DPP criticizes Ma over interview in ‘Washington Post’

I’ve seen that video, and it confirms exactly what I posted above: Ma Yingjiu is at best a Band 7 on the IELTS speaking test. Band 7 is nothing to sneeze at, but it simply does not signify the kind of precision required in a discussion that effects the lives of 23 million people.

Go spend a couple of weekends getting trained as an IELTS examiner, and then examine some real candidates. Then watch that video again.

Was this a Kanye West quote? It sounds that stupid. [/quote]

Sorry but you really don’t know what you are talking about. Overseas students studying for advanced degrees are put on a different track if they are not native speakers. Everyone in education knows that but it’s kept quiet because these students bring in a hell of a lot of money.

I once worked with a Taiwanese women who had a masters in journalism from Berkeley. Her writing was excellent for the most part but she couldn’t write a long paragraph without a couple minor errors that revealed her background. Now are you saying that a native speaker would have similar errors after a similar program? Of course not. So how was she allowed to graduate? One because she could use editors when submitting papers and theses, and two because she was judged with a different standard.

This is not an atypical case. As for speaking levels, one frequently meets Taiwanese with advanced degrees from top western universities whose abilities are quite weak.

Kanye West quote! Nice one.

No, I was just making a comment that it is unwise to generalise that, just because someone has a degree from a prestigious US university, it is must be a given that their English level is particularly excellent. Harvard (in the business school in particular) has a good track record of giving degrees to students who would otherwise fail because of poor English or poor general comprehension or poor marks, perhaps when their donations or bequests are larger than the Maine GDP.

I have myself been pressured to pass failing students because thy were international students who paid full (inflated) fees for their degrees and failing them would look bad. My counter (which was accepted) was that failing them would A) bring in more money from those who would repeat a year, and B) ultimately bring in more money form the enhanced reputation and standing of the university.

Particularly true in the sciences. I have known a number of people who have graduated with advanced degrees from very prestigious institutions with total crap English. One guy was completely incomprehensible - nobody ever had any clue what the hell he was saying (which really sucks when he’s supposed to be your TA) - and he managed a Ph.D from a top school. One would hope that it would be somewhat better in more communication-intensive disciplines, but I wouldn’t bank on it.

I was thinking of this…hadn’t heard it in a long while! Funny, this album came out when I was in Grad School, working on my 'doctrine"??? I wonder, has any school awarded Kanye with an honorary doctine degree yet? Wasn’t his mother a university professor? She probably had a doctrine degree…I wonder if the plastic surgeon that botched her tummy tuck had a doctrine degree?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRpQNdlttDs

Which doctrine?

Of the Mean it looks like.

Great for an Asian? (Otherwise known as patronising bullshit)