Hello everyone, welcome back to Ramadhanight's Hive Blog. Today, I want to share about my experience on taking my first IELTS test, let's go !

It's started with an invitation from Australian Border Force to participate in the Graduate Certificate of Law (Maritime Studies), and my main office in Jakarta should nominate 2 person. I'm offered to join the program and excited for it, but there will be only 1 participant that can go. Beside the CV, we have to take an IELTS test and the result should be more 6.5 or more. To be honest, that is pretty high quilification, but I understand because the participant will join a course, and having a good english should be considered, how can they receive the information if they are not good enough in english, right ?

Not Getting Enough Preparation

I was having an English class for 3 weeks, but it's been more than 2 months ago. Since that day, I'm barely speaking English anymore, and it's reduce my english speaking skill and confidence. Big things are happened since that class : My wife given birth, and we have to take care our 3 childreen by our own, while getting my wife to recover from the caesar operation, so I'm doing most of the house job (cleaning, washing, cooking), and my first son just get back to school, so it's getting even hectic that sometimes I even find it hard to work. My post on hive for past few month are reflecting it, I skipped most of the day without writing at all, because it's just that hard to spare the time !

Failed to Preparing is Preparing for a Fail

Have You ever heard that wise words from Benjamin Franklin ? I think it's really true, because preparation is always important before we are going for a war ! With proper preparation, we can be more confident, and might having the solving problem of the obstacle that is going to happen, which mean less trouble. I actually have some preparation, but is very little. My intensive preparation is only on the last day before the test. I was actually given the date for the test on the previous 2 weeks, but again, it's just too hard to find the spare time.

On the test day, I have to run after getting trouble with finding the location, luckily I have enough credits to make a call and the call center is respond my call (I used to only top up for the internet data, not for call). I arrived safe enough, with more than 20 minutes spare. Found another candidate for the same program, but is participant from another department, so we are not a competitor there.

Then come the time for the IELTS test. First there is the listening. Since we took the paper based, we don't get the headphone. There is just 1 radio recorder that play the tape in front of the class. Too bad I got to sit on the 2nd position from the back. The sounds seems a little unclear, and I don't feel confident on getting high score (which I often had on listening).

The second and third test is writing and reading (I forget which come first). For the reading, I don't feel too much difficulty, but not feeling it's easy as well, and for writing I actually feel a little confident, because I watch some videos about how to write them well, like picking a side (agree or not) then giving reason and example, and conclude them. The writing for explaining a graphic is not so hard as well, probably because I often doing it on my hive blog long time ago 😂

The last part is the speaking test. To be honest, this is the hardest part for me, because this is my first time, and I don't often speaking English except for that class that I took 2 months before. I try to do some practice but it's only happened 1 day before. I have watches some videos, but man, I forgot some of the important part when I'm on the test. I remember on the videos when asked about the topics we don't really know, we can saying like "To be honest, I don't really know about this topic, ....." , but on the test, I don't remember it and trying to answer like I know, which cause me took some time to think about it on the middle of the conversation, and I'm sure it lower my score.

Overall, I don't really have confidence about getting the 6.5 band score, because I don't feel I'm doing my best on Listening and Speaking. And once again, I'm affraid of making the same mistake, wasting my chance to get enough score (I failed my TOEFL 4 month ago, with total score 547, 5 points behind the requirement for schoolarship at 552). I try to convince myself that it's still a bless to be able to have a free IELTS test, but still there is a huge disappoinment at the time.

Anyway, the world like trying to cheers me. After the test, I try to order an online motorbike taxi. I order for the mall near the location for getting some donuts for my wife and a clothes as surprise, but the driver almost took me on the other mall named Nagoya Hills (the most famous mall in Batam). I was not paying attention (because I still feel regret and imagine if I could do better) until we nearly arrived at Nagoya mall, and asked the driver "Why we took a very long way ?", and the driver said, "This is the only way !" and I was like, "umm, okay" (because I don't really know the street in Batam, even after 6 years living here). And just before the last turn, I asked the driver "Are you going to take me to Nagoya sir ? Because I order for the BCS Mall" , and the driver surprised and say sorry. We both shares some laugh there, just 2 man, out of focus, ended up wandering around !

Still Have Some Luck !