Why do Indonesians have problems with international English tests such as IELTS and TOEFL?

Many non-native English speakers have problems with achieving good IELTS and TOEFL test results... it’s not only Indonesians. I have been teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) for many years here in Indonesia, and yes it’s true, there are specific reasons why many Indonesians have problems with IELTS and TOEFL. Most Indonesian students needs to gain a good grading in one of these international tests to qualify for entrance into an overseas university.

Before we look at some common issues associated with IELTS and TOEFL and possible solutions, let’s look at some of the differences between the English and Indonesian languages, and why so many Indonesians have problems learning English.

1). Bahasa vs. English

In ‘bahasa’ (language) Indonesia, words are pronounced based on their spelling. Hats off to those early pioneers of the Indonesian language, they obviously had the common sense to spell Indonesian words the same as they were pronounced.

On the other hand, even for English native-speaking kids, learning to spell English can be a nightmare because there are often huge differences between pronunciation and how words are spelt. Moreover, some English words are spelled the same, but have different meanings and pronunciations (homographs), other words are pronounced and spelled the same, but have different meanings (homonyms), and wait for it, if that isn’t bad enough, there’s more... some words (homophones) are pronounced the same, but are spelled differently and mean different things.

Aduh! I often get asked by my students, who on earth invented English! I honestly don’t have a clue, but whoever it was… obviously didn’t like students very much.

Examples: Here’s a homograph. Please, can you read (reed) your essay to me now? I read (red) your essay last week. Check this homonym. You’re right (correct). Turn right here (direction). How about this homophone. Join the navy to see the world, but what do you see, you see (verb) the sea (noun).

See what I mean?

2). Lack of practice

Many Indonesian public schools simply don’t teach English as a second language. For example, many schools teach Bahasa Jawa or Bahasa Sunda as a second language, and who can blame them if the schools are in Bandung or Bogor; Sundanese is spoken by around 15% of Indonesians. So, out of the 260+ million Indonesians, how many of them need to speak or practice English? While learning English may be useful to those millions of Indonesians who may enjoy watching ‘Mr Bean’, learning regional Indonesian languages are more useful for the majority of the population. The only way to really learn any language is to practice it.

3). Comfort zone

Many Indonesians don’t practice English, or don’t try and speak with an English native speaker, because they are simply afraid to make mistakes. There are other reasons why Indonesians don’t practice speaking English, but this is the most common one. Many people don’t practice a second language simply because they don’t feel comfortable. As we’ve just noted, without practice... you’re wasting your time. As an ESL teacher, I’m often amazed how many students expect to learn English by sitting in a classroom for 2 - 3 hours a week, and then forget about English until the next lesson in the following week. Forget about it... it’s a waste of time and money! How on earth can you learn English in only 2 hours out of a 168-hour week? Can you imagine looking like Ade Rai, by working out in the gym for 2 hours a week? There are many other reasons why so many Indonesians have problems in learning English, but let’s now turn to IELTS and TOEFL.

IELTS and TOEFL

Reading, listening, speaking and writing in English are the four main skills which are tested in IELTS and TOEFL. Today, I want to focus on speaking and writing. Why? Because these are the two skills which most Indonesian students ask for assistance. I teach several online IELTS and TOEFL programs which are designed to help Indonesian students to qualify and study in overseas universities. Let’s first look at speaking.

Here are some speaking tips...

1). Stop learning English... start thinking in English. You can’t learn to speak a language from a text book, you can’t learn to speak English by repeating words, and you can’t learn to speak English just by learning grammar. Check my YouTube video...

You need to get inside the language. Many teachers teach what different verbs are used, but don’t teach why we use them. Improving your speaking skills means you stop focusing on learning new words, but rather focus more on meanings. Thinking in English helps you to understand meanings so that when you speak, it sounds natural or fluent. One way to do this is by programming your sub-conscious mind, not your conscious mind (brain). I have an online program, ‘37 Days to Becoming Fluent in English’, available at [email protected]This program sets out the different steps which almost anyone can practice every night before going to sleep, which if followed, will program you to speak English fluently in 37 days. The first night, you will need to think (in English) about your day for only 30 seconds, and then go to sleep. Sounds simple, right? It’s not, it’s more difficult than you may think. Want to know about the other 36 days?

2. Watch how you speak. This may sound unimportant, but speaking English is not just about the words coming out of your mouth, but about interactive components such as body language and emotions. You won’t believe how much you can improve your English speaking skills by simply speaking out loud in front of a mirror. Words on their own are just dead sounds. Meaningless! When body movements, facial expressions, emotions, passion and eye movements are injected into your speech, the words spring into life. Just speaking in front of a bathroom mirror for five minutes a day will significantly improve your English speaking skills. Just have a friendly conversation with yourself first thing in the morning... try it. Surprise yourself.

3. Watch an English movie. As you hear people talking and interacting in a movie, try to copy exactly what they say. Watch one English movie a week. It’s a fun way to improve your English speaking skills. Download a movie from YouTube, play it several times, and try to accurately repeat what you hear. Eventually, what you say will mirror what you have heard. Tip, when you hear new words and phrases, write them down. As soon as you write something down, you are more likely to remember it. Don’t rely on your brain; it’s just a temporary storage facility.

However, getting a good speaking result in IELTS or TOEFL, will require you to focus on other things, such as...

4. Visualize what you’re talking about. For example, in Task 1 in IELTS, you will be asked questions about your personal life; family, education, friends, hobbies, etc. Let’s assume that you are asked about what you and your friends do for entertainment. So, immediately switch into visualization mode, and imagine both you and your friends hanging out in the mall, watching a film in a cinema, etc. In other words, play back in your mind what you saw, said, sensed, felt and smelled when you last hung out with your friends. You will be surprised how this visualization impacts your response. It will sound much more authentic and natural.

5. Use the question to launch your answer. One of the problems students experience in both IELTS and TOEFL tests, concerns time management. For example, you may be asked, “What is the city which you have visited, that has most impacted you in terms of pleasant memories, and why”? Normally, the student will pause awhile, and first try to figure out what city fits the question, and then will try to think of reasons to support their answer. This can often lead to awkward pauses and uncertainty, thereby potentially affecting the scoring.

Why?

Speaking is live, it’s almost immediate, you don’t get to edit and revise your answer. So, how about trying this, “The city which I have visited, and which has most impacted me in terms of pleasant memories is Barcelona. This is primarily because of the amazing street artists. Some of them were...”.

You are playing for time by paraphrasing the question as an introduction to your answer. It provides you with ‘thinking time’. It’s good time management! This strategy is good for both IELTS and TOEFL speaking tests.

Here are some writing tips...

1). Time management. You can use the rationale behind speaking tips 1, 3, 4 and 5, to assist you in IELTS and TOEFL writing assignments. For most students, time management is even more challenging in terms of writing than in speaking. For example, in IELTS you are tasked to write a minimum of 150 words in Task One, in only 20 minutes, and a minimum of 250 words in Task Two, in only 40 minutes. Some students run out of time! Make sure you leave enough time at the end to edit your response. This is critical. In IELTS, 3 - 5 minutes editing could be the difference between a Band 5.5 and a Band 6.5, or even getting a Band 7! You must edit.

2). Create a quick first draft. The purpose of your first draft is to write down your ideas and thoughts without interruption. Let them flow naturally. Don’t try and create a ‘perfect’ first draft. It’s a work-in-progress. It’s not the final product.

3). Intro, body and conclusion. Okay, so you’ve been doing this since junior school, right? Yet, it amazes me, how many students forget this simple framework in their IELTS and TOEFL writing tests. So check Speaking Tip 5 above. Use the question to kick off your answer. Paraphrase the question and add in what you plan to achieve, or what your primary answer is... just a few words. Remember, it’s just your introduction, you mustn’t try to explain the different points or ideas. They are written in the following paragraphs (body). The conclusion should really restate your introduction by paraphrasing it and also state your main finding... or the main theme written in the ‘body’ of your response. Again, don’t forget to save enough time to edit.

