Yesterday I met my fellow student of Annuqayah boarding school, in the room of another friend of mine, in Jemur Ngawinan Surabaya. Upon asking him, I knew that he only transited in Surabaya from Kampung Inggris Pare to Annuqayah Sumenep. He had joined English course in Pare for 3 months due to his plan to take real TOEFL test as a requirement of graduate degree program he would enrol.
Then I questioned him about the programs he took in Pare, and he told me that he joined speaking class at an institution over there. I guessed that the institution is small, so that the name was unfamiliar for me, as I had ever experienced studying English in Pare. I also said to him that the program was not in line with his aim of taking TOEFL test, because, as I knew, there were many programs managed for TOEFL test. So his speaking program would not help him much in getting his expected score in the real test later. In addition, in TOEFL test, speaking ability is not examined. They are only three skill examined in the test, listening, structure and written expression, and reading.
Enrolling speaking class aiming to get good TOEFL score is not a good choice. The best one is to join a program which exactly managed on gaining the TOEFL Score. In Pare, for example in ELFAST, there are programs focusing on translation, writing, TOEFL and IELTS. It is clear that in ELFAST one who wants to prepare himself to TOEFL test should not enroll grammar, translation or writing class, although the latter three are very useful in maximizing the TOEFL score. If one should do so, it would waste time. It is better to directly take preparation program for TOEFL. Although semantically it does not show word “writing, reading or grammar”, but it is all in one, completely dishing everything needed in TOEFL test as well as in IELTS program.
One might be think that the separated program would bring him to the maximal result of studying. He is true in context of studying writing and translation, but is not in studying TOEFL. He might be brilliant in writing some articles or papers, but not be sure to finish IELTS writing task within its limited time. He might be smart in reading any news papers or English-written book, but not be so in doing reading passage of TOEFL within a strict limited time, because the TOEFL questions, as well as those of IELTS, are very tricky so that one does not need only to answer the question but also to know how to finish them well. The questions would usually be very easy, but many people were failed in it. They were smart for sure, and finished the task, but they did not realize the tricky part, so what they assumed as easy thing really “killed” them.
If you have a lot of money and enough time, enrolling grammar, writing, or translation class is good to upgrade your qualification, and they may be useful if you want to take TOEFL or IELTS test one day. If you do not and soon expect to take real test of TOEFL or IELTS, you should only take the preparation program for the test. The program would be more effective and ready to bring you fast in getting the expected score.
So, I frankly said to my friend that he wasted his time much even he was heavily wrong by taking speaking class for his planned real TEOFL test.
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