I am also a long-standing teacher of IELTS to students and have given much throught to the current admission standard for English to gain student visa privilege.
My reasons are based on experience and these must be seen against the historical trail whereby student visas have been issued to individuals who have used that easy access route to the UK citing their “need to learn English” – this has often been a cover story.
1. Having lectured in English in various colleges (two of which were scam and the very religious foreign national owners made a fortune out of their evil deeds), it became obvious that MOST of the students were there for work purposes – some, possibly, for terrorist or other reasons. The one college held BAC accreditation that was eventually removed. The other still appears on the ASIC register but not on the UKBA list.
2. I was introduced to the world where false certificates were printed; false documentation for Council Tax, Oyster Card applications; visa extension letters and forged ID documents were the vogue.
3. Agents, who were foreign nationals from Colombia, the Ukraine and Pakistan made a fortune using the college premises as offices for their trade. One has subsequently opened up “a College” in Elephant and Castle. ENGLISH teaching was / is the main drawcard for college operations.
4. Few students registered at those colleges really wanted to learn English and some eventually disappeared into the illegal work force.
5. The current LOW standard for admission will only perpetuate that kind of debacle – the six-month special visa envisaged will not work as many of those individuals will also disappear into the illegal immigrant fabric of the UK.
6. The ENGLISH ROUTE is just an easy ride to unto the UK. An inability to communicate in English affects student motivation, causes problems for the college because it could be penalised due to the failure rate of the students and is a possible reason why the course providers will withdraw their sponsorship. Why must a good college be dragged under by individuals who cannot speak English, are in the UK for financial gain and, when offered FREE English lessons do not turn up because they are working?
7. I am currently teaching students who present as having IELTS 5 AND IELTS 5.5. and TOEFL 90. They just cannot understand, grasp or communicate in English. Their certificates are either forged, earned through bribery or the examiner was useless. They are not capable of communicating in basic English – let alone in non-academic language! Their qualifications are an insult to IELTS standards and a blight on this prestigious body.
8. Serious students must give evidence of their stated intentions to study – getting up to speed with English will be one such evidence. The British Council (and others) provide English classes in foreign countries. Student preparation can commence there. Individuals coming to the UK can get their basic English in their home country – and that means IELTS 6.
9. Of course, this will affect many teaching institutions in the UK but we need to have a standard that will act also as a deterrant for indivuduals who are not only keen to escape the poverty and related conditions in their country to come to the UK.
For too long many English teaching institutions have been raking in money and providing stop-gap and ineffective non-tested teaching. The entrepreneurs on that gravy train must be dumped in the English Channel.
10. Educational institutions need to adapt to the changing situation and could, for example, start schools in foreign countries, diversify their operations or mothball themselves. Lateral thinking is needed.
Sentimentality about our precious English language must not be used as a means to manipulate the situation – this is an issue of logic.
11. English is a global language and the UK needs to have students who can use its linguistic heritage in the best way possible. Learning English programmes are not flexible diving boards into the UK – they are conduits to better education.
I hope I have answered your question. PLease get back to me if I have not.
You’ve heard the views of a teacher in the UK, now read the opinion of an international student with a succesful career in the UK who thinks that IELTS 6.0 is too high for a UK student visa.
This post was submitted by Bruce.
Hi i live in Pakistan and i scored 5.0 in IELTS exam. I am graduated from High school. I want to apply for UK student Visa. Can someone please tell me, what is the require score of IELTS exam for UK student visa.
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Hi:
I have got 6 in ielts and i am still deciding where to apply. UK? Canada? Australia?
I am from Pakistan and i am interested in ACCA or CIMA as i have completed BBA in 2009.
Can someone please advice me accordingly
Thanks in advance
Regards,
JB
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Hi. i got 5.5 in IELTS. i got conditional offer letter from the university where IELTS is not required(not mentioned). so can any one clear my doubt.is it enough to apply for visa???
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I’ve scored 5.5 in the IELTS.Will i be able to get a visa for UK??,..anyone,please tell me.
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same doubt for me???
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i have got 4.5 ielts score will any collage accept me as a student ?
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Hi there waqas
First of all, stay away from the promises made by the consultants. They usually are money making factories who would not mind ripping you off. YES you need at least a 6.0 in your IELTS for canada. You may get a Visa without an IELTS score but you have to get into preliminary english courses at the university and that would cost you a fortune. Trust me it would be much cheaper to have an IELTS score and then going to Canada. Also having an IELTS score would also enabloe you to get campus jobs and maybe also outside the campus/
hope this helps you
Azman
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hi my name is waqas and i m from pakistan.i want to get the study visa of canada but my main problem is ielts .iam listening that ielts score 6.0 to 6.5 is required for canadian study visa is it true or not.i have done my intermediate in 2008.for canadian study visa i met with a consultant in lahore he tells me that without ielts ican get the study visa of canadian institute cape breton university please solve my this problem
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hi my names is mmorad and i live in morocco ; i have got an ielts 4.5 but that school i tried to enrol in asked me for an ielts 5 can they accept me even with some condition such as to do another one when ill get into the uk ? i need to have an idea pleaz .
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Hi Azman
Thank you for your post!
Sadly, we still reap the results of the stupidity of the new system insofar English requirements to study ENGLISH subjects – not English! Let us keep plugging away!
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Dear Bruce,
I wish my students who I train for the IELTS examination could see your post. A mushroom growth of so called “agencies” have been doing brisk business over the last few years here in Bangladesh in partnership with the colleges that you have mentioned. From my recent visit to the UK, where i met some of my former students who came to UK through such agencies, I came to know about the sorry picture of the Bangladeshi students who got admitted in Colleges even with an IELTS score of 4.5! Without any hope of surviving the predominant English Environment, majority of them are struggling to cope with the environemnt.
A simple example of two of my students would reinstate the need of a decent IELTS score to survive, yes survive in the UK. One of my students got a 6.5 in his IELTS and has already graduated from The University of Middlesex and another one who got 4.5. is still studying in a college. The 6.5 holder has already got a decent, well paid job at TESCO while the latter is still stuck with English Foundation Course (a cost which most of the students do not take into consideration).
Thanks for your insightful thoughts and as a teacher of IELTS, I completely agree with your vision of making 6.0 the minimum requirement for getting Student VISA to UK
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thx mr shoaib can u tell me any college and yes i have to done intermediate 2006
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Yea fakhar its possible for u to get addmission in ACCA widout IELTS.
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plz any body tell me ielts is must for uk study visa i want to get the addmission in ACCA without ielts
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Hi Bruce
I think you’ve made some great points here. You can read my reply here: why I think IELTS 6.0 is too high for a UK student visa.
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Hi! Mr. Bruce,
I got visa letter from St. George’s College in 29th january 2010. My subject is Diploma in Administrative Managemant. But i couldn’t submit it to the embassy becouse of suspenssion order. I have no IELTS score, but my medium of instraction of bechalor degree was English. Now what can i do?
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Hi Mahadal
Could you direct your query to DANIEL, please. I have no idea what the situation is as I am not working for the UKBA.
Regards
Bruce
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hi everyone…..can u give me answer of my question.i put my oues in common question categories…..who can’t get an appointment in uk ambessy in north india?
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anne, the news that from 3rd March IELTS will be compulsory for a UK Student visa is not true. In fact the home office has upgraded the required level of English from CEFR A2 to CEFR B2. Now there are certain college who are offering admissions without IELTS. As far as your case is concerned you should wait your institution will be on list soon, and if it does not happen, the embassy will call you for an other admission from some other institution which is on the list.
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Ive read in the news that starting on March03 there will be a required IELTS if you were applying for a student visa.Just want to ask if i should take to have it coz i lodged my documents last dec16 and due the suspension of my college till now i dont have visa.Any update in Saint Patrick College.They had been inspected last Feb15.How much time to have the result to be able the suspension be lifted.If by chance i will have the visa,definitely i will be deffered in their May classes.Do i have to take IELTS..Thanks ang good day.
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Hi Anne
I am not sure whether your enquiry was for me but I would suggest that you ask Daniel. He is knowledgable about UKBA matters.
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I’ve been looking through your blog. You have some interesting posts on here, especially this one – I really enjoyed it…nice post. Consider yourself bookmarked
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Hi Octavia
Thank you for the feedback.
There is much more still to follow – keep your eyes peeled!!
A Paper is being written regarding the currend proposed Tier 4 rules. Daniel has said that he would consider posting exerpts on the UKBA site.
Regards and thank you.
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