IELTS
01 February
semoga tulisan ini menjadi pengalaman pertama dan terakhir saya ujian IELTS. semoga, hasil ujian yang saya ambil kemarin bisa mengantarkan saya meraih mimpi - mimpi saya yang sudah tertanam sejak hampir dua puluh tahun lalu.
amin.
jadi, akhirnya setelah sekian titik nadir, saya berhasil membayar ujian IELTS paper based test (PBT) di Balikpapan. ada dua jenis ujian IELTS : paper based test dan computer delivered test. di Balikpapan, tidak ada opsi CDT. pun saya memang lebih menyukai IELTS exam versi PBT. karena ujian PBT membuat saya merasakan kembali feel Cambridge International Examination jaman SMA dulu.
baik PBT maupun CDT, sama sama memiliki kelebihan dan kekurangan. kita kepinggirkan dulu urusan speaking ya, karena baik IELTS CDT maupun PBT sama - sama one on one examination. pengujinya orang dan pertanyaannya serupa coffee shop conversation. jadi tolong ekspektasinya diatur, ujian speaking IELTS CDT nggak kayak ujian speaking TOEFL ibt dimana kamu berhadapan dengan layar komputer dan pertanyaannya membuat kamu merasa seperti kandidat miss universe.
kelebihan PBT ada pada reading dan listening, dimana kertas soal bebas kamu corat - coret semaumu untuk memudahkan kamu menjawab soal. namun, siap - siap pegal karena ujian writing di PBT pun harus tulis tangan. beberapa kandidat malah masih harus menghitung baris untuk memastikan mereka memenuhi standar minimum jumlah kata yang diminta (150 kata untuk writing task 1 dan 250 kata untuk writing task 2). kalau saya, sudah underpressure ini. maka saya hanya pakai feeling aja untuk meraba berapa jumlah kata yang saya tulis.
apa yang menjadi kekurangan PBT menjadi kelebihan CDT. di IELTS CDT, kamu diberi fasilitas word count dimana tidak ada cerita hitung manual jumlah kata. juga, mengetik di keyboard jauh lebih menyenangkan (and less capek) dibandingkan dengan tulis tangan underpressure. namun, of course the CDT comes with drawbacks as well. kata temen saya yang ujian CDT, mereka cukup terganggu dengan suara keyboard karena selain untuk listening section headphone tidak diperkenankan untuk dipakai. juga, section listening dan reading yang kurang leluasa untuk "mencorat-coret" dibandingkan dengan PBT.
jadi kesimpulan saya, baik PBT dan CDT sama aja. semua kembali ke preferensi masing - masing.
oke, sekarang mari bicara ke teknis ujian IELTS modul Academic Training (AC) versi PBT yang saya jalani kemarin.
pertama - tama yang harus dilakukan adalah : bayar ujian dan mengisi formulir. setelah itu, saya menerima email yang berisikan Payment Confirmation lewat email yang saya daftarkan.
beberapa saat kemudian, saya juga mendapatkan username dan password untuk mengakses website https://my.ieltsessentials.com/ dimana di sini tercatat dengan detail segala hal terkait ujian IELTS yang kamu ambil. hasil ujian pun akan bisa dilihat terlebih dahulu lewat portal ini sebelum versi hard copy nya ada.
sekarang, mari kita bahas ke teknis ujian.....
ujian saya berlangsung dua hari : Jum'at 28 Januari 2022 dan Sabtu 29 Januari 2022.
The Speaking Test
pada hari Jum'at ujiannya adalah speaking. jadi saya dijadwalkan untuk ujian di jam 14:15 sehingga harus hadir minimal 30 menit sebelum ujian. ujiannya bertempat di lantai 2 kantor iCan Balikpapan. sehari sebelum ujian, saya mendatangi tempat ujian speaking saya untuk menanyakan terkait informasi examiner saya. beruntung, saya dapat informasi kalau examiner saya adalah Mr. Eddie. born in Malaysia but The United Kingdom Native speaker.
ketika hari ujian speaking, saya dipanggil sesuai jadwal. ketika di ruangan ujian, saya cukup kaget kalau ternyata examiner saya sangat friendly dan ramah. beliau juga yang mengambil foto saya dan data fingerprint untuk kepentingan hasil ujian.
sebelum berlangsung, examiner saya menyarankan saya untuk rileks dan ujian pun dimulai. part 1 saya dapat pertanyaan tentang pet (yang mana pernah saya temukan topiknya di buku IELTS Makkar). part 2 saya mendapat pertanyaan tentang successful business person that I admire (lagi - lagi saya pernah menemukan topiknya di buku IELTS Makkar dan pernah menonton youtube nya IELTS Advantages yang membahas topik ini).
part 3 adalah ujian yang sebenarnya, examiner mengelaborasi topik business di part 2 habis - habisan. saya merasa sekali kalau critical thingking saya diuji sampai limit. saya ditanya mulai dari business school, business trend of young age in my country, value that every successful business person have within theirself, sampai ke retirement trend of employee in my country. sisa pertanyaannya saya nggak ingat tapi yang saya ingat betul adalah saya benar - benar diuji sejauh mana saya bisa memotret realitas dalam cerita saya.
and, those 20 minutes finally end.
Ujian Hari Kedua
bertempat di Jade Room Hotel Swissbell Inn Balikpapan. saya sengaja mengunjungi lokasi ujian seminggu sebelum tanggal ujian. demi menghindari hal - hal yang bisa menambah kepanikan saya. sehingga, di hari ujian saya sudah tau persis dimana parkir, berapa jauh dari parkiran ke bangunan hotel, dimana ruang ujian dan toilet terdekat dari ruang ujian.
ujian dijadwalkan pukul 08:50 dan registrasi dimulai pukul 07:30. saya berangkat pukul 07:00 sehingga sempat berdoa dan menenangkan diri. sampai disana saya harus registrasi dengan menunjukkan identitas asli yang saya pakai saat mengisi formulir dan tanda tangan (sama seperti hari pertama). namun di hari kedua ini, petugas juga mengecek pensil yang saya bawa (pensil HB), memastikan botol minum yang saya bawa masuk ke ruang ujian tidak berlabel, dan menunjukkan dimana saya bisa menitipkan tas dan jam tangan saya. karena sama halnya seperti hari pertama, tidak boleh membawa tas, pencil case, handphone, dan jam tangan (baik digital maupun analog).
ternyata, pengawas ujian adalah examiner speaking saya di hari pertama. wow, entah mengapa kenyataan ini membuat saya emotionally secure. selanjutnya pengawas ujian kembali mengambil data fingerprint saya ujianpun dimulai.
Listening Test
ujian listening kali ini pace nya benar - benar cepat. bahkan dibanding modul yang saya pelajari (IELTS Cambridge 16) pun masih lebih cepat ujian ini. pace kecepatan bicara speakers nya persis seperti ketika saya mendengarkan BBC sound. part 1 speakersnya beraksen British, dan sisanya beraksen Australian.
Reading Test
ada 3 passage dan semuanya panjang. beruntung, saya mendapat tips dari youtube IELTSFastTrack dimana saya mendahulukan pertanyaan yang menunjuk spesifik paragraf, lalu melanjutkan dengan pertanyaan resume paragraf, dan terakhir pertanyaan true/false/not given. dengan strategi itu, Alhamdulillah waktunya cukup dan saya nggak keteteran. jadi urutan saya mengerjakan itu nggak urut, pertanyaan nomor 31-35 saya jawab duluan karena menunjuk spesifik paragraf sehingga saya bisa kill the time. lalu saya lanjutkan menjawab 36-40 karena masih di passage yang sama dengan pertanyaan 31-35. selanjutnya saya mengerjakan 15-20, lalu nomor 1-10, dan terakhir 26-30.
Writing Test - The Final Stage
part ini adalah hardest part dimana saya harus menulis tangan, merencanakan essay, dan menarasikan data dalam waktu satu jam under pressure. seperti halnya reading test, pengawas ujian akan mengumumkan waktu ujian sisa : 40, 15,10, dan 5 menit. sehingga saya memutuskan untuk mengerjakan writing task 2 terlebih dahulu, waktu yang ada benar - benar saya maksimalkan. saya menahan diri untuk tetap melakukan proofreading sampai pengawas ujian mengumumpan 20 minutes left. right after that, saya langsung taruh writing task 2 dan saya dan benar - benar fokus mengerjakan writing task 1. karena sudah under pressure, saya merasa sekali kalau saya belum maksimal, meski sudah melakukan yang terbaik. beruntung, saya masih sempat proofreading sampai akhirnya waktu habis dan ujian selesai.
meski saya tau ujian saya tidak sempurna, tapi saya masih bersyukur saya selesai menjawab seluruh soal.
Overall, It was Exhalirating Experience
saya benar - benar mengerti arti uang jutaan rupiah yang saya bayar untuk ujian IELTS ini. sebuah pengalaman mengikuti International Examination yang nggak mudah saya lupakan. pengalaman kelas dunia yang menjadi gerbang awal pengalaman - pengalaman lain di level yang sama.
akhirnya, seperti yang saya sampaikan di awal tadi. saya hanya ingin ini menjadi pertama dan terakhir. sekali ujian dan langsung lulus, karena saya keberatan kembali belajar dan menghadapi pressure yang sama. I really anticipate to another challenge rather than this one.
finally, di hari - hari terakhir saya di Balikpapan ini, saya amat sangat berharap hasil ujian yang saya ambil di kota ini menjadi penutup manis kepergian saya.
mohon diaminkan ya guys.
Balikpapan, 1 Februari 2022
Riffat Akhsan, - (Lunar) New Year, New Journey, New Milestone
25 January
is it true, that I got scholarship in order to pursue my IELTS dream by having the privilege to one-on-one private intensive IELTS preparation program in August until November 2021.
tapi, perjalanan saya belajar mandiri sudah dimulai sejak Agustus 2020, dimana saya belajar otodidak mencari sumber kesana kemari karena tidak bisa menjangkau biaya les persiapan. even the cheapest one. bahkan ketika masa masa les persiapan, saya terus bertanya dan mencari sumber belajar gratis kepada coach saya. hingga setelah les berakhir, saya kembali belajar mandiri dengan sumber - sumber yang Alhamdulillah nya sudah jauh lebih terkurasi. sumber - sumber yang saya rasa ikut membantu saya dalam memecah beban belajar menjadi bullet point yang reachable.
dalam tulisan ini, saya ingin membersamai teman - teman yang mungkin ada di titik saya kala itu.
Academic Training Module atau General Training Module ?
ujian IELTS selalu hadir dalam 2 kategori : Academic (dengan kode AC) dan General (dengan kode GT). perbedaan dari dua kategori ini ada pada set soal reading - writing task 1 dan tujuan ujian.
jika kamu adalah seseorang yang mau melanjutkan kuliah / short course di luar negeri (berhubungan dengan dunia pendidikan) maka kamu wajib mengambil modul AC. modul ini menekankan reading passage dengan artikel ilmiah dan academic article lain. sementara, untuk writing task 1 kamu akan diminta menarasikan data visual yang memerlukan analisis akademik.
karena saya mengambil modul AC, saya kurang tau banyak tentang modul GT. sejauh yang saya tau modul IELTS yang ini diperuntukkan untuk mereka yang mau bekerja (seperti mengajukan Work Holiday Visa / sertifikasi Tour Guide / atau kepentingan lain di luar pendidikan). di reading passage untuk modul GT ini (yang pernah saya lihat) berasal dari potongan berita di koran atau artikel majalah. sementara untuk soal writing task 1 kamu diminta untuk menulis surat kepada seseorang (formal letter).
selebihnya, untuk listening - speaking - writing task 2 - serta lembar jawaban, tidak ada perbedaan antara AC dan GT.
Syarat Wajib yang Harus Kamu Miliki : Set Soal Ujian Terbaru
setelah kamu tau modul apa yang akan kamu ambil untuk ujian IELTS, langkah pertama dalam belajar mandiri adalah memiliki set soal ujian terbaru sesuai dengan modul yang akan kamu ambil : Cambridge IELTS series.
