Passing IELTS part 1

Greetings everyone, today’s blog entry is going to be related to five simple letters and how to pass: IELTS.

After spending countless hours testing students on this blockage to greener pastures , I finally came to a conclusion of a few things needing to pass it. Of course you need to be up to par with your writing, listening, reading, grammar knowledge, and a stellar vocabulary. But there is something else a student needs to be able to do and this seems to be one of the parts that can kill the most ambitious and hardworking students I have ever seen…speaking.

I mean, I have seen some great students come in and fail miserably in this section and it has nothing to do with having poor speaking abilities or lack of perpetration; it has to do with anxiety.


Fear.

That’s why I have decided to pass on some words of encouragement to all of you out there that may be taking this test in the future…do not give into your fear. Let me explain it like this:
Fear/nervous tension/anxiety will take the best English speaking student and reduce him to a mumbling buffoon. You see, students fail to realize that speaking English to a friend (foreign or Chinese) or being engaged at an English corner is nothing, absolutely nothing, like sitting down and taking a one-on-one language test with a foreign expert. Nothing!

You add all the additional pressure: the test, the foreigner, the little room, the weight of a bright future in another country, and you can forget everything you ever learned about speaking, vocabulary, and all those hours preparing.
Fear can damage your voice, tone, and rhythm. I’ve heard good speakers do nothing more than incoherently mumble on the test, which in turn of course killed their fluency.

Fear can make a very attractive student come off as a robot during the test. Any of you taking the IELTS remember this: SMILE!!! Relax and tell jokes, come off as warm and energetic and exciting, because you know what, a tester loves to see that. A tester sits in that little stupid room for hours with nothing serious…a smile and a good sense of humor goes a long damn way on these test, trust me, I know!

Body language is another one of those things that teachers and books don’t tell you guys to work on, but it’s also very important on the IELTS exam. Remember; look at the tester the whole time: this shows confidence and respect. Use your hands, nod your head, and sit professionally, because these are all factored into communication. You would be surprised how many times I think the person sitting across form me during these test isn’t human. They look human and I think there speaking like a human, but they sure don’t act like a human with their unblinking eyes focused on the floor and their hands firmly latched at their sides.

All of you who might be taking the test, don’t recite answers from books or things people tell you in calls either, because you know what, the tester knows! He might hear the same line or description a thousand times in one day and he won’t buy it for a single second. What he’s going to think if you do that is: this guy can’t even answer the question himself…so guess what, you’re not going abroad! Plan but don’t memorize.

Since this is getting long I will wrap this up with one last big of advice. This one is important and deals with my main point of fear…you have got to relax as much as you can on this test. The more worried and excited you get, the worse you do. Students who come in calm and collected always score higher on the spoken test.

Okay, I’m going to finish this now, but don’t worry, I will try to have another article up soon. I’m not sure about what, but it will be fantastic! Also, start downloading those materials I have for you on the site. I put them there for you, but nobody is taking them. It makes my little heart break.

Talk to you guys later,
Jason Guinn

Zeitgeist!

Welcome, dear readers, to another blog from me. I know it's been ages and ages since the last, but I thought I'd finally update this blasted thing and give all of you loyal hopefuls something interesting and cool to watch.

Below, I have posted three video's that I hope you will take some time to watch. Its called Zeitgeist: the Movie and its all about three of my favorite things: mythology, 9/11, and of course banks and their never ending drive for more money and of course world power. All three of these are discused during the film, which also includes incredible footage and voice overs from some of the greatest speakers and speeches in the past century.

Now I'm not asking you to believe this documentary. There are things in here that are better left as creative ideas than cold hard facts, because if they turned out to be true, it would seriously alter the entire face of the planet--religion especially. Regardless of that, I want you to watch this film and learn to do what I do...and that's question everything. Don't let one side, one media, on source, be the only thing you believe. There are elements in this crazy and fucked up world that will do whatever they can do destroy, tempt, and control you. All I want you to do is watch and learn from a different point of view. That's it. Question's, they say, lead to enlightenment.

So what, exactly, is a Zeitgeist? Well Zeigeist is a German expression literally translated: Zeit, time; Geist, spirit, meaning "the spirit of the age and its society."The word zeitgeist describes the intellectual, cultural, ethical and political climate of an era or also a trend. In German, the word has more layers of meaning than the English translation, including the fact that Zeitgeist can only be observed for past events. Since this movie focuses on Jesus, 9/11, and Banks--its all past, but we can't deny how strong these things have shaped our world today. Jesus and the Christian faith is one of the most celebrated religions in the world. 9/11, for American's at least, is very important--but what about you, my Chinese Friends? Well 9/11 has closed America off, caused 2 major conflicts, and started a war without end--a war on Terror. And Banks? Well, hell, we all have them. This movie will show you how America's national bank works and that, in turn, may help you understand how the National Bank of China controls you!

Interesting, right? Well enough talking...watch the film. When your done please feel free to let me know what you think! Also, if it doesn't work, just click the box and download the java link needed to view the video.