4). Mind map. Before you start your first draft, enter the main idea in a balloon located in the centre of your drawing. Then draw links to other balloons in which other connected secondary ideas are written. Make sure that each idea circles back to the central balloon. By connecting each secondary idea back to the main idea creates a logical flow and rationale.

5). Answer all of the question. In the 16 years I have helped Indonesian and Chinese students both in the classroom and online, if I was paid $10 for every time students failed to answer every part of the question, I could take all my neighbors to Disneyland.

Let me give you a paraphrased TOEFL example. “Write an essay in which you state, explain and support your opinion on the following issue..”.

So what does the question task you to do? The question is framed in three parts; namely, stating your opinion, explaining the details or rationale behind your opinion, and providing supporting evidence. It’s the supporting evidence which many students either ignore, or forget about! It’s possibly the most important.

Why?

Because it provides proof, it supports your opinion and details/rationale. So how do we provide this support? Just create a simple example. For instance... supposing you state in your opinion, that advanced cutting-edge technology is one of the greatest modern inventions to benefit society. Okay, that’s cool. Also, you then explain that robots can be used to undertake simple tasks such as found in the manufacturing industry, or even help out in a nursing home. Robots in a nursing home? What are you talking about?

See you have just stated your opinion and provided some details, but no proof. If you can’t think of an example, invent one... be creative! How about... The British NHS is planning to introduce a robot into one of their nursing homes which will be able to read a bedtime story, play a patient’s favorite music, and turn the lights off when it detects the patient has fallen asleep. There, you’ve just created proof. You have tackled the third part of the question, namely supporting evidence. Remember, the central purpose of IELTS and TOEFL tests is to determine your ability to think and communicate in English. When you provide examples, the examiner will assume that they are true, or at least based on reality... your reality.

Strangely enough, some of the above tips and suggestions serve to provide useful reminders for both Masters and PhD students. In the years working alongside these students studying in overseas universities, it’s amazing how often these basic guidelines are missed or forgotten about. Check out PhD Thesis Writing Service | PhD Thesis Help & Proofreading if you are stuck in your PhD or Masters program… there are external resources available.

There are many reasons why Indonesians and other foreign students have problems with IELTS and TOEFL. I posit that if you follow some, or all of the above tips and suggestions, you will be more likely to get the required grading you need to apply to a good overseas university. Here’s a tip when applying to study for a university degree. Select five to ten universities that offer programs which best fit within your discipline. Then apply to all of them. You will find that some of the application criteria is similar or the same in some of the universities. This means that you can adapt some of the application documentation to apply to more than one university. This is an efficient use of your resources.

Indonesia is a G20 economy and is rising up in the global economic rankings. In twelve short years, it is forecasted that it will be ranked as the world’s 7th largest economy. Some economists predict this is a conservative estimate and that it could be even higher! See Rod Pallister's answer to Indonesia is the G20 economy, which is stronger than Singapore. So why have I never seen Indonesian goods in the US and there are no Indonesian companies here, unlike Singaporean companies?

What are the implications from these statistics? We need the Indonesian youth to be armed with the tools and skill sets needed to compete in the 21st century. Today’s Indonesian students are smart... really smart. I know because I have been teaching them for 16 years in both the classroom and online. Good IELTS and TOEFL scores are essential qualifications to enable our kids to go to overseas universities, and show what they can do. There are some Indonesians who have achieved stunning results in terms of math and science. In the PISA rankings, Asian students are at the top of the academic food chain. See Rod Pallister's answer to Why doesn't the USA look like the largest economy in the world when I travel there? China's top cities look even more advanced than American.

It’s now Indonesia’s turn, it’s time for Indonesian students to show the world why we are heading for the world’s 7th largest economy, and beyond. Could this beautiful country become the world’s largest economy one day? Why not? We are a nation of 260+ million people, and growing. We are just as smart and talented as anywhere on earth.

What about the Olympics?

What about our top universities becoming some of the most sought after learning institutions on earth?

It’s not about the past, forget past problems, forget about past excuses… turn a new page.

It’s about your kids and grandkids, it’s about tomorrow!

Can it be done? What do you think?

Indonesia just needs the chance. Here’s the good news...

It’s time. No more excuses. Let’s wake up and let’s get going...

Ayo!