Cambridge adalah pembuat soal IELTS. sementara lembaga seperti IDP, British Council, dan IALF adalah penyelenggara ujian IELTS. setiap tahun, Cambridge selalu merilis soal yang mereka gunakan di tahun sebelumnya, ketika saya belajar di tahun 2020, saya menggunakan set soal yang diujikan di tahun 2019. ketika saya belajar di tahun 2021, saya belajar dari set ujian tahun 2020.
berikut saya rincikan series bahan ujian yang saya gunakan :
Cambridge IELTS 16 -- set soal yang diujikan di tahun 2020
Cambridge IELTS 15 -- set soal yang diujikan di tahun 2019
Cambridge IELTS 14 -- set soal yang diujikan di tahun 2018
Cambridge IELTS 13 -- set soal yang diujikan di tahun 2017
Cambridge IELTS 12 -- set soal yang diujikan di tahun 2016
Cambridge IELTS 11 -- set soal yang diujikan di tahun 2015
Cambridge IELTS 10 -- set soal yang diujikan di tahun 2014
makin kecil series Cambridge IELTS yang kamu gunakan, semakin mundur tahun ujian dengan set soal tersebut diselenggarakan. misal kamu pakai Cambridge IELTS 1, artinya kamu sedang memakai set soal yang diujikan di tahun 2004.
di awal, saya pikir mendapatkan soal ini harus bayar. dengan membeli di amazon atau marketplace lain, namun ternyata ia bisa didapatkan gratis melalui channel telegram Cambridge IELTS Practice | Official (Trade Mark)/tm
ini link nya : https://t.me/cambridgematerials
Guru Private Online Gratis
ada banyak guru IELTS di youtube, tapi setelah perjalanan belajar, dan proses membandingkan, akhirnya saya memilih IELTS Advantage, sebagai satu - satunya channel youtube yang saya tonton dalam belajar IELTS. seperti halnya kuliah, ada banyak guru/dosen yang mengajar. namun, hanya ada beberapa yang sampai di hati saya. either karena memang beliau tulus mengajar, cara mengajarnya cocok dengan cara saya belajar, atau karena materi yang beliau sampaikan benar- benar menjawab ketidaktahuan saya.bagi saya, Chris Pell adalah guru itu.
Listening
sumber gambar : apkmirror
tidak ada yang lebih menolong saya selain mengerjakan test listening itu sendiri. namun, untuk membuat telinga saya familiar dengan kecepatan dan intonasi IELTS speaker, saya mengunduh aplikasi BBC sound. di aplikasi ni terdapat ribuan konten podcast yang bisa didengarkan dalam berbagai durasi. saya memilih topik - topik yang saya sukai dan topik - topik yang membawa saya merasa "dekat" dengan mimpi saya.
jika sedang ingin menonton, saya menonton film atau serial dengan aplikasi Disney+ Hotstar, saya paksa diri saya untuk menggunakan subtitle bahasa inggris. mungkin rasanya tidak senyaman jika memakai subtitle bahasa sendiri. namun, setidaknya hal ini membuat saya mendapat tambahan idiommatic tanpa sengaja. juga, saya belajar untuk memahami konteks pembicaraan meskipun saya tidak selalu paham seluruh kata dalam satu kalimat.
namun ada kalanya saya merasa exhausted dan overwhelm. saya merasa otak saya nge freeze dan tidak bisa menangkap apapun pembicaraan yang saya dengarkan. ketika berada di titik ini, saya langsung swtich seluruh fokus listening saya ke mendengarkan youtube channel Mindful Movement. sekalian take a deep breath, slow down, seluruh kalimat dalam video ini hadir dalam tempo lambat dan bahasa inggris simpel. setelah beberapa kali mendengarkan (iya, ini channel youtube tapi saya nontonya sambil tutup mata) saya jadi ngerasa ada harapan dan semangat saya balik.
because you don't know what God's plan behind your hope....
Reading
IELTS reading melatih saya untuk menajamkan critical thinking,
sejauh yang saya ingat, menajamkan reading endurance saya adalah dengan terus membaca materi yang dijadikan reading passage dalam soal - soal IELTS. karena rata - rata kekuatan orang Indonesia ada di reading, dan listening.
jadi, membaca banyak buku tidak meningkatkan reading endurance saya. justru yang membuat reading endurance saya naik adalah dengan meresume setiap paragraf yang saya baca. saya mencoba menganalisis struktur dan key feature yang coba disampaikan oleh suatu paragraf dalam reading passage.
orang bilang, teknik ini namanya article analysis. saya mengutip kalimat penulis dari Grand Valley State University, Michigan (USA)
Typically, an article analysis does three things: Summarizes an article's main points. Analyzes the evidence offered to support the writer's main point, taking care to point out where there are flaws in the argument.
dalam proses menjawab soal, tidak ada yang lebih membantu selain mempelajari apa maunya IELTS examiner berdasarkan tipe soal yang ada. dalam hal ini, lagi - lagi saya menonton video dari IELTS Advantages.
Writing
seminggu sebelum ujian, coach IELTS saya : Betari Aisah yang kebetulan baru menerima hasil ujian IELTS exam juga, memberikan link berikut. link belajar yang menurutnya cukup memberikan insight dan berkontribusi secara tidak langsung dalam mengantarkannya mendapat score IELTS writing band 7
ini link nya : https://essay.ieltsadvantage.com/members-area/?el=email
Master IELTS Essays written by Ebrahim Tahassoni - adalah kitab suci saya mengerti wrting task 1 (my kryptonite) dari sini saya belajar bagaimana merangkai sebuah kalimat yang jelas dan efektif dalam 160 - 170 kata. dari sini juga, saya mengatasi ketakutan saya bahwa writing task 1 itu pendek .
write and improve with cambridge - tools yang bisa kasih score writing task 1 dan 2
saya beruntung menemukan website ini, website dimana ada feedback dan score IELTS yang keluar segera setelah saya selesai mengerjakan soal. website ini memiliki 2 versi : gratis dan berbayar. kebetulan saya hanya memakai versi basic. dimana kesempatan untuk mengerjakan soal dan mendapat feedback + score hanya satu kali dalam sehari per akun.
untuk writing task 2 saya banyak belajar dari buku IELTS Essay Writing written by Mike Wattie dimana penjelasannya sejalan dengan apa yang diajarkan coach IELTS saya : Betari Aisah
untuk writing task 2 saya banyak belajar dari buku IELTS Essay Writing written by Mike Wattie dimana penjelasannya sejalan dengan apa yang diajarkan coach IELTS saya : Betari Aisah
Speaking
saya beruntung memiliki dua orang speaking buddy yang kebetulan akan mengambil ujian IELTS berdekatan dengan saya. setiap malam kami latihan speaking berbekal buku dari IELTS Makkar. selain itu, saya banyak menonton tips IELTS dari IELTS Advantages.
