Who says English books are boring?
最近都比較忙所以都沒很多時間更新，真的很對不起 O<<
來跟大家拜年吧～祝大家身體健康，學業進步，生活愉快！
（之後我也會想想看有沒有跟新年有關的豆知識der）
Since I’ve been rather busy these days, I didn’t have much time to update this blog. Sorry about that!
I guess it’s time to send some best wishes for the new year~Hope everyone stays healthy and happy, and your kids can excel with flying colours!
(Don’t worry, I’ll try to think of any new-year-related trivia to write about too!)
之前介紹的三大國際試主要都是用來升學就業，論程度大概也是到外國讀大學的程度吧？但是如果你想知道小孩子的水平呢？總不能叫小學生跑去考IELTS跟TOEFL吧！那該怎麼辦？除了台灣自己的全民英檢還有沒有其他選擇？
其實是有的！雖然很多有關英檢的資訊都是集中在IELTS，TOEFL跟TOEIC，但是不代表沒有其他程度的英檢試喔～
還記得我之前提過IELTS是由劍橋大學設計的嗎？原來除了IELTS，劍橋大學也有為了不同年齡跟學歷的人設計一系列的英檢試，也就是Cambridge English Language Assessment（CELA）。大家路過一些英語補習社時是不是看到什麼KET跟PET看得一頭霧水？其實這些都是不同的英檢試喔！除了給幼稚園至國小生的Young Learners系列（Starters，Movers跟Flyers）之外還有5種英檢試，對應5種英文程度：
Key (KET) – 對應A2程度；
Preliminary (PET) – 對應B1程度；
First (FCE) – 對應B2程度；
Advanced (CAE) – 對應C1程度；
Proficiency (CPE) – 對應C2程度；
這些程度都是按照歐洲共同語言參考標準（CEFR）而定，當中以C2為最高級別，大概是IELTS的8-9分左右吧？至於經常聽到的B2程度就是5.5-6.5分左右
IELTS的定位可以說是把以上的考試整合了，從4分開始可以對應B1至C2左右
這一系列考試都會測試讀寫聽說的能力，但是Young Learners系列因為對象不同所以會以活動形式為主，應該是不想給孩子考試壓力吧…
雖然論英檢試還是IELTS有名多了，不過如果是要報名外國的中小學的話，以上這些考試也是不可缺少的呢！
除了CELA之外，倫敦聖三一學院（Trinity College）也有一系列名為Graded Examinations in Spoken English（GESE）的考試，一共有12個級別對應A1-C1/C2左右的程度。但是跟剛才的CELA不同，GESE主要是測試英語會話能力。如果要完整測試讀寫聽說能力，聖三一學院提供的則是Integrated Skills in English（ISE）了～ISE有5種考試，對應A2-C2的程度。當中一個特別之處就是成績表上面不是只有評分這麼簡單，而是會有針對不同部分的分析，讓考生更加了解自己的強項跟可以進步的地方，對學習英文有不少幫助喔！
先介紹到這裡好了，希望兩篇英檢大亂鬥會對大家有幫助吧！
Since the three international exams I’ve discussed before are used for studying or working overseas, their standards tend to be geared towards university-level. But what if you want to test your kid’s English level? There’s no way we’re going to ask a primary schooler to take the IELTS or TOEFL, right? What can we do? Are there any other options aside from Taiwan’s GERN?
Guess what, there are! Even though a lot of information about English tests are built around the IELTS, TOEFL and TOEIC, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any tests for other levels~
Remember when I mentioned how IELTS is developed by the University of Cambridge? Aside from IELTS, the university also designed a series of English tests for people of different ages and school levels, known as the Cambridge English Language Assessment (CELA). Have you ever felt confused about all those KETs and PETs when passing by a English tutorial school? Those actually refer to different English tests! Aside from the Young Learners series (Starters, Movers and Flyers) designed for kids from kindergarten to primary school, there’s altogether 5 tests designed for 5 levels:
Key (KET) – for A2 level
Preliminary (PET) – for B1 level
First (FCE) – for B2 level
Advanced (CAE) – for C1 level
Proficiency (CPE) – for C2 level
Those levels are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), with C2 being the topmost level, roughly equivalent to a 8-9 score range in IELTS. As for the more commonly-heard B2, it’s equivalent to around 5.5-6.5 in IELTS.
IELTS arguably intergrates the above tests, and matches the B1 to C2 levels starting from 4 marks.
Those tests all assess your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. However, the Young Learners series, due to their different targets, are more activity-based. Maybe it’s because they don’t want to give the kids too much stress…?
Although the IELTS is a lot more well-known, if you want to apply for a secondary or primary school overseas, then these tests are still a must!
Aside from the CELA, the Trinity College London also has a series of tests known as the Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE), with a total of 12 tests from A1 to C1/C2. However, unlike the CELA, the GESE only tests your ability to communicate in spoken English. If you want to test all 4 skills properly, then the Trinity College offers the Intergrated Skills in English (ISE) instead. The ISE has 5 tests altogether, from A2 to C2. One notable thing is that the test results show not just the scores themselves, but also analysis based on the different sections, allowing us to know more about our strengths and room for improvement. Pretty helpful in learning English!
I guess I’ll stop here for now, hope that both posts will be of help!
學習英文固然有很多方法，但是如果要知道自己或孩子的英語水平，最客觀的方法想當然就是英語檢定考試啦～不論是升學還是就業，總會有機會要考英檢來証明自己英文有多好
但是問題來了。隨便估狗一下就跑出一堆名字：雅思（IELTS），多益（TOEIC），托福（TOEFL）…到底要考哪個才對啊，媽好亂啊！的確，雖然最重要大概就是你要報名的機構要求你拿出哪種英檢的成績，但是人家沒有特別要求的話真的會有選擇困難的…（至於全民英檢嘛，不是不行但是認受性沒剛才的那麼好倒是事實）
那麼這時候我們大概要看看三種考試的分別了！
先說IELTS吧？（畢竟我比較有經驗）IELTS跟另外兩個不同，是由英國文化協會跟劍橋大學設計的。（TOEFL跟TOEIC都是由美國一間叫Educational Testing Service的機構設計的）所以如果要移民到英國或者在那邊留學，最好當然是挑選英國人弄的IELTS囉（廢話
至於考試模式呢？IELTS有分Academic跟General Training兩種，前者的題材比較學術性質所以要到英國留學的話就挑這個吧。後者則比較廣泛，不是特別要去留學的話可以挑這個～讀寫聽說都會有der，當中說話部分會跟真人對答喔（人家會給你一個主題然後要你在短時間內就主題演講，沒有經驗的話這裡會壓力很大的）
不過就算是選擇Academic版本，考試內容也不會特別專門所以不用擔心需不需要惡補一些知識，英文理解能力足夠就可以了
TOEFL跟IELTS一樣都是比較偏學術的英檢，但是前者比後者更加學術（無誤）。IELTS考試內容的環境比較貼近日常生活，但是TOEFL的就是學校裡面的環境，聆聽測驗的題材很多都是學校教授的講座跟課堂。所以如果你想知道自己有沒有能力應付這樣的學習環境，TOEFL比IELTS更有針對性。但是同時間，TOEFL比較不能夠模擬學校以外的環境，通用程度自然沒IELTS那麼高
TOEFL的說話部分跟IELTS十分不同，因為前者不是真人對答而是向著電腦就題目給答案，電腦會錄音然後送去評審員評核成績這樣。雖然對一些人來講向電腦說話沒那麼大壓力，但是同時間也沒了跟真人談話那種自然感覺吧？我個人比較喜歡真人對答，但是你不喜歡的話TOEFL大概會輕鬆一點
閱讀理解方面，TOEFL基本上全部都是選擇題（全電腦化了嘛）所以題目的多樣化程度也是沒IELTS那麼大的樣子
TOEIC跟剛才兩種英檢的最大分別，就是它是設計給打算到外國工作的人，所以題目都是圍繞著工作環境會碰到的英文，要求的也是職場上要用的英文技能。例如閱讀理解的文章很多都是公文，就算是普通文章也會跟商業有關。還在求學階段的話，TOEIC現在考還有點早；但是如果你要到外國就業或者公幹，TOEIC還是得考一次！
還有喔，TOEIC只有閱讀跟聆聽兩個部分，所以要理解自己的寫作跟說話能力的話就要考別的英檢才行
簡單點來說，TOEFL考的是學校的英文，TOEIC考的是職場的英文，而IELTS考的是一般場合的英文。哪種英檢最適合，自然就要看你打算拿成績來幹嘛囉
Even though there are many different ways to learn English, when it comes to finding out how much you’ve learnt the best way to do so would be to take an English language test. Whether you’re going to study or work, chances are those places would want to to give evidence on how good you are in English.
