Blog importance

To do this blog was so important and interesting for me since I could practice my English skills and acquiring more knowledge in different topics.

To do the blog help students in many aspects like:
• To improve four skills listening, speaking, reading and writing
• To learn regarding to different topics
• To acquire new vocabulary and improve grammar
• To realized that doing blog and attending to classes one is learning English which is going to be useful for professional and personal development.

TOELF article

Take the test

Overseas students looking to gain entry to a UK university need to show their English is of a good standard. The TOEFL® test is one way to do thisADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
If you are an overseas student who wants to attend university in the UK, you might be wondering, alongside your academic achievements, what you can do to increase your chances of gaining admission. If you speak English as a foreign language, you will need to take a test to prove your language skills and then submit your score with your application. This test should ensure that you can communicate in English effectively when you attend college or university.

One such test is the TOEFL® test (Test of English as a Foreign Language™), which is administered by the Educational Testing Service. The TOEFL test is recognised by 135 universities in the UK, including Oxford and Cambridge. Worldwide, it is accepted at more than 6,000 universities in 134 countries - more than any other English-language exam - and has more than 4,300 testing centres around the globe.

The test is flexible - it has been approved by the Government for assessing eligibility for immigration under the UK’s new points-based immigration system. This means that the TOEFL test can be used to certify the language skills of highly skilled migrants, particularly those in medicine, science and business.

Taking the TOEFL test can help to boost your chances of admission to UK universities as well as other universities across the world where English is spoken. The TOEFL test measures how well you read, listen, speak and write in English, and how you might use these skills in the university classroom. For example, you might read a passage or listen to a lecture, and then write or speak about what you learnt. Obviously, you will need to be able to listen to lectures, read textbooks and course materials, write essays, and talk to your fellow students and professors using the English language.

Often called the TOEFL iBT™ (internet-based Test) because it is administered and scored online, the test has been designed to measure how well you can integrate all four language skills when you are immersed in a real-life English speaking academic setting. The test measures reading, listening, and writing. During the speaking section, you wear headphones and speak into a microphone and your responses are recorded and assessed. Just like in a real academic setting, note taking is allowed. The TOEFL iBT test takes about four hours, and you can view your score online 15 working days after the test, or choose to receive the results by mail.

Preparing for the test can help to boost your English skills as it is based on passages from text books and course materials. You can also take a few practice tests online with real, previously used TOEFL tests. You will get scores and feedback on all four skills the TOEFL test measures — reading, writing, listening and speaking. If you register for TOEFL® Practice Online, you can keep practising until you are ready to take the test. There are also free tips for preparing for the test on toeflgoanywhere.org, including the types of questions that are asked and how the test is scored.

If you take the TOEFL test and decide not to apply straight away to university, it doesn’t matter - your score is valid for two years after the test date.

Taken from:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/commercial/take_the_test/article5154343.ece

To Sum:

This article talks about TOEFL test and describes how this test is important at time to apply an UK university. Futhermore this test is recognized around the world in more that 6000 universities.
TOEFL measures four skills, listening, reading, speaking and writing and determines how these skills are at moment to face a class within a whatever organization or university.

Article about IELTS "More than 2,000 U.S. Academic Institutions Now Accept IELTS"

More than 2,000 U.S. Academic Institutions Now Accept IELTS

California State University System, Dartmouth are the Newest Schools to Recognize the Leading English Language Test
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) today announced that more than 2,000 U.S. academic faculties, colleges and universities accept its English language proficiency test. Most recently Dartmouth College undergraduate admissions and the 23-campus California State University graduate school system recognized the test further proving its efficacy.
"Prospective students and determined international professionals now have an even greater opportunity to gain successful admission to any of these prestigious schools," said Beryl E. Meiron, U.S. Executive Director for IELTS International. "By choosing IELTS students are one step closer to studying in the U.S. because it proves they've got the necessary language skills to help them succeed in their studies and make the most of the exciting opportunities available on campus and in their new communities."
Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, now accepts IELTS for undergraduate admissions and is accepting IELTS test scores for the 2009-2010 school year. It has joined other Ivy League schools that already accept the test at either the undergraduate, graduate or professional school levels including Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale.
Additionally, international students wishing to apply for admission to one of the California State University graduate schools can now use IELTS as an indicator of their English language skills. A minimum band score of 6 in the Academic Module of IELTS is needed for meeting the English language requirement for post-baccalaureate admission to the university. Prospective students should check with the department and the campus where they want to apply for specific band score requirements.
"Access to international education is dependent upon being able to offer institutions an impeccable application. As more and more institutions recognize IELTS, students will have greater options and variety in U.S. undergraduate and graduate level education," said Meiron.
Candidates can take the IELTS exam at more than 500 test centers worldwide and use their test scores at 6,000 institutions around the world. Admission requirements vary between schools. Students should check with each of their prospective schools to determine at which level -- undergraduate or graduate -- the IELTS test is accepted. Prospective candidates can find out more at www.ielts.org.
Notes to editors
About IELTS International
1. IELTS was one of the pioneers of four skills English language testing more than 17 years ago, and continues to set the standard for English language testing today.
2. Nearly 6,000 organizations and more than 1,000,000 test takers around the world trust and recognize IELTS as a secure, valid and reliable indicator of true to life ability to communicate in English for education, immigration and professional accreditation.
3. IELTS is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) through more than 500 locations in 120 countries.
Taken from: http://sev.prnewswire.com/education/20081022/NY4060022102008-1.html

From my point of view:

This article talks about the importance of IELTS it tells that IELTS increasingly is becoming more popular due to people who present this test have many opportunities to entry to high recognized universties.
By the other hand IELTS is one of the test which measure english level that a persona has with more security.

English as a global language video

IELTS video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY9GgdlAp_E

In this web site I watched a video in which talked about the importance of IELTS.Moreover it said that IELTS is a requisite to entry high educational institutions, also it is used to different purposes like migration issues, to look the efficiency in english at time to get a job and others.

IELTS divide into two ways: Academic IELTS which is focuse on people who need a professional recognization and general training IELTS which is used for Residencial appliances or migration ones.

IELTS bases on four skill, listening, speaking, reading and writing.
People who like present it should prepare all previously skills and improve their weaknesses supported on IELTS books or IELTS preparation courses on the internet.

English as a global language argumentative essay

English as a global language


Most of the time when people think about personal and professional development they think about the amount of languages that they know taking more importance English language, this issue due to the fact that every time in this current globalized world this language is taken more significance.
Nevertheless there some people who believe that this fact has changed and now it is not important to learn this language as it is to learn Mandarin since the latter has become the language of business.
Points of view like previously have generating a controversial situation and it would be interesting to define who has or do not have the reason.

First of all English has taken the level of importance since 449 AD due to in the world began to form British isles and this empire start to expand around the world.
Other fact that strengthened it was when United States became as superpower after it won the second war since it accelerated the adoption process of English as a main language across the world.

In addition, English has became at present society an indispensable requisite for all people in order to get the right to degree from university, even from school due to student must to present and pass an exam like IELTS (British exam) or TOFEL (American exam), the differences between them are IELTS are required from British universities so that people who applied for these ones and they do not have English as native language and TOFEL has been more popular within communities that have to present an international exam and its purpose is to evaluate the abilities to understand American English.

Picking up again the importance of English for our society one can say that it became an important tool within this competitive world because it helps to achieve a better’s professional well-being and to take advantage of new opportunities.
In spite of these advantages that person who knows English can accede to, people should realize that world has changed and labor field increasingly requires people with more knowledge and the abilities two speak more that two languages within these Mandarin has taken a lot of strong since China, country which is native mandarin is been decisive for global growth.

To conclude both English, Mandarin and others languages are important to attain professional success and gaining competitive advantage within these globalized world.
I consider that English due to the numbers of speakers that this language has and the number of countries where this one is spoken have supported for English been a main language in the world, nonetheless we should not adjust know only to it, we always should look for improving our knowledge and it merely we can attain if we worry about acquire more abilities, study more, related to other cultures and learn more from them.

Adapted from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language
http://www.iia.edu.au/spanish/faq_sp.html
http://www.universia.net.co/secciones-home/destacado/validar-mi-ingles-ielts.html

Learning meaning

Learning:

Learning has many meanings depending on the point of view that one watch it, nevertheless one of most representative meaning is the following:

“Learning is one of the most important mental functions of humans, animals and artificial cognitive systems. It relies on the acquisition of different types of knowledge supported by perceived information. It leads to the development of new capacities, skills, values, understanding, and preferences.”

With this definition one can see that learning is one of the main mental functions. It is preset in animals and humans however in the last ones this concept developed more that the first ones.
Learning is based on the process to acquire knowledge and to understand concepts, generating new ideas and theories.
Taken from: http: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning