Well…I’m a high school student here in Taipei.I just passed the GEPT-Intermediate and my teacher(also parents)want me to take Upper-intermediate test next June.And…I know there are lots of teachers who teach English here.So I want to ask advice about how to prepare?(got no idea).It seems to be quite difficult(actually very difficult)for me…
Hope I can get help from you guys.Thanks.
Is your spacebar broken?
Don’t pay any attention to Monkey. He’s smart, but annoying.
I’ve written two textbooks that deal with the GEPT High-Intermediate Test.
The first thing you need to do is make sure you have a copy of the two practice tests available. You can get them online (www.gept.org.tw), and last I heard, they were also selling them for around 100 dollars at the YMCA in Taipei, near the train station. Make sure you get the CDs that come with them. Once you have the test booklets and CDs, you can use them as practice material. It isn’t going to be enough to be well-prepared, but it is a good start.
Are you going to take the Reading/Listening only, or the Writing/Speaking as well? Once I know that, I can give you more focused advice. There are many more things you can do to get ready for the GEPT. I need to know the answer to the question I’ve asked before I can give you the best advice.
Tomas
Well…if I can pass the reading/listening test first…I’ll take the speaking/writing test.But first of all…I got to pass the reading/listening test…
And thanks for your advbice.It’ll be helpful for me for sure!
I think my writing ability isn’t so good .(I only got 80 in writing)I think I’m ok in others when I took GEPT-Intermediate test.I got 120 in listening(only lucky…I guess)105 in reading and 100 in speaking(Do they care about grammer?Cause I think I made many mistakes when I took the test…I was very very nervous…)
Well…hope I can get helpful advice from you soon.Thanks.
Actually your writing seems quite good. But Monkey did have a valid point. One simple thing you can do to improve the appearance of your typing is to put two spaces after the end of every sentence.
By the way, do your parents know you’re looking at Segue? There are some pretty strange people here. :mrgreen:
“Smart but annoying”?
S’pose it would look on my headstone …
Well…actually…I don’t think my parents know this…They didn’t pay too much attention to it.I think they just know I’m surfing on a English website…the person who recommended me to go on this website was my English teacher…
Good advice from your English teacher. I was just kidding about the strange people. I would think this could be an interesting way to work on ones English and have fun. Don’t mind all the complaining about Taiwan, though, we’re all just homesick. Or just sick.
Good luck with your studies and your tests. But don’t worry too much, you’ll do fine.
Kidding about the strange people? I don’t think so…
And as for working on ones (sic) English on segue, I do wonder about that since there are loads of mistakes all across the boards.
Savagegirl, can you spot the mistake in Mother Theresa’s quote above?
However, it does show a degree of motivation to want to read a forum and seek advice about improving your English skills, so it’s a very good start!
If the content is meaningful to you, you will benefit more from the learning experience. Try starting new discussions about other interests you may have and print out the threads to go over later. You could ask people to be careful about their grammar, punctuation and spelling, or perhaps the moderators would be happy to edit the threads. (I know I want to go back and edit this one for you, but I’ll let you try to spot the mistakes on your own first!) You could also participate in some discussion on the other threads, and the responses you receive could give you some indication whether you’ve been successful in making your point.
Anyway, the more you read, the more you’ll become familiar with grammatical patterns, phrases, and vocabulary words. Reading is considered the best way to improve those skills.
There are many text books on the market that concentrate on helping learners develop the skills that are tested on GEPT. In fact, my company is presently planning a series of text books for the Taiwan teenage market to do just that! Our first priority is to increase motivation in the learners by giving them access to the kind of articles that will interest them. The reading skills development and practice exercises are second priority.
To prepare for a test like GEPT, you will need to read. Read. Read. Read.
Find things you like to read, read different types of writing. Writing on segue is informal.
Other texts are more formal (business letters, news articles, legal documents, etc) Sometimes you can notice the formality of articles just by the use of pronouns within them. Segue writers use a lot of pronouns (I, we, you, etc) News articles rarely use prononus, for example.
The web is full of different types of texts, so if you can’t stand to read books. Look up things you enjoy on search engines (google, yahoo, etc).
One problem with the net, however, is that because it’s often an informal medium, many articles are not edited the way printed and published materials are, so you have to be a bit more careful and selective.
If you’d like any advice on building your reading skills, I’d be happy to point you toward some good text books that are already available here in Taiwan.
Email me at lori@segue.com.tw
By the way, I think your writing is great and I wouldn’t always take the test scores as the only way to determine your ability. Some of the best English speakers I’ve met here did not receive the highest test scores (TOEFL, IELTS).
There are many flaws in tests, and not having the best scores does not necessarily indicate your ability. Often, it means you got nervous, ran out of time, or don’t have the best test-taking skills.
There are a lot of criticisms about language testing, not just here in Taiwan.
Also, the high school English entrance exam (I have a copy of last year’s on my desk at the office) has numerous English mistakes in it!!
But what can you do when Taiwan seems to base much of its English curriculum on passing exams? It’s a vicious circle.
Just remember, whether you do well on the test or not, after your education is complete, the English you speak, read, write, and hear, will mainly become a tool for you to communicate with and learn about the world.
I was a poor test taker, but look at me now!
Good luck and contact me for a list of text books.
There are some examples of legalistic writing in the Legal Forum. Have a look around, but bear in mind that many of us are not right in the head. (Plenty of idioms and well as idiots in here.) 
Hope you find the site interesting.
Well…thanks for you guys advice…Alien yours are the longest and the hardest for sure!!I try very hard reading your reply!But I still need a dictionary with me…And I would love to know more about the imformation about the text books.My home-room teacher is going to help me about the exam ,too.I think I need and I have to pass the test.So many people help me.Thanks a million!!
I agree almost completely. Your writing is very good. But you need only one space after a period, not two.
I wouldn’t worry about it too much on these forums, although proper spacing does make your postings easier to read. Alien gave some good advice, and it doesn’t hurt to read with a dictionary next to you. But before you look up a word, try to guess its meaning from context–that is, what meaning would make sense in that position in the sentence.
Good luck on the test!
Jeff, there was no need for you to criticize my suggestion that savagegirl insert two spaces after a period. Two spaces was always the rule with typewriters. Now that most people type on computers, many feel that one space is sufficient. But I, like many, continue to use two spaces because we feel that two is still proper. I challenge you to find a reputable source, such as the Chicago Manual of Style or the like, that says otherwise. Until you do, I will continue to recommend the use of two spaces after a period.
As for you, schoolmarm Alien, so perceptive to note that I omitted an apostrophe, I grovel at your feet. But I puzzled over your comment that, “News articles rarely use prononus. . .” For the life of me I could not find “prononus” in any of my dictionaries.
With critics like the above it is pretty evident why English is so many students’ (note proper use of apostrophe) least favorite subject.
Savagegirl, you will want to learn to type a space (
MT, no offense intended. I didn’t say that two spaces is wrong, but that one is enough. I don’t have a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style at home, but here’s a link to their FAQ page: press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/
Here’s part of what it says:
"The view at CMS is that there is no reason
The one space “rule” came in with word processors which use forced justification. They automatically adjust spaces after periods making manual double spaces unnecessary. Excessive manual addition of spaces is said to confuse them. I would say only double space if you’re using a typewriter.
Well…I really appreciate you guys help! With your help.I feel more confident in passing the test. Now I’m at school…reading the replies you guys posted…Although I can’t understand all of them…(I need a dictionary with me…) I feel the people here are really friendly and always help people in need(like me…) Thanks a million!! 
I’ll keep you guys advice in mind.
Having been questioned to death about tests
The TESOL
The TOEIC
The GEPT
The GRE
The SAT
I strongly feel that the IELTS is the best preparation combined with self-evaluation and guidance through multiple progressive levels 0-9. A proficency of Level 4 or above can work through guided material independent of teachers to continue to improve.
The TESOL gives no constructive input into how to get more points, while the IELTS does so.
You can use your IELTS score for an university application that accepts TESOL, but you will be better prepared to attend as you have been working on all four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing).
And you can likely use it in lieu of the GEPT for employment.
TOEIC is more useful for business in Taiwan, but should only be a secondary concern – after a balanced communicative ablity is developed.
I assume that the GEPT is the cheapest test in Taiwan, but I fear that the people who evaluative writing and speaking are not really capable. IELTS has a British quality control of examiners and proctors.
What da ya think? Am I wrong?