There’s a problem though. Just a quick google would give you a face full of names: IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC…Which one are we supposed to pick? This is confusing! Sure, things will be a lot easier if the institution asking for your scores already specified which test to take. But what if they said anything goes? (As for the GERT…it’s one of the options, but frankly speaking it won’t be as widely-accepted as the Big Three I just mentioned)
Well then, time for some comparisions shall we?
Let’s start with IELTS first. (since I have more experience with that) Unlike the other two tests (which are designed by the US-based Educational Testing Service), IELTS is created by the British Council and the University of Cambridge. Naturally, if you want to study in or immigrate to the UK, IELTS would be your best bet.
As for the exam itself, there are two different types: Academic and General Studies. The content used for Academic will be, you guessed it, more academic in nature, so those who want to study in the UK should probably pick this one. The latter type is of course more general, so if you’re not planning to study overseas then it’s fine to pick this one. The exam includes reading, writing, listening and speaking.
In particular, the speaking part requires you to actually talk to a person in real life. It doesn’t sound like much, but it can be stressing at times (especially when you’re supposed to do a small presentation about a given subject with little preparation time-it can reduce you into a nervous wreck if you’re not used to this sort of thing)
Anyways, despite how it’s called Academic, the test doesn’t really require any specific knowledge. There’s no need to worry about that, as long as you have the ability to understand the passages then it’s all good!
TOEFL, like IELTS, are designed to be academic tests. However, TOEFL managed to be even more academic than the latter. How so? Well, most of the test contents revolve around a university environment, unlike IELTS which is relatively more varied. For example, the listening test materials tend to be based on school lessons or lectures. Basically, if you want to know if you can handle studying in an all-English environment, TOEFL will be more geared towards that than IELTS. But at the same time, it also makes TOEFL not as flexible as IELTS.
Another big difference between the two lies in the speaking tests. In TOEFL’s speaking test, you don’t get to have a real conversation. Rather you are given different situations, then record your answers on a computer. Although some might find this less stressful, at the same time it loses that feeling of speaking naturally to somebody. I personally prefer having real conversations, but if you don’t then this is probably a more relaxing alternative.
Even the reading test questions are less varied than IELTS, as TOEFL only requires multiple choice answers (but then that’s expected, as TOEFL runs on a fully-computerized system)
Finally there’s the TOEIC. While the previous two tests are academic in nature, TOEIC is designed for those who have to work overseas. As a result, the test involves English you’d find in the workplace, and tests your English skills in such a context. For instance, the reading test passages tend to be formal letters and other texts used in work, and even regular passages are themed around business. If you’re still studying at school, then it’s probably a bit too early to take the TOEIC. But if you’re about to work overseas, then the TOEIC would be a must.
However, the TOEIC only includes reading and listening tests. If you want to access your writing and speaking skills, then you will need to take a different test.
To put it simply, TOEFL is about English at school, TOEIC is about English at work, and IELTS is about English in general. Which one is the most suitable? That depends on how you’re going to use the scores in the first place.
大部分小朋友接觸英文的地方自然就是學校的英文課，但是不同地方的學校開始有英文課的時間也有所不同。
香港畢竟是前英國殖民地而且英文是法定語言，從幼稚園或者小學一年級開始學英文是正常不過；但是其他地方卻不是必然，例如台灣可能是小五小六才開始有英文班，有些台灣朋友跟我說過他們倒是初中才開始上英文課的
那麼何時讓小孩學英文才是最好的？有些教育專家說過３－５歲是學習語言的最好時機，這又是真的假的啊？
我不直接回答你，我用例子回答你（？）
小時候的我是在幼稚園才開始學中文的，之前的時間老爸老媽都給我全英文的語境，所以正確點來說英文才是我的母語。除了這點之外，我也是從小喜歡看英文書跟英文電視節目的，英文就是這樣不知不覺地學回來….學校的英文課好像反而是其次耶（等等這樣說真的沒問題嗎
所以對我來說吧，從很小開始學英文的確是有助造就小朋友的英文能力，而且早一點接觸英文也可以讓他們不害怕英文喔（其實學習一種語言最重要就是不要害怕它！有些小朋友會因為害怕講錯或者用錯了文法而不願意使用英文，
但是我跟你講，英文的native speaker也會犯上文法錯誤的！連我自己也不敢說自己不會用錯文法，所以呢….其實不用過份執著於這一方面的，最重要還是建立起那份自信心喔）
當然啦，最重要其實是不要特別催谷孩子，試問有誰會喜歡被迫做自己不喜歡做的事情？過份催谷反而會搞得孩子視英文為壓力來源這樣就不好了吧….
