MM2C Podcast by Ben Alagnam

SEARCH the Related FSW Canada Topics HERE!

04 July 2013

How to Take IELTS in Singapore

IELTS is one of the requirements for a skilled worker to be eligible to apply for the Federal Skilled Worker(FSW) program in Canada.  This is considered as the measure on how good your English is, the Language Ability.

What is IELTS?
IELTS is the International English Language Test System that measures your ability to speak, listen, read, and write in English.

Based on the score that you get from this test, it has a corresponding points for the FSW program eligibility.  The maximum points you can get for the Language skills is 28 points (24 for English, and 4 for the 2nd language French). The score that you get from the IELTS is what they call the band score.

There are two options for the reading and writing tests, these are the "General Training" and the "Academic. For the application of FSW, you MUST take the General Training option.
 

Here is the corresponding points from the IELTS band score to the Canadian points system:

LB LevelIELTS test results for each abilityPoints
(per ability)
SpeakingListeningReadingWriting
76.06.06.06.04
86.57.56.56.55
9 and above7.0 – 9.08.0 – 9.07.0 – 9.07.0 – 9.06
CLB LevelIELTS test results for each abilityPoints (total)
SpeakingListeningReadingWriting
5 and above5.0 – 9.05.0 – 9.04.0 – 9.05.0 – 9.04
Source: http://www.cic.gc.ca

Where do I take IELTS in Singapore?
There are two test centres here in Singapore.  They are the British Council and the IDP Education Pty. Ltd Singapore.  You need to set an appointment to them for the exam and pay the fees first.

I took my IELTS at the British Council, they also provided me the online reviewer.

Here are their contact details:

British Council
IELTS Administrator
30 Napier Road
Singapore 
258509
Tel: 65 6470 7148
Fax: 65 6475 3885
Email: contact@britishcouncil.org.sg
Web: http://www.britishcouncil.org.sg/ielts-and-exams/ielts


IDP Education Pty. LTd Singapore
IELTS Administrator
4th Floor, RELC Building
30 Orange Grove Road
Singapore
258352
Tel: 6736 7025 / 40 / 41
Fax: 65 67 371 736
Email: info.singapore@idp.com
Web:http://www.singapore.idp.com/student_services/examination_services/ielts.aspx


Do not forget to scan your passport and your Identification Card (IC), this is one of their requirements.  At the future post, I will discuss my experience in taking the IELTS at the British Council.

Please leave your comment below if you have any questions or clarifications regarding IELTS.

02 July 2013

Tracking My Document in DHL Singapore

At last, I had finished the long preparation of my documents.  This is it!

Together with my cousin, we went to the nearest Cheers store in Singapore where the DHL drop box is. I had checked the locations of DHL drop station beforehand and found that the nearest is the one in the Cheers inside Jurong Point, Boonlay MRT Station.

How Much is the Cost of Sending Documents from Singapore to Canada?
The enclosed document is about 1 inