How to begin getting stronger writing scores on the CELPIP

Erin Nelson: 00:00:01

Sometimes preparing for the CELPIP or developing your English skills in general just feels so big and overwhelming that it's hard to know where to begin or what to do to keep moving.

Over the past few weeks, I've been working with some students on James Clear's book Atomic Habits, and one of our most common points of discussion revolves around the systems we're using to prepare for the CELPIP exam.

Sometimes the most insightful thing you can do is actually stop all your busy activity as you study and prep for the exam, and instead take a moment to actually examine what you're doing. Those actions you're following to prepare for the exam. That's your system.

And like I've said in previous episodes, your system, the one you're using right this minute, is perfectly designed to give you the results that it has been giving you. And that, by the way, is a fabulous quote and a very painful quote by W. Edwards Deming.

I'm going to say it again because it's one of my favorites and I quote, your system is perfectly designed to give you the results that it's been giving you. End quote. And again, that's by W. Edwards Deming.

What I love about that quote is how it helps us, how it calls us, how it calls me to look closer at the system I'm using. If I'm not getting the results I need, the solution is not in working harder, the solution is not studying harder.

The solution is not doing more practice CELPIP tests. You get the point, right? The solution to getting stronger CELPIP scores.

And in today's episode, I'm going to be focusing on how you can improve your writing test scores is for you to examine what you're actually doing to get ready for the exam. If you can't seem to get the score you need. The problem comes down to just two things.

Number one, either your level of English isn't strong enough yet to get the result you need, or number two, your prep system is broken somewhere and it needs to be fixed. But working on a CELPIP prep system seems as big and daunting as the exam itself, doesn't it?

Like, where should I begin looking to find what might be broken? How do I know if what I'm doing right now is helping or working against me?

Today, if writing is your area of weakness, we're going to take a look at one part of your system that might be broken.

The part that we're going to look at together is actually one of the most commonly broken system parts for test takers, meaning many test takers don't look at this part of their system and they get a lower score because of it. And that's bad news, isn't it? Do you want the good news? Great. I'm going to share it with you. So please sit back, relax, and enjoy today's episode.

Well, hello there and welcome to the Speak English Fearlessly Podcast.

This is the podcast for motivated English learners who want to speak English fearlessly and learn practical tips and strategies to conquer the CELPIP exam.

I also love to feature encouraging interviews with regular people, people just like you, who are working towards becoming fluent in English so we can learn from their experiences together. Who am I?

My name is Erin Nelson and I'm a certified CELPIP trainer and I've been an English teacher for over 17 years, and I now help students prepare for the CELPIP exam through online classes.

So, like I said in the intro, if you're using a broken system to prepare for the celpip, no matter how hard you work or study, you'll find it very difficult to achieve your desired score. The solution is not trying to study or work harder. No, the solution is fixing your system. And here's the great news I promised a minute or so ago.

This solution, though it's solving one of the most common mistakes test takers make, is super easy to implement. When I was in grade eight, I had a social studies teacher who loved to tell us, like, pretty much on a daily basis to read the instructions.

If he was passing out a worksheet for us to use during a lesson he was teaching, he would always start by saying, read the instructions before you begin. If he was assigning textbook work, he'd always begin by saying, you got it. Before you do any of the exercises, I want you to read the instructions.

He said it so often that I think many of us kind of stopped paying attention to it. Final exams came around. Final exam week was one of the most dreaded times of the year for me. So much studying, so much fear. What if I fail?

What if I don't pass the grade and I have to repeat the entire year? What if the exam asks me stuff I don't spend time studying studying for? Oh, I hated that time of year.

Yes, thinking about it now, and I'm 49 years old, when I think about final exam week, like the week before summer vacation started, it still makes my heart race just a little bit faster. Oh, final exams suck. I'll never forget the social studies final that year. Our teacher walked into the room with a massive load of exam papers.

I never saw such a big exam before. It was like he was carrying books. He calmly passed a note and told us how long we had to finish. Two hours, and that our time was beginning.

Now I remember staring down at the massive exam book before me and thinking, I'm never going to make my way through this thing in two hours. What will I do? All around me, people had already begun to work. I heard papers flipping pins beginning to scribble over them. The pressure was on.

I remember taking a deep breath and began to work by doing, I think, maybe automatically, what our teacher had been drilling into us the entire year. I read the instructions. I blinked as I finished reading them. That can't be right. I remember frowning as I read through it a second time.

The first line said this carefully read the instructions before you begin. The second line said, write your name in the top right hand corner. The third line was long, like almost a whole paragraph long.

It went into detail about what the exam was covering and it looked like it was going to be covering every single thing and stuff. I don't even remember hearing about our teacher ever taught that year. And then came the magical last line. It said this.

Please only do the first three pages. That's the part I had to read over again. The exam itself was easily eight pages long.

It felt like a small book, as I said before, but the instructions were telling me I only had to do a small portion of it. I'll never forget that moment. Reading the instructions and making sure I was following them was literally about to help me pass my exam.

And there were many students who didn't read them because they were so focused on trying to get through that massive book in time. And that's how I want to focus with you today.

One of the most common mistakes according to Celpip CA webinars that test takers make is that they fail to fully read and understand and follow the instructions.

As a result, when they actually answer the writing task they are working on, they don't score very well because they're missing things the instructions ask them to include in their answers.

Imagine that not reading the instructions carefully and therefore not following them in your answer is one of the most common errors test takers make. That's bad news, but the great news is that it's such an easy fix.

And that's what I want to challenge you on today if you have a hard time with the writing section of the exam.

James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, writes this and I quote, if you're having trouble sticking to a new habit, try a smaller version of it until it becomes automatic. Do less than you're capable of, but do it more consistently than you have ever done it before. End quote.

Now what does this quote have to do with better writing scores on the celpip? Focus.

That's what it has to do with better writing scores on the CELPIP Exam Focus I want to challenge you today to momentarily stop focusing on big things as you practice. You know what I'm talking about, like grammar and vocabulary building.

Instead, I challenge you to focus on improving one thing and one thing only, and it's small reading and understanding the instructions question gives you. Here's what I want you to be looking for as you practice.

Number one, the question will likely give you a scenario, a role play that you need to use as you answer the question. Number two, the question will also tell you what you need to speak about or write about.

And most importantly, the question will likely give you additional things you need to write about and include in your answer. Sub answers if you will. And you know what? This right here is where I've seen most students make the most mistakes.

They fail to include the sub answers in their answer.

By becoming an excellent instruction reader and follower, you'll be placing yourself well ahead of many CELPIP test takers and you'll be taking an easy step towards those scores you need on the exam. You know, focusing on key system parts like that one.

Reading instructions carefully and following them in your answer is one of the main features of my CELPIP writing program that just opened December 1st this week. This four week program is for upper intermediate to advanced English learners and is specially designed to help you work on your writing prep system.

Becoming a pro instruction reader and follower is just one of those vital system parts. Each week you'll get access to many audio lessons that you can download and listen to anytime, anywhere you want.

You'll also have lots of focused writing assignments to help you practice for the two tasks you're going to be facing on the actual CELPIP writing exam, writing an email and responding to a survey. Best of all, when you enroll, you're going to have unlimited one on one support and writing feedback from me as we work together.

And when I say unlimited, I mean unlimited one on one support. As a bonus, there's also speaking and listening practice built right in.

If you want to build your writing skills for the CELPIP exam, then right now is your chance. Join me today by going to celpipsuccess.com writingprogram and there's going to be a link to that in my show notes today too.

So stop wondering what to do to improve your celpip writing scores. Start working with me today.