Schools do not focus on listening and speaking skills ?
Many experts say that schools need to focus more on English listening and speaking skills for students (Illustration: Huyen Tran).
According to statistics, in 2023-2024, the IELTS scores of Vietnamese people in listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills were 6.3, 5.7, 6.4, and 6.0, respectively. The average IELTS score of Vietnamese people was 6.2, ranking 28th out of 39 countries that hold IELTS exams, down 5 places compared to 2022 (ranked 23rd) despite similar scores.
Compared to 2022, Vietnamese candidates' listening and speaking skills decreased by 0.1 points. The average listening and speaking scores of Vietnamese people are lower than the world's (the world's scores are 6.6 and 6.3 respectively), the remaining two skills are equal.
Also, the common IELTS score of Vietnamese people is 6.0 (21%), 7.0 or higher (23%) and only 1% reaches 8.5, rarely candidates reach 9.0.
Regarding this issue, PhD student Ha Dang Nhu Quynh, academic director of DOL English, said that the main reason is that the way English is taught in schools in Vietnam often focuses more on reading and writing skills than listening and speaking practice.
"Listening and speaking are two skills that are very difficult to teach well because they are instantaneous and rely heavily on reflexes. Inadequate facilities and teaching staff, and traditional tests that focus on reading and writing make it difficult for students to improve," said Ms. Quynh.
In addition, according to Ms. Quynh, students often do not fully understand the nature of the skills, leading to inappropriate application. They tend to use academic vocabulary when speaking, which may be appropriate in writing but is unnatural in communication, easily leads to incorrect context and affects fluency and pronunciation.
According to PhD student Quynh, to improve scores, students need to have the appropriate learning mindset for each skill.
"Candidates can access websites for exercises and tests, which have answers and detailed explanations to practice passive skills such as reading and listening. As for speaking and writing skills, students can use artificial intelligence (AI) to continuously and automatically grade and correct their work," Ms. Quynh suggested.
IELTS test age is getting younger, women often get higher scores than men
According to a 2023 report by the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences and the National Foreign Language Project Management Board, the age of Vietnamese people taking the IELTS test is getting younger. In 2018, IELTS test takers were 16-18 years old (about 1.5%), 19-22 years old (about 13%). However, after 5 years, the number of test takers aged 16-18 increased 20 times, and the 19-22 age group increased more than 2 times.
NCS Quynh said that there is no specific age for taking the IELTS test. However, in addition to testing language skills, IELTS also requires a certain amount of social knowledge, so students should only take the test when they have enough experience and knowledge.
"The earliest age to take the IELTS test should be in grade 9 or early grade 10. However, students should not consider IELTS as the ultimate goal. They should build the right mindset to learn English," Ms. Quynh shared.
Statistics also show that female candidates have higher average scores than male candidates. In the Academic test, women scored 6.23 points, higher than men's 6.18 points. Or in the General Training test, women scored 6.2 points, higher than men's 6.11 points.
Explaining this phenomenon, Ms. Quynh informed that women often excel in learning second languages in general.
Many studies have shown that women use different areas of the brain to process language, while men mainly activate brain areas related to sound and image processing. Therefore, women learn languages more flexibly, comprehensively and effectively.
"In addition, women are often sociable and have a high social nature, so they communicate and practice languages more than men. However, this is just a general trend; specific results also depend on each individual's learning motivation, learning method and time investment," she said.
It is worth noting that the IELTS scores of Vietnamese people are lower than before. In 2023-2024, the score range is from 4.0-5.5 (34%), an increase compared to 2022 (29%). Meanwhile, the score range of 6.0-7.5 (61%) is lower than 2022 (65%).
Compared to the world, our country's score is higher than Thailand, China, and Japan, but modest compared to some Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Myanmar.
IELTS is an English proficiency test recognized by many countries, educational institutions, and employers worldwide, attracting millions of candidates.
In Vietnam, more than 100 universities and educational institutions accept IELTS certificates as a substitute for English language results. Candidates with IELTS scores of 4.0 or higher are exempted from the foreign language high school graduation exam.
Ky Huong
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/diem-ielts-cua-nguoi-viet-giam-5-bac-ky-nang-nghe-noi-con-yeu-20241014161800562.htm
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