IELTS vs PTE

[RenVilo]

Hi I hope someone can advice me. I have done my Pearson PTE test twice with just a little increase on my second result. I asked them the please mark it Manually and they said they don't do it. Sections are marked by the computer etc. The reason I asked the u is because my Reading and Speaking score is below 65. 

 

I do struggle saying an "R" and I think this might be the reason. The soonest date for IELTS in CPT is 19 Aug. I am thinking of flying to JHB for a test on the 8th or the 29th of July. 

 

Will this better my score to do IELTS or should I rather try and increase my PTE? 

I would like to get 79 in PTE or 8 in IELTS.

[trapsuutjies]

Hi!

 

I realise this question is a bit dated, so it's more for the benefit of future readers.

My English is very good. I'm not trying to make myself sound good, I'm demonstrating a point. My spelling and diction is superior to most native speakers that I've met, but my pronunciation is is slightly hurried due to my confidence. I completed high school and university in English, obtaining good marks throughout, specifically for linguistics (varsity) and English (Second language distinction). I spent a few weeks preparing for the Pearson exam, and was disappointed to obtain only 71 for speaking, while all my other scores were 90. My overall score was 89. This is not really a percentage: The maximum you can achieve, is 90. When I appealed my results, and asked about a rescore, they made it clear that the same software would evaluate the same recordings of my exam, so the likelihood of my marks changing is extremely low. It also costs more than half of your initial exam fee.

Based on this, and the further research I've done, if you wish to prove that you have 'Superior' English, the Pearson exam is only really an option of you've eliminated all the other options. IELTS is much more forgiving, because you can speak to a real person and they can take things into consideration like a stutter, low confidence, or sinus problems. The Pearson software is extremely unforgiving when it comes to accents, and any other factors that might have an impact on your sound.

The exam itself was a pleasant experience, so if you only need 'Proficient' English, by all means give it a go.

That being said, if you have trouble writing, then IELTS can be similarly unforgiving, so do spend a lot of time preparing. I hope this helps

 

[ChrisH]

1 hour ago, trapsuutjies said:

The Pearson software is extremely unforgiving when it comes to accents

 

It's not the accent, I work with people from Columbia and India and China with heavy accents that all scored very high marks in the PTE tests. 

I've made a couple of posts about microphone placement in the test.  I firmly believe they need to invest in better hardware for this test.  The microphones they use pick up a lot of popping and mouth noises so you have to adjust the microphone so that you don't breathe on it.

[trapsuutjies]

On 12/15/2017 at 0:22 AM, ChrisH said:

 

The microphones they use pick up a lot of popping and mouth noises so you have to adjust the microphone so that you don't breathe on it.

 

Thanks for the correction: I just assumed it was accent, as there is no way to listen to your own recordings. I use decent equipment for recording at home so I'm fully aware of the impact poor hardware can have on your audio quality, and the microphones they use are some of the worst you can find, so you're probably spot on.