Language Exams vs. Your English Needs: Navigating Your Learning Journey

IELTS, TOEFL, or CAE… Do these abbreviations sound familiar to you?

Given that the English language exam market share has an estimated value of $522 million, it’s likely that you have heard of at least one of these exams. However, which one probably depends on where you live...

ABEL Insight - IELTS, TOEFL, CAE: Where in the world?

The data indicate that while over 90% of searches in Pakistan are for IELTS compared to the other two, over in Indonesia TOEFL makes up almost three quarters of the total searches. Meanwhile, CAE (the former name for Cambridge’s C1 Advanced exam) tops the trends in Spanish speaking countries like Peru, Argentina, and Spain.

What does this mean for you if you are thinking about taking a language exam? You should do your research first! Are you planning to travel to another country or use the exam to get into university? If so, first find out which exams are accepted or preferred there. Do you need an exam for a specific job position? Again, you should start by asking the employer about their preferences. There are many language exams beyond these three, and some are designed more for academic candidates, while others are more suited to business students. Some exams even have a kind of expiry date on them — after which time, they are no longer considered valid!

We may live in an increasingly globalised world, but it’s clear that there is not simply one exam you can do that will be equally recognised across the globe.

Language Exams — popularity

Wondering which one is the most popular? Here’s the Google Trends data from 2004–2021:

This seems to be supported by Cambridge’s own statistics (they own both the CAE and IELTS — nice! 😉). In a 2017 British Council article, they claimed that around 5 million people take Cambridge tests each year, which is divided between their Cambridge main suite exams (which “CAE” is one of), IELTS (3 million); and a newer exam called “Linguaskill” which had just launched back in 2017. A few other articles suggest, unsurprisingly, these numbers have grown. TOEFL data seems harder to find, and we only have an estimate: 2.3 million a year from...Wikipedia. Again, judging from the entry, this data seems to be from around the same time as the Cambridge statistics.  

Language exam limitations

Language exams open the door to many English speaking countries and top universities. Some people have questioned whether this is fair, but the fact remains that many people choose language exams to help them in their careers or as a way of certifying their language abilities. 

Many of our Consultants have decades of experience with exam preparation. If you’re preparing for one of these exams, we have the best tips and tricks to help you pass. All you need to do is head to our homepage and begin your journey. 

However, we at ABEL consultants believe there is something more important than exams which is being forgotten. Language exams may be the logical choice for some people, but their rise in popularity (and profitability!) means that some countries, schools, teachers (and students!) have become a little obsessed with language exams...

Do these exams prepare you for an English-speaking environment, or help you manage your day-to-day life in English?

It's true that most well-known exams are good at deciding what category you fit into on the CEFR scale (B2, C1, etc.).

Yes, some of them try to include accents and "Englishes" from other parts of the world.

But if you spend your entire English language learning life preparing for exams, how could they possibly cover the diverse contexts you will need to use English in?

These exams are often designed to test various grammatical structures or competencies and, as a result, don’t necessarily reflect real life situations.

Is it normal for a university to ask you to write an essay on a topic which covers three areas, but then tells you to do it 140–190 words?

When was the last time you walked into a business meeting and someone showed you three pictures and asked you to describe two of them in one minute while also answering two questions related to the pictures? 

These are difficult tasks that you are unlikely to find outside of exams out in the real world. There are also many common tasks you will have to do while working, studying or living in an English-speaking environment that exam preparation might not help you with. 

Let’s look at an example, and how ABEL Consultants might help you with your English needs.

Real world English with ABEL Consultants

We are going to introduce you to two people, Sarah and Antonio. Sarah is from England and she’s travelled to the South of Spain. Like 98% of people living in the UK, Sarah doesn’t speak with received pronunciation (sometimes called Queen’s/BBC English). Oh, and she also doesn’t eat meat!

Antonio, on the other hand, does eat meat, but that’s not important… What’s important is that Antonio is a waiter at a popular modern marketplace. During the interview for the job, Antonio’s future employer asked him (in Spanish) if he spoke English and Antonio responded (also in Spanish) that he did, in fact he had an exam certificate to prove it: “el PET” (the Cambridge B1 Preliminary English exam. The interviewer relaxed, because he was not very confident in English and, although he could communicate a little in English, he didn’t have any certificates.

Antonio’s first day went well. He served tourists from Madrid, Barcelona, and even a couple who seemed to be from Argentina (he could tell by their accents). His second day started well, but at lunchtime Sarah sat down — his first customer who didn’t speak Spanish (not a word)!

Antonio managed to take her order, even though he was having real problems understanding her. He gave Sarah her plate of “croquetas” and even remembered to say “enjoy your meal” as he walked away. 

Sarah bit into the first croquette and immediately recoiled. The unmistakable taste of meat, which, if you remember, Sarah doesn’t eat. Luckily, Antonio was walking past and she managed to get his attention.

Communication breakdown! 

No amount of choosing A, B, or C in listening exercises had prepared Antonio for what he’s just heard. He manages a polite response that would work well enough in a B1 speaking exam, but which isn’t particularly natural. 

This is the type of situation ABEL Consultants are able to simulate through the use of roleplays: one of the many tools we have to help clients with their English. So what could an ABEL consultant do now to help Antonio?

See the boxes below with our ABEL Consultant’s feedback on how to help Antonio understand and respond to Sara.

Understanding Sarah

Communicating with Antonio

This was such a short interaction — two lines of dialogue! However, you can see that an expert consultant has so many areas to work on with Antonio. The consultant has also noted some “Areas to work on” for Antonio. This could be done through self-study, homework or by focusing on it in their next tutorial. 

Remember, Antonio is Spanish and like many Spaniards, he has a good knowledge of grammar. For this reason, our consultant has used a lot of terminology. This is not always the case. We aim to provide support which is individual to you. So if you’re not confident with terminology, we won’t use it. 

Similarly, Antonio’s job requires a lot of spoken interaction, so his consultation involves tutorials online with his consultant. However, many jobs involve a lot more written interactions. That’s why ABEL Consultant’s provide both synchronous support (e.g. tutorials) and asynchronous support (e.g. improving and checking writing through email, proofreading presentations).

ABEL’s Conclusion: language exams vs. your needs

Language exams play an important role in modern society, and they are here to stay. We have ABEL Consultants with decades of experience in all the major language exams ready to give you the strategies to help you pass.

However, you might have to improve your English, but you don’t necessarily want an exam certificate (like Antonio!). Your English needs are not going to be met by putting your time and money into an exam preparation course, or even a general English course. You need individualised support.

Are you in either of these situations? Or perhaps there is another area, such as education, where you need support with your English. Go to our main page to find the right consultant for you. Make sure your best qualities are not being lost in translation.

If you would like personalised help or would like ABEL to provide your company with on-line classes tailored specifically for your day-to-day business, contact us at info@abel-consultants.com or hit the button below: