Achievement Unlocked! I passed the IELTS exam!

Thank God! My struggles were worth it! At last, I'll never have to take IELTS again!

I am immensely grateful that God didn't leave me on my IELTS journey. I would say that it was a roller coaster of emotions full of uncertainty and inspiration.

Although I love reading books and writing blogs in English but the preparation made me realize that I still need to polish my English speaking skills. It was the time that I came to tell myself how I detest reading and most of all felt lazy in writing. 

IELTS is a must-take for us Filipino healthcare professionals as it is a requirement for our CGFNS Visascreen processing. I spent eight months in preparing for the test because the fee was no joke. It costs P10,250.00 and I have no choice but to earn that considerable amount of money. Take note, I was not born to an affluent family so I need to work hard first.

To pass IELTS, the test taker should meet the band required by each country. The perfect band is 9.0.  In my case, since I'm bound for US, I need to have a band of at least 7.0 in speaking with an overall band score of at least 6.5. Also, I was waiting for a perfect timing. In my months of practice, I was still not convinced with my progress so I did not haste and answer all the Cambridge listening and reading subtests that I could find and did essays of all kinds of questions weekly.

DURING MY SPEAKING TEST.

It happened two days before my chosen date so I was apprehensive at first. I took a long breath in going to the venue to keep my composure. It was not long till the interviewer called my name and I kept telling myself that it would be just like a normal conversation with a friend.

The Part one was fine as I was able to practice these kinds of questions during my review when Part two came. The moment I saw my cue card, my thoughts went blank and suddenly panic overcome me. I was given a topic that was so unfamiliar. It took me half a minute to write what I should say.

Even though the odds were not in my favor, I still answered it with enthusiasm and as cohesive as possible. But I didn’t deny that I committed some fillers, hesitations and repetitions.

Much more in Part three where I seem to think that the interviewer was processing my answers. I was not sure where do I stand but I explained it to her with support and cited some examples. I was not certain with my answer as well. I thought that was the end of the world and I just screwed my IELTS score.

DURING MY WRITTEN EXAM..

With what happened during the speaking, I was in the middle of losing hope and moving on so I decided not to do last-minute preps a day before. It was worth mentioning that the exam venue for the remaining tests is so fascinating. It was indeed an international campus where the facilities are unparalled and students just line up in the cafeteria to take their food as they please. Listening was bearable but I left to the heavens my reading and writing because the time was really short and I just had to put finishing touches before time is up.

Waiting for the results was so agonizing but I didn’t think much about it because I went with my colleagues for a vacation for 4 days. It diverted my attention somehow. I tend to forget the horrors of failing until the remaining days.

Well, I couldn’t imagine myself if I fail the test. On February 22, 2019 at around 10 in the morning, I received a text message coming from the IDP and I saw my scores. How I love to shout for joy as I knew I passed! I was in the lab when the result came out and all I could do at that moment was to thank God. I felt like I won a lottery. After I attended a mass, I reached home and there I cried my heart out. Tears of joy really is as I hugged my parents right away.

It was like a thorn was taken out from my body.  I dedicate this achievement for my family as they are witnesses how I sacrificed my time for them to IELTS. The triumph was more than what I felt than passing ASCP. Truly IELTS is a life-changing exam and I realize that this platform is just a one-step to improve my English learning skills. After passing the exam, I gathered all the books that I want to finish. At last, I can do all the things that I want to do. There’s nothing holding me back anymore! It was a one hell of experience with IELTS. Thank you, next!