When’s the best time and what’s the best way to learn English?
To most kids, the one place they get to use English the most is obviously going to be English class at school. However, with different countries/regions also comes different times when English classes are introduced at school.
Hong Kong, being an ex-colony of Britain and having English as one of its official language, naturally includes English lessons in early primary school or even kindergarten. The same can’t be said with other places though, such as Taiwan where kids might not have English lessons at school until primary 5 or 6. Some of my Taiwanese friends even told me that they didn’t have English classes until middle school.
So when’s the best time to learn English again? Some experts claimed that 3-5 years old is the best time to learn new languages, but is this really true?
Well, as a personal example…
When I was a little kid, I didn’t learn Chinese until I started kindergarten, so before that I was raised in an all-English environment. In that case, you could say that my mother-tongue is technically English. However, aside from that, I loved reading English books and watching English TV programmes, and I ended up polishing my language skills along the way. As for English classes? Er, they sort of took a backseat compared to that.
That’s why to me, I believe that introducing English to kids at an earlier age does help them learn English more easily. Besides, it helps them get used to the language and have more confidence in using it too. (In fact, one of the most important things in learning a language is to not be scared of it! Many kids don’t want to speak English because they are afraid of making grammar mistakes, but I can tell you that even native speakers make mistakes!
Even I couldn’t claim that I never make those mistakes either, so basically it’s alright to take it easy about it (but not too easy mind you), as long as you can build the confidence you need to use English in the first place)
Of course, what truly is important is to not push your kids too hard. I mean, who likes being forced to do things that they aren’t even interested in? If you push your kids too hard and they end up seeing English as a source of stress, then frankly the whole thing just backfired on you anyways.
Good luck and happy learning!
雖然這次要介紹的不是書本，但對我來說這絕對是值得推薦的資源！
我說的是Brainpop這網站！
（傳送門在此： https://www.brainpop.com/）
在現今網路大流行的年代，網上學習已經不是什麼新鮮事，但Brainpop可是擁有17年歷史，在大家都是網路菜鳥萌新的時候就已經開始透過FLASH卡通影片跟活動教材教授上至天文下至地理的知識（還不止是科學，連人文學科也有喔），以網上學習來說它已經算是老字號了呢
有多老字號？據網站介紹所說，有25%的美國小學跟初中會使用Brainpop作為教材，現在也有努力推廣到其他地方的學校～
但這可不代表它是過時的老古董喔！現在除了有手機版方便孩子邊走邊學，還有替一些母語不是英文的孩子設計的教材（下面寫著ESL的就是啦）
可惜這網站是實行訂閱制的，雖然有些影片是免費的但其他的都要花錢訂閱才能看….但是如果你喜歡這樣的教學方式，這點錢也是值得投資的吧？
I know it sounds weird that I’m introducing something that’s not even a book, but to me this is definitely worth promoting!
What I’m talking about? The Brainpop website!
In the web-everything world we call the present, learning online isn’t anything special anymore. But Brainpop is a website with 17 years under its belt: when everyone’s still a newbie in this whole Internet thing, Brainpop is already hard at work teaching kids through flash cartoons about things from astronauts to zoology. It’s not just about science though, humanities and other subjects also have their time of the day too.
When it comes to learning online, ol’ Brainpop can be called one of the pioneers I daresay!
This doesn’t mean that Brainpop is an outdated, cane-waving old geezer of a website either, it’s actually pretty in with the times complete with a mobile version so kids can learn as they go! It even has a special site for kids learning English as a second language, so there won’t be much trouble with the language barrier either.
One drawback though is that it’s not free. Alright, some of the videos are indeed free (and I thank them for that) but you need to subscribe to see the rest. Honestly? If you’re keen on this kind of learning website, I’d say it’s worth shelling out those bucks.
說白一點這是同名FB頁面的正式（？）網頁版啦～
大概就是簡潔一點功能多一點方便大家看得容易一點（始終FB不是完整的PO文平台嘛）
FB的內容跟這邊基本上同步所以不用擔心錯過了些什麼喔！
Quill's Book Corner 