It would seem more and more people need to document some kind of a test score to their employers or educational institutions. For years it has of course been dominated by the TOEIC, a comprehensive test created in Japan precisely for employment, and it appears the significance of it has not diminished in any way. On the contrary, demand for it is on the rise.
People are asking for more help to improve their scores. As a company and as a TEAM we coaches in the Smith’s system can give them that better than anyone. In particular, at the Kotoen school, IELTS has become a kind of standard curriculum for a number of folks. TOEIC is widespread and I’ve made it a personal mission to unlock its secrets and provide the best value possible for the students’ time and effort to master it. Actually, to be honest, I really enjoy teaching it. Although I have some reservations about the usefulness of the test purely from an English speaking point of view, the process of studying for it is without question a very powerful exercise.
And of course there is the practical use of it in the workforce, a very important application indeed.
TOEFL and IELTS are much more academically oriented, but IELTS also has a daily-life survival application and as a result, for all purposes considered, the IELTS is the most comprehensive test out there and studying for it is a very serious committment. At the moment I have three students doing TOEIC and three doing IELTS. I dearly hope those numbers increase shortly!
Martin Werner Zander, Smith’s Partner
マーティン・ワーナー・ザンダー
Owner, Smith’s School Franchise in Kotoen
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