Overseas road, English help: my IELTS journey (successfully applied for a master's degree at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

background

After working at Shopee in Singapore for two years, I wanted to make full use of the local high-quality educational resources and study for a part-time master's degree. This first required an IELTS score; in addition, although my usual working language is English, I still I feel that I am stretched thin, so I am also planning to test my English proficiency and take a "snapshot" so that I can make further improvements in the future and have a benchmark for comparison.

In fact, the English courses provided by the company for free includeVersant test scores, but the National University of Singapore and other universities do not recognize this, so I decided Determined to take IELTS

This time I signed up for the financial technology major at the following universities, all of which require English proficiency:

1. National University of Singapore
2. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
3. Hong Kong university
4. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Registration process

I registered through the website https://book.ielts.idp.com using my hotmail email address as my username.
At the same time, a practice test account has been registered, the link is https://www.ieltsprogresscheck.com/my-account/.

Notice:两个是不同账号

Full record of IELTS test journey

February 14, 2023 - Registration supplement

Due to incomplete personal information, my exam qualification was disqualified, resulting in the loss of some fees. I sent an email to the relevant department to complain, hoping to avoid loss of money. I also realized that I used my EP work visa card and passport when registering, and it is important to bring the corresponding documents when taking the exam. It is recommended to register with your passport, it is simpler.

February 15, 2023 - Mock Exam

I took a mock IELTS speaking test, recorded the process, and sent it to my relatives and friends majoring in English for evaluation. Their evaluation was probably between 6.5 and 7.5. At the same time, Nanyang Technological University also responded, and IELTS English scores are also required.

February 16, 2023 - Online exam failure

While taking an online exam, I accidentally pressed the lock screen key and logged out of the exam after logging in again. The result will not be counted in the score. It shows that online exams are tricky, and your grades will be deducted if you are not careful. It is recommended that you take offline exams.
The screenshot below is part of the online exam page for reference.

February 20, 2023 - Another successful offline exam

In the end, I chose to take the offline test and chose the famous IDP IELTS test center in Singapore.

1. Bring your passport and EP card (put it in your schoolbag, bring your work computer with you, and go directly to the company after the exam)
2. Bring a jacket, the air conditioner is said to be cold. Wear long pants.
3. 阅读理解，可以使用Highlight和NotesGood use can improve reading comprehension scores, remember.

(No personal belongings, including stationery and watches, are allowed into the examination room)
Get up at 7:30
Depart at 8:00 Must appear in front of the platform at 8:45
Arrive at the subway station at 8:30

February 23, 2023 - Results are out

I received the results of the offline exam, and the overall score was6.5.
This score is basically the same as the score of the mock test, which means that you should actively take the mock test when preparing for the test and be confident. The details are as follows:

1. Spoken 6.5 --Same as mock exam, real level
2. Listening 7 --Same as mock exam, real level
3. 阅读 6.5minutes --Figurine of ratio
4. Writing5.5 points - worse than the mock test, with more spelling errors, etc. We usually use various automatic grammar correction tools If there are too many, your spelling ability will decline. You should pay attention during the preparation process and practice targeted exercises

Exam experience

I faced some challenges during the exam. In the writing section, my score dropped, mainly because I didn't meet the question requirements well. The examiner's comments pointed out a number of issues, including too much detail without an overall overview, insufficient text or data, unclear purpose of the letter, and inappropriate tone. In my writing I was able to express my opinion and some main ideas, but the ideas did not lead to a conclusion. The ability to organize the article is lacking, and some connectors used are wrong or used too much. There may be repetition in the writing, and the second part lacks paragraph divisions. My vocabulary is barely adequate to answer the question, but the spelling errors cause some difficulty for the reader. I was able to use some basic sentence patterns correctly and tried some complex sentences, but I often made mistakes. There are also problems with the use of punctuation, and grammatical errors cause some difficulties for readers.

Issues with sending scores

When applying for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's Master of Financial Technology, I sent the original transcript, but it did not meet their requirements and needed to be sent directly by the awarding institution. I filled out the relevant requirements to IDP and was told that there was a 40 fee and electronic mailing was more expensive.

Request additional IELTS scores to be sent

I requested additional direct shipping supporting documents from IDP in the email, hoping to meet the requirements of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The content of the email included my personal information, exam information and recipient information, as well as my application number and course information.

Conclusion

Through this IELTS test experience, I realized some important details in the test and learned how to deal with challenges in similar situations. I hope my experience can help other candidates with similar needs.