroom: the Painted Hall, a baroque ers, and schools prefer to employ
fourth attempt in October 2015 and extensive provisions for test-tak- masterpiece within one of the most famous London landmarks, the Old Royal Thais rather than foreigners because
became the centre of controversy ers with specific requirements.’ Naval College at the heart of Unesco-heritage-listed Maritime Greenwich. they are the more affordable option.
over the use of Ielts as a test for She added, ‘All test centres It was with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund – a body awarding grants to The quality of English lan-
English-speaking immigrants. make every effort to meet the improve the UK’s heritage conservation and accessibility – in 2013 that the Esol guage teaching in the country is
‘I was furious after my second needs of any test-taker who programmes started. They have so far involved over 1,500 learners from further constantly criticised, and poor
and third attempt and wanted to applies for special arrangements. education colleges and other community providers from all over London. student performance is rarely out
throw the towel in and go back Further support is also provided to of the national news. n
to Ireland,’ says Wall. ‘I knew Ielts test-takers when preparing to
I was going to get the English sit the test,’ including ‘a free one-
exam but it was frustrating.’ to-one Customer Connect service
Wall spent over AU$1,300 on to support Ielts test takers.
the exam, and was finally offered ‘While Ielts was originally
free coaching by a special needs designed for academic contexts,
teacher after appearing on a subsequent revisions have included
national news broadcast. He is now … collaboration with professional
applying for Australian citizenship. bodies … and immigration author-
Professor David Ingram, who ities to ensure it meets their needs
worked on the Ielts Revision Project and is fit for purpose.’
in the 1980s and 1990s, under- Wall was in fact given extra time
stands Wall’s frustration. ‘I would in the reading and writing papers on
be surprised if the test ... made any all four occasions. n
allowance for his disability,’ he said.
‘But as a mass test, it is unlikely that Elena Murdoch is a pseudo-
any allowance was made.’ Ingram nym for an English language
recently conducted English tests for teacher in Australia

Spanish choose

English Euro entry

ANDREA PEREZ that they did not perform Eng-
writes lish songs. Although the song
for Europe was chosen by
FOR THE first time, a song public vote, there have been
entirely in English will rep- complaints, especially from the
resent Spain in the next Real Academia Española (RAE),
Eurovision festival, according the institution responsible for
to El País newspaper. A mixed the supervision of the Spanish
jury of national and interna- language. ‘It seems nonsense,’
tional experts and members of said José María Merino, an
the public voted for the song RAE member. The academic
‘Say Yay!’ by the Spanish explained that choosing a song
vocalist Barei. in English could be understood
RTVE, Spain’s national if Spain were a country with a
broadcaster, is the main Eurovi- minor language, but ‘we have a
sion supporter in the country. It language spoken by 500 million
was responsible for the organisa- people worldwide’, El Mundo
tion of the Song for Europe gala, reported.
where six singers competed to Fifteen of the last sixteen win-
be chosen to represent the coun- ners in the competition have
try at the next contest in May, been English-language songs,
taking place in Stockholm. the Telegraph reported. The last
Three songs were presented time that Spain won the competi-
entirely in Spanish and the rest tion was in 1968 with the singer
in English, despite the organ- Massiel performing a Spanish-
isers suggesting to the singers language song. n