You are More Than Your IELTS Score
akhir kata, ini adalah kata - kata yang selalu dikatakan oleh support system saya. pada akhirnya, setelah rangkaian doa, usaha, tinta printer, kertas, listrik, koneksi internet, air mata, kopi dan cemilan, hanya doa dan ridho tuhan yang tersisa untuk IELTS.
believe your process, believe to Allah. berusaha sebaiknya, berdoa sekuatnya, sehingga ketika nanti hasil ujian keluar, tidak ada rasa penyesalan.
sampai disini dulu tulisan ini, semoga resource gratis saya ini bisa berkontribusi terhadap perjuangan kalian berlajar ~
Balikpapan, 25 Januari 2022
Riffat Akhsan -- yang dua hari lagi ujian IELTS
25 October
one thing that makes me so astonished in this class is : this class makes me realized that after all this time surprisingly i did not answer the IELTS exam in a proper way. i fail to answer like the way the exam maker expects me to do.
but this is a common mistake for the IELTS taker. a particular trap to make sure that someone is deserved certain score of the IELTS result.
before we talk that far, please allow me to explain what notorious means. notorious is a term to symbolize a well known someone or something with a bad terminology. a cruel one. like you watch a superhero movie, the boss of the boss of the villain. yup, that character is notorious. an antagonist part of the movie who causes the drawbacks at its best.
in IELTS, the notorious questions are on the reading test.
in short : this trap scattered properly in four locations : true/yes false/no not given, multiple choice, matching heading/information, and completing summary.
in my journey, completing summary is my best friend. following with T/F/NG. but my real enemy is multiple choice and my notorious character is matching/heading information question type.
outside my class, i told Betari several times that i always got trapped in question type which containing a choice. i have a constrain to choose the best answer because every choice seems like true answer. everytime i express my frustation, Betari, with her wise smile always reminds me to be patient with myself and trust the process.
the light will come as long as i stay with this journey.
finally in this meeting lights come to me. as i said in the beginning of this post. i have been getting lost to find the best answer because i don't have the strategy. for the question type with a multiple choice, please do not focus on the passage or question. focus on the choices first. eliminate the incoherence choice that not match with the context of passage, then look what the question wants, finally search it on the passage.
do not answer a multiple choice question type in the IELTS reading like the way you did it on your national exam. it's an entirely different game.
oh wow, it's exactly what i do all this time. i read the question, search on passage, then deciding the answer by considering all the choices. gotcha, it's understandable why i always get wrong answer in this section.
oke, let me take a breath about my foollies, i personally didn't know where is my brain at that time.
now this is the time to face my personal notorious part : matching/heading information question type. previously, in this question i look at the question first, then try to resume the passage, and deciding which one is the suitable answer.
exactly the same way like i did in my national exam. and i have the same result : none of them is true.
for this kind of question, first thing first is i must understand all the heading/information provided in the box (usually). scan the passage, then answer the question. this kind of question is a little bit trickier than the multiple choice part. in the multiple choice, the challenge is to eliminate incoherence information with the context of the passage, meanwhile in heading/matching the exam point is to find an appropriate heading/sentence who sums up the resume of the passage that asking for.
literally two parts with different strategy, but i do it like answering the national exam.
the other two parts that are my best friend is quite good, but i keep concentrate while answering the question in order to avoid slipped who leads to wrong answers because of my lack of accuracy.
finally, that is my experience in order to introspect, analyze, and evaluate my IELTS reading strategy. i hope the benefit of this meeting really helps me and i can implement it through my real test.
please, give me an ameeen.
Balikpapan, 25 October 2021
Riffat Akhsan -- who did not finish her IELTS reading homework yet
thank you for waiting. your patient really matters. usually i write my experience of my IELTS journey with Betari Aisah in the same week as the class held. but, due to my hectic work - related activity makes this post got some delayed.
but, i still remember how incredible the experience to crack the speaking test. first, i told you again about the philosophy behind IELTS test. the test is not just a score, it's about a metric to measure how deep your English language acquisition skill. a great framework to help you deliver the idea in your head into an understandable way of communication ; speaking and writing. also encourages you to understanding the English language content appropriately through listening and reading.
this speaking topic is the end of foundation class. the next agenda of this private lesson is about how to implement a good strategy in order to gain a higher score than my previous result.
let me tell you about the class. first, Betari gives me a basic formula to structure a good sentence in order to answer the examiner's question. the next stages are, Betari convince me to enjoy with the speaking test ambiance. she makes an analogy that the speaking test is pretty similar to coffee shop conversation. you know, a set up meeting talking with a light conversation at the beginning and often end up with a mind blowing conversation at the end. a two way informal communication rather than a formal interview. the speaking test it is.
one highlighted key takeaways that i want to share is : Betari shows me a video about how the IELTS band score 9 candidate do the test. one thing that i never dare to watch. in my assumptions a perfect score IELTS taker is so natural yet have a bunch of rare vocabularies and deliver it into well flow sentence in the conversation.
but i was wrong.
through the video i get enlightenment that a great score of speaking test is not about the vocab. but about how far you can show your natural english conversation during the test. hence, the vocabulary is quite basic but very well structured, straightforward, and understandable. like a coffee shop conversation. there is no pretending or nervous gesture. no confusing yet complex explanation. everything in the conversation seems smooth and very natural. none of these people who involve in the test look like have a constrains to understand the content of the conversation.
after some contemplation after the class, i have a conclusion that the IELTS speaking test makes me learn about new mentality : just do my best and try to communicate my idea with a sentence that i am comfortable to say. do not intend to give some impression just to hope a higher score. just be confident and trust myself that i can face the speaking test.
thank you so much Betari for the amazing structure of my IELTS class syllabus. i am such a lucky girl who have a diamond chance be one of your students.
