Abstract
The challenge for many teachers teaching in academic English programs is, on the one hand, to actualize the objectives of their course and on the other hand, prepare their students for the important international tests such as IELTS and TOEFLE. The current study seeks to reconcile this challenge by drawing on the relationship between the IELTS listening and listening in academic English programs. The requirements of the two domains were compared through a semi – structured interview with five participating academic English instructors from two state universities of Iran. It was found that whilst IELTS listening bears a little bit of resemblance to the one aspect of academic listening - the literal understanding, there are also some very significant differences. The findings suggests that the type of listening the IELTS requires is different from academic listening in terms of pragmatic understanding, the integration of skills, multiplicity of texts for listening, information literacy and the concept of construct irrelevant variance. The findings also indicate the overall usefulness of the IELTS preparation practices within academic English courses.
Highlights
IELTS, international English language testing system is a testing program that assesses the language ability of candidates whose aim is education or work in an English speaking country (IELTS 10, 2015)
The use of IELTS test has been expanded in recent years because of the increase in the number of the students willing to study in universities of English speaking countries and the overgrowing number of the universities requiring the IELTS as a prerequisite for the students (Moore & Morton, 1999)
The interview was made of two questions investigating: 1) the perceptions regarding the degree of correspondence between the academic listening requirements and those on the IELTS listening tasks, and 2) insights regarding the overall usefulness of the IELTS preparation practices in university English courses
Summary
IELTS, international English language testing system is a testing program that assesses the language ability of candidates whose aim is education or work in an English speaking country (IELTS 10, 2015). The use of IELTS test has been expanded in recent years because of the increase in the number of the students willing to study in universities of English speaking countries and the overgrowing number of the universities requiring the IELTS as a prerequisite for the students (Moore & Morton, 1999). This situation leads to the incorporation of the IELTS preparation courses within the English academic programs. Whether the listening practices in academic English programs are transactional or interactional, it is significant to have a broad picture of the relationship between the IELTS and listening in these programs. Its purpose is to investigate the degree of the correspondence between the two domains and reveal the possible divergences and convergences among them in order to get a broader picture regarding the practices of listening in the two domains and the processes underlying them
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
