Question 1

How do I know what level of English I am at?

Accepted Answer

This is a difficult question for most students because you can be at a different level in all 4 English skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Whether you are at a beginner level, an advanced level or even a literacy student, we always do a complete assessment of your skills and discuss your results to make sure you are placed in the correct level to achieve your goals.

Question 2

Do I have to come in for a language assessment?

Accepted Answer

YES! We must meet with every new student, in person, before we register them in a class. We require all prospective students to come in for a language assessment. The assessment and evaluation takes about 1 hour.

There is a $20 registration fee for each assessment.

This fee is non-refundable if you cancel less than 12 hours before your appointment time or if you do not show up.

Our assessment will tell us your approximate CLB level, but it is not a formal test and please do not worry, there is no pressure at all. It is designed to be a guide for us to use to help you succeed.

Question 3

What is the CELPIP Test?

Accepted Answer

The CELPIP General  test is a language testing system that measures your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. It will give you a score based on what CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark) level you have achieved overall in all 4 language skills.
 
A CELPIP score is often used for immigration applications as well as providing proof of language level for your Canadian citizenship test.
 
You will need the CELPIP LS test (listening and speaking components only)  if you are currently a permanent resident and are planning on applying for Canadian citizenship.

Question 4

What is my CLB level?

Accepted Answer

The CLB acronym stands for Canadian Language Benchmark. This is the marker used to determine your language level for immigration purposes and citizenship in Canada. They use 12 levels to describe your language ability in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

A basic description of the skill levels are:
CLB 1-4   Beginner - a basic English skill level
CLB 5-8   Intermediate - a functionally fluent English skill level
CLB 9-12  Advanced - an academic and complex English skill level

See our course guide page for the link to the official detailed CLB PDF chart.

Question 5

What is the IELTS Test?

Accepted Answer

The IELTS test measures your English language abilty in all 4 skills; listening, reading, writing and speaking. You are given a band score in each skill from 1-9 and an overall average.
The IELTS test comes in 2 versions: general and academic. The listening and speaking components are the same for both tests. The reading and the writing tests will differ.
 
The general IELTS can be used as proof of language skills for the Canadian immigration application.
 
The academic IELTS is most often used to satisfy the language requirement for applications to post secondary schools or for professional accreditation.
IELTS can be taken as a fully computer based exam or as a paper based exam.
In Kelowna, the IELTS test is held at Okanagan College and is currently only offered in the paper based format.
We have certified IELTS tutors to help you prepare for your IELTS test.
 
We recommed at least 6 months of preparation for the IELTS test.

Question 6

Do I have to be a Canadian permanent resident or citizen to take courses with you?

Accepted Answer

No, your immigration status does not matter in order to take courses with us. We are very proud to teach all students, from permanent residents to newly landed refugees or students on temporary visas. Even if you are here visiting family and friends for a short visit and just want to improve your English, we are happy to help you with your skills.

Question 7

How long do I need to prepare for CELPIP?

Accepted Answer

That all depends on your current English level and the score you are required to have.  Generally, our recommendations are that if you are at an intermediate level of English, and require a CELPIP 6, then you should plan on at least 3-6 months of preparations depending on where your strengths and weaknesses are.
If you are at a  very beginner level of English and require a CELPIP 6, then you should plan on 1 -2 years of preparation or more. This is because you must improve your foundational English to improve all of your skills while you also practice studying exam strategies.

Question 8

If I do lots of practice tests at home can I improve my CELPIP score?

Accepted Answer

While it is good to be familiar with the exam format, doing many many practice tests will not drastically change your score. This is because CELPIP is an exam to test your  language fluency, not how familiar you are with an exam.  In order to properly prepare for CELPIP you need to improve your  general English with proper strategies that will apply to the language criteria measured by CELPIP. This is how you improve your scores.
We integrate CELPIP criteria and into all of our classroom practices as you learn general English.

Question 9

I am applying to schools in Canada. Do I take CELPIP or IELTS?

Accepted Answer

Unfortunately, General CELPIP is not accepted as proof of language skill for post secondary schools in Canada at this time, however; the Paragon CAEL test is sometimes being accepted at some post secondary institutions.
 
All schools in Canada will accept an IELTS test score as your proof of language skills. It is always recommended to take the academic version of IELTS when you are applying to post secondary schools.
 
All schools will have their own requirements for minimum IELTS scores and deadlines for score submissions. Please check with the school's admission policies for these details as well as other language exams that they will accept.
 
We always advise at least 6 months or more to properly prepare for the IELTS exam.

Question 10

Do I need the IELTS Test if I graduated high school in Canada?

Accepted Answer

The general rule for all Canadian public universities is that if you have less than 3 or 4 complete years of high school in an English speaking country, you must provide a proof of language ability score for all post secondary schools.
Even if you graduated from a Canadian high school, but started during or after grade 9 or 10, you must still submit proof of your English language skills to most schools. Please check very carefully with the schools you are applying to , as these guidelines are changed often and can differ within each program too.
The IELTS test score is most commonly used for post secondary applications, but schools do accept other exams as well, such as TOEFL, Cambridge, PTE, Duolingo and CAEL more. If English is not your first language, we advise you to contact the school you will be applying to. They will inform you of their specific language policies.

Deadlines for submitting your proof of English Exam will vary as well, but most universities require the scores to be submitted in February for the following September admissions.

Don't get caught in a panic. We advise high school students to begin preparation for IELTS early in their grade 11 year.

Question 11

What forms of payment do you accept?

Accepted Answer

We accept cash, credit card or e-transfer.

Question 12

What is a semi-private class and when does it start?

Accepted Answer

We arrange these special small classes for 2-3 students for all types of English learning. 
In a semi -private class we only group students together who are at a very similar English level and who also have the same learning goals.
We can begin an  8- week mini class at any time during the year and we are flexible with dates and times depending on the students' and teacher's schedules.

Question 13

What is your cancellation or refund policy?

Accepted Answer

We take full payment before classes or private lessons begin. But if you decide that the lessons are not suited for you, we give a full refund after the first week of classes or private lessons. We want you to be happy, and most importantly, we want you to learn!

Answers to frequently asked questions