Balikpapan, 25 October 2021
Riffat Akhsan -- who can't stop saying a gratitudes witnessing her dream is getting closer day by day
11 October
Photo by David Iskander on Unsplash
after my pain from hell because of period, finally I attend to this class. in the middle of our schedule, this is a whole new skill that i must cracking it : IELTS Writing Task 1.
in my opinion, completing IELTS Writing Task 1 is harder than Task 2. because this is about data interpretation. i do not allow to put any other opinion on this task. just pure understanding the visual data shown by chart, graph, multiple chart, map, table, pie bar, or cycle. the shape of a question is a quiet board to predict.
here the challenge. i do not transcribe the data. i must "translate" the data into a narrative passage in my answer sheet. for some people, this is really a piece of cake because all of the material already provides. but, for me. this is the difficult one ; i am on intersection to sort which is the my interpretation and which one is my opinion.
my first step is, i must understand what the question trying to instruct. what must i do with this visual data ? this part contains identifying the superlative, column, bar, percentages, group of process, if there is a map i must implement the compass language (Naughty, Elephant, Splash, Water),
writing task 1 is really pushing my limits, and Betari shows me that i'm not in the wrong room. because i can identify which one that i must comprehend more and whic aspect i did well.
until today, my IELTS journey is still full of frustating moments because my score is not stable yet. but, i wish i could grit in this process until my exam day.
please, pray for me.
Balikpapan, 11 of October 2021
Faizah Riffat -- still, an IELTS fighter
29 September
this meeting is very special. starting with encouraging week, because we had to suspend the class due to my menstrual - hell illness. so, I pay the absence to constanly do IELTS reading and listening test for 4 days. i take IELTS Cambridge 14 Module. test 1 for Monday, Tuesday is test 2, the third test is on wednesday, and the last test at Thrusday. the next day (Friday) is a time to attend my IELTS Class.
my illness like a blessing in disguise. this break surprisingly gives me a courage to enjoy my Natgeo People channel without reading the Indonesian Subtitle. i can close my eyes and feel the vibration of the dialog. also, i can enjoy reading my favorite novel in English version. this feeling is so satisfying.
the novel and Natgeo People maneuvering my mindset. from make it as my tools to increase my IELTS, to enjoying it and realize IELTS is a foundation for unlocking the cheap yet easy high quality of entertaining content. with my financial situation, it feels so blessed to have a good English to overcomes it.
so, my fear of IELTS test has already fallen down. I got the essence, the reading passage is shorter than my favorite novel. i must pass the reading passage to make a perfect imagination about the scene that written in the novel. i must pass the listening passage to enjoy the best message about my favorite program : Natgeo People and Gill Clarks's comment for badminton tournament. i must pass the writing to deliver my idea and contemplation in a proper way. i must pass the speaking for communicating well about what i really want.
i need IELTS for unlocking a whole new level of my global dream.
Betari really an answer from my Deity for my prays.
speaking about writing, yes. demystifiying is a really good analogy. this part of IELTS is really like a misty myth for me. in this class, i know that i have been trapped in this part. i failed to translate and transcribe what the question want. leads me wrong direction and makes my score stagnant.
from this class finally i know that the Writing Task 2 actually has a particular framework with a particular structure and all i need is to fill the template with a suitable sentence. what a sentence that must put in the template is really interesting . i just know that what a paragraph progression is, and i already know how to identify a sentence that just be an "accessories" because still stick with its previous information.
another insight i get from this class is : just like another part of IELTS, type of question leads to a certain strategy. i just realize that this time so far i got trapped in a rush : not understand the instruction clearly and writing without planning. it brings me to more time pressure and stuck in the middle of the writing process. in writing, we must set time allocation to make it right : for planning, for writing, and for proofreading. this allocation is like a guidance for my panic attack, it really like an anchor.
to bridging my understanding of this part and what Betari teach me, i finished two books as my suplement : IELTS Essay Writing written by Mike Wattie and Master IELTS Essays written by Ebrahim Tahassoni. this two books is really a good bridge for me understand what Betari trying to say about. i feel really blessed with these books and Betari combination. this collaboration is really giving me a light in my dark tunnel about IELTS writing task 2.
another exciting news about Betari is : i can contact her with my pieces of screenshot of the book to ask some enlightenment outside our class. as our agreement in first meeting : this class is about me and Betari. together we will polish my weakness to reach my "less intimidating" IELTS score. but at the end, this exam is about me. how far i can extract what i learned with Betari's guidance in our classes and execute it during the exam's pressure. how deep i can show my ability in this language acquisition process to the examiner.
in conclusion, all i can say is : you can learn IELTS by yourself. you can download unlimited resources of writing IELTS on the internet and practicing IELTS Writing through https://writeandimprove.com/ by Cambridge English and get diamond feedback from there . but having Betari accompany you through your journey of IELTS is an unimaginable experience. her really incredible for delivering her capabilities and experiences of IELTS and help to escalate your competencies.
thank you for reading, have a nice day. remember : Saturday is Coming Your Way 😇
Balikpapan, 29 of September 2021
Faizah -- who very spirited for her next meeting with Betari
16 September
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
this meeting is dominated with we are figuring out what happen in Cambridge IELTS 16 listening test, why my score has extremely dropped. after I and Betari has been done the same test : we agreed that in the 16 series (and most probably in the 17 series, which is held this year) IELTS examiners committee makes some significance chance in IELTS exam. The difficulties are broadenly spread in all the tests. this not like the previous exam, which had particular part that used to be notorious part of exam participant. there is no more example in the listening test (which is good because for me, an example in the test was breaking my focus LOL) and the speaker talk slower than before. the accent of the speaker also different and challenging to identify what accent is from. the context also very related to real situation. so, yeah. the IELTS Cambridge 16 is more difficult. Betari suggest me to just focus on IELTS Cambridge 16 practices as my preparing tools to face my IELTS real test. because this is a new style of exam. new pattern.
the evaluation is : sometimes, do not listen to the details. but listen to the context itself. also review again the whole sentences (to make sure the context) before I move in that answer to my answer sheet.
trust my ears, establish my basic listening, try to let go, and do not be stressed about something that i know that is my weakness. indeed. Betari ascertains that there will be a moment, where my IELTS score is stable regardless the situation that surrounds them.
the next is speaking test. this is my second times i do speaking test. the surprise is, my score is increasing 0.5 points. Ya, Allah. Alhamdulillah. Betari gives me some valuable feedbacks that encourages me, if the speaking test is a chance at helping part of my IELTS score.
after overcoming my worried in Listening and Speaking, so the reading materials begin. again, we focused on the topics of IELTS Cambridge 16. which is very intimidating and trending at this time. Betari said much of her students' score are dropped while doing this test. like me. my point is drop 1 point. sad ðŸ˜.
but, the journey is still long way. i must patiently give a chance again to myself. Betari gives me three ammunition : first, reading the whole passages of reading test. this strategy is effective to overcome what the main idea, and which are the additional information who stronger the main idea. next is reading the question first for the true/false/not given type of question. this is time efficient. the analogy is like the buy and sell process. we receive the order first and then check to our stock. which one that most suitable for the order. this is also good to implement the type of question who provide a table of answer choice and questioning resume of the paragraph.
last, the mandatory strategy of reading test : skimming --> resume in one or two words --> read the question --> and scanning again the paragraph to find the answer of questions.
so, yeah. that's my reflection for understanding reading test more. hope this post will help you as Betari's suggestions work for me.
thank you for reading, fellas. have a good day !
Balikpapan, 16 of September 2021
Faizah Riffat -- who has a plan for coming late at work because last night meeting at the ministry's work unit are so tiring
08 September
Photo by Mohammad Metri on Unsplash
listening is my first love, but Betari shows me it's not that easy.
you are what you listen to, is a perfectly right quote to describe coherency between you and your IELTS Listening Test. stay calm and trust your ears. you just have one chance to concentrate and write exactly what you listen to. do not ever think that your memoir can save you for listening tests. once you get delayed, you never find out the right answer.
at that time, i lost my motivation. i have been getting a stable listening score during my practice. but one day, it decreases 0.5 points. I still assume that is because I did not get my breakfast before the practice. but it becomes worse when the next day it shows the same score in different listening test (i never repeat my practice with the same test).
and Listening Test from Betari came. i got more surprised when the score is dropping 1 point than before. my total decreasing gap from my stable score to Betari test is about 1.5 points. it's very heartbreaking.
when the class is started, Betari says that she will do the same test like me for figuring out why this happen
this is so begin with end in my mind. for the first time i found a coach who willing to learn, to imagine standing in my position. OMG what kind of thing i did in my past life to deserved coach like Betari ?
one thing that I learn in Betari IELTS Class is : she always do speaking test in the beginning of class and give me a score as a result. this is because active part in IELTS (writing and speaking) is harder than passive part (listening and reading). especially on speaking test, there is a psychological pressure that impacts the score. that's a common problem for IELTS fighter that Betari know. and she implements that problem into brilliant strategy.
so, you have 10 meetings of the class. then you have 10 speaking test along the way.
Betari gives a lot of feedback after the speaking test. she told what my strength and what kind of aspect i can improve better. she gives me AREL structure for the Speaking part 3, explains how many points i must fulfill in the Speaking part 2, and how to answer Speaking part 1 based on examiner expectation.
Betari is also repeating my answer in the Speaking test in the proper yet understandable sentence.
now, let's talk about the listening test itself
actually the content of this listening part is not that new for me. but, it feels so different when you have an available coach who accompanying you trough this class. the secured feeling that you always have a place to ask and discuss is never be replaceable by any other IELTS listening books.
one key takeaways from this meeting is : Betari suggest me to imagine that i am involved in that recording situation. i must stand myself as part of that recording test. in part one, i must imagine that the speaker is friends of mine that i attend for accompanying his/her trough the conversation. for part 2, i imagine i am one of the audience. in part 3, i imagine i am part of the informal university activity (because i take the academic module), and the last part i imagine sitting down in that lecture class.
it's explained why some people are getting frustated of the last part of IELTS Listening test meanwhile my gained score is always from this part. again, it's because the psychological factor. i love school and wish to pursue my degree. and Betari encourages me to occur that feeling in every part of the listening test.
because IELTS is not as simple as score and a certificate. it's about your survival tool kit to live and study in an English speaking country. every part of the IELTS test will be my daily basis situation when my odyssey begins.
the other highlighted point i got from Betari's class is : do not try to understand everything that you listen to. focus on keyword (such as cause - effect) and some specific point (like spelling, price, times, place, etc.)
the hyphenated, this is very new yet surprising for me.
along this time i just understand the instruction, strictly (one word / no more than two words / one word and or a number ), despite that instruction actually has a hint and traps. something that i think you never found in a book. or, if you found it you still have a challenge to understand. because in my opinion, this instruction needs deep explanation of the expert.
so, that's all things i can remember from the last Friday night meeting. i hope you gain some enlightenment as i am. thank you for reading.
Balikpapan, 8 of September 2021
Faizah Riffat -- who get praise yesterday from head of supervision commitment officer. ministry of public works and housing.
28 August
last night was my first meeting of this IELTS private class. one on one intensive preparation program to help me get my desire score of IELTS as a mandatory requirement to reach my dream.
i have been told you before, that i got a scholarship for this program. so, let me tell you again. this program consist of 12 meetings. one for pre test, another is post test. eight intensives rich content of fundamental IELTS. and two reserved meetings for sharpening aspect which i am struggling for, or for additional meeting to improve some aspect that might be better based on my coach (Betari) perspective. each meeting has 2 hours duration.
this first meeting is about forming perception between me and my coach. like class rules, my target, strategic IELTS overview, and so on.
but, one point that i highlighted from last night meeting is :
Betari Digs My Psychological Traits Troughout English in General
wow, i had not expected before. so Betari, has a psychology education background for her undergraduate. and reseach method in social science (qualitative research) for her Master in University of Bristol (United Kingdom).
i really not expected that Betari use her knowledge and skill as a brilliant technique to my classes. she asked me many questions to encourage me to speak all the time. really, i just a little bit surprised that our duration is over and i have additional time for13 minutes. haha.
firstly, Betari learned me that comfortable in English is the basic foundation for a good IELTS score. she tears down my paradigm since i was in senior high school that teach me English as Second Language. i changed my mindset from English as my second language to English is my way to communicate in an English speaking country, and IELTS is about language acquisition. is the same way like when i was continuing my junior high school to Jombang. i must comfortable to speak Javanese language, even though i am a Banjarnese girl. because it is the only way to communicate to my school and room mates.
same like what i did in 2006, i acquisi Javanese language as my survival kit to communicate. in 2021, i must acquisi English language as my survival kit too.
Speaking of IELTS. Betari Gives Me an Analogy, That The IELTS Exam Looks Like My Cambridge International Exam. A Specific Framework to Measure How Deep I Can Deliver My Idea and Knowledge Into Logical and Narrative Paper
every part of IELTS exam is about structure. including speaking part. is not kind of lingua franca session. it exam session. the examiner measures how deep your capability in structural yet substantive way. i agree with that. the speaking practice is so challenging because it's more like the elevator pitch rather than informal discussion. so many people getting trapped in this part because they only focus on how speak fluently rather than have a unique, multifaceted lens about social issues that usually occur in the speaking test. so, their mentality is drop facing this type of question. so, Betari vanguard me to aware with social issue.
related to speaking part, is about listening part. many people are getting fear with this part. Alhamdulillah beside of them, i really love the IELTS listening part. because the way they speak is clearer than the national geographic channel narrator. my favorite television channel. but, it does not mean that my IELTS listening part is on the right way. i still have a homework to answering 5 more questions correctly while maintaining my listening score right know in order to reach my target score. but yes, Betari's suggestion to encourage me more aware with what content that i am listening to. my homework for the next meeting is to resume every content (podcast, film, video, and other audio related content) to improve my listening part. her astonishing suggestion is so better than my strategic to practice IELTS listening everyday. she told me that sometimes i must make a distance from the test itself. to reflect, evaluate, and continuing my journey of IELTS.
the reading one is so interesting part of me. i told Betari that the cheating so cold tips and trick is no work for me, at all. because my reading score is stuck. and when i changed my reading strategy from cheating to read all the sentences accurately and make some resume beside every paragraph in one to three words. when answering the question, i just need to look at my resume of the paragraph to find the right answer. so, yeah. for me, the key of IELTS reading is about fundamental. how far you understand the content comprehensively.
another part is my fearful part of the IELTS exam. writing task. again, I got astonish moment. my principles of English academic writing have totally been transformed. before i enter this class. i thought that English writing is about translating my idea in Indonesian to English language. later i know that i was wrong. IELTS writing specifically and English writing generally is about mindset. i must reset my perspective and the way i write. for example, in Indonesia we usually write with so much additional sentence for wider our content. but, in English we must strictly follow the instruction. like IELTS writing task 1. it is about interpreting visual data (chart, table, diagram) into narrative explanation. we do not need to input our opinion as a writer. just focus on the data. deliver the fact without repetition. on the other hand, in IELTS writing task 2. we must answer a question with our honest opinion. thinking clearly, and write an answer in strict limitation. this is so challenging. it measured how deep we respond the question holistically and give exactly what the examiner wants.
so, that's my experience on my first meeting. please pray for me, i wish to write my experience in every meeting to this platform. as the witness of my overseas journey.
thank you for reading, have a nice day !
Balikpapan, 28 of August 2021
Riffat Akhsan -- who write this post while attending Indonesia Mengglobal Anniversary.
18 August
Photo by Steven Lasry on Unsplash
"The capacity to learn is a gift, the ability to learn is skill, the willingness to learn is a choice"
-Brain Herbert-
satu tahun sudah saya belajar mandiri untuk menaikkan skor IELTS saya yang jongkok ini. berbagai video youtube saya coba. tips jitu lolos IELTS dalam sekali tembak ala Kiky Edward juga sudah saya coba. semua bahan belajarnya yang tembus puluhan giga itu saya download. saya cicil mereka untuk saya print di kantor pake kertas bekas. latihan sudah rutin seminggu sekali saya lakukan. mendengarkan more or less BBC sudah tiap pagi saya amalkan.
tapi skor saya nggak naik - naik.
ada beberapa faktor. pertama, otak saya tidak seencer mbak Kiky. atau yang kedua. belajar mandiri tanpa mentor bukan gaya belajar saya. karena saya tau persis belajar bersama dalam satu kelas juga tidak cocok untuk saya.
saya lebih memilih percaya faktor bahwa saya butuh mentor yang bisa mengevaluasi kesalahan saya dan bebas saya tanya bagaimana caranya mengatasi kendala saya yang itu - itu saja.
namun ada satu fakta lagi yang malu saya akui : jauh dalam diri, saya tidak berani mengerjakan soal active skills seperti writing dan speaking karena saya tidak percaya bahwa saya bisa. hasilnya ya, bisa dibayangkan. penuh percaya diri saja hancur apalagi ada low self esteem ikutan berperan di sana.
hingga akhirnya di awal bulan itu, saya memutuskan untuk menyerah. beberapa orang memang tidak ditakdirkan untuk lolos tes standar bahasa inggris. mungkin saya termasuk di dalamnya.
namun hati saya masih ingin berjuang.
beberapa hari kemudian saya tersentak dengan fakta yang diungkapkan oleh paman guru saya melalui saudara kembar saya. beliau (paman guru) bilang kalau jalan saya menuju mimpi saya terbuka sangat lebar. hanya saja ada rintangan besar bernama bahasa. jika saya berhasil mengatasi kendala bahasa ini, maka jalan selanjutnya akan lancar.
di subuh hari itu, saya menemukan diri saya menangis tergugu meraung meminta pertolongan. saya katakan pada-NYA "ya Allah, engkau berjanji menolong seluruh makhlukmu yang meminta pertolongan. tolong saya ya Allah, tolong saya untuk mengatasi kendala bahasa yang saya hadapi"
lama saya larut dalam gelembung emosi ketakutan dan harapan. setelah cukup bisa menguasai diri, saya lalu membaca dua muka Al-Qur'an tadarus saya yang progressnya kayak siput itu.
anehnya, saya yang tidak bisa bahasa arab ini mengerti bahwa isi dari 2 muka halaman Al-Qur'an yang saya baca ini isinya penuh dengan doa dan keutamaan berdoa. terselip pula ayat - ayat janji Allah untuk mereka yang berdoa.
besok harinya, saya terbangun di pukul satu dini hari. berdasarkan kitab yang saya pelajari di pondok dulu, malaikat itu turun sekitar jam setengah dua. saya tunggu satu jam. saya tahan kantuk demi menghadang malaikat. menagih janji tuhan yang menolong mereka yang berdoa.
kembali saya tergugu. saya menangis. saya sampaikan saya tak berdaya tanpa kuasa-NYA. saya mohon dengan segala kepasrahan untuk bisa mengatasai kendala bahasa dan berlari mengejar mimpi saya.
setelah itu, saya hidup normal seperti biasa.
pagi, 15 Agustus 2021.
saya yang lagi mood menulis, mohon izin memakai kutipan seseorang. sebut saja orang baik. orang ini dengan antusias mempersilahkan saya. saya lalu memperkenalkan diri sebagai seorang yang sedang berjuang meraih mimpi. beliau lalu menanyakan sejauh mana usaha saya mendekap mimpi saya. saya balas sejujurnya beserta bukti yang mendukung pernyataan saya. percakapan itu santai dan tanpa tendensi apapun.
kemudian, di pukul setengah lima waktu Balikpapan, orang baik ini mengajak saya zoom meeting. beliau bilang tertarik dengan profil saya yang menurut beliau menarik. saya, yang ingin mengikuti jejak langkah beliau tentu saja mengiyakan.
singkat cerita, zoom meeting lah kami. komunikasi kami sebenarnya seperti mengobrol. namun kini saya sadar kalau itu adalah seleksi wawancara. saya sadar bahwa beliau mengajukan pertanyaan yang saya pikir random. ternyata itu adalah sebuah psychology assesment.
setelah sesi tanya jawab (yang baru saya sadari sekarang) itu beliau lalu mengatakan bahwa ada hal menarik dalam diri saya beliau bilang saya tau persis apa yang saya mau. saya juga sudah menyiapkan berbagai alternatif di berbagai kemungkinan. menurut beliau dalam bahasa psychology, self regulation saya untuk stand up independently mengejar apa yang saya mau sudah lengkap. namun kendala saya ada pada ruang gerak saya yang terbatas karena masalah bahasa.
bahasa. lagi -lagi bahasa.
beliau lalu memetakan karakter belajar saya, dan melakukan mapping agar langkah saya menjadi terukur di tengah semangat sporadis yang hampir meredup karena setahun tidak ada progress ini.
di akhir beliau bilang, bahwa saya diberi hadiah oleh beliau berupa les private gratis oleh seorang coach yang sudah beliau kenal baik. merupakan mahasiswa beliau ketika S1 dulu. kini telah selesai menempuh pendidikan masternya di United Kingdom. yang menghangatkan hati saya, beliau mengatakan coach saya ini memiliki skor IELTS 8.5 dan siap membantu saya.
biaya private sudah dibayar lunas oleh beliau. saya hanya perlu memanfaatkan kesempatan ini sebaik mungkin. di akhir course, beliau akan menemui saya lagi via zoom meeting untuk mengevaluasi sejauh mana progress saya mengatasi kendala bahasa ini. sejauh mana lompatan yang bisa saya lakukan dengan dukungan hadiah tidak terduga, yang ternyata merupakan jawaban doa saya.
beliau bilang, saya tidak perlu membayar apapun. baik ke beliau maupun ke coach saya. beliau cuma minta saya untuk menabung guna mengikuti IELTS real test setelah course berakhir.
Betari Aisah namanya. baru pulang studi dari negeri ratu. kini membuka usaha private IELTS untuk mereka yang seperti saya. saya tidak tahu berapa biaya untuk 10 pertemuan dengan durasi 2 jam setiap pekan. kalau kamu berminat, silahkan hubungi beliau lewat direct message instagram ya !
saat ini saya baru akan memulai pertemuan pertama minggu depan. namun Self Paced Pre Test sudah saya terima dan kerjakan. begitu pula dengan agenda di setiap pertemuannya. sebagai ucapan terima kasih, saya akan menuliskan pengalaman positif saya dalam beberapa tulisan. semoga menjadi jalan bagi kamu yang juga berada di titik yang sama seperti saya. dan semoga, ini adalah jalan rezeki dan jalan jariyah coach saya : Betari Aisah.
di luar mengajar, Betari adalah seorang peneliti kualitatif dan mix method. ia juga merupakan penggiat kesehatan mental dan personal growth. beberapa tulisan dalam dan kontemplatifnya dapat kamu kunjungi di https://betari.medium.com/ dan diskusi mind blowingnya bisa kamu kunjungi di https://open.spotify.com/show/7rgiE024DOWRi7b7hqW8D3
Betari Aisah. melalui orang baik, Allah mengirimkan ia sebagai malaikat penolong IELTS saya. saya mohon doanya ya teman teman, agar dengan Betari kendala bahasa saya teratasi. tabungan saya cukup untuk membayar biaya real test IELTS, dan saya lolos requirement dalam one shot.
saya mohon amin dan al fatihah kalian.
terima kasih.
Balikpapan, 18 Agustus 2021
Faizah Riffat Ma'rifah -- yang nyali nya untuk mengerjakan active part IELTS pelan - pelan mulai menyala karena merasa punya tempat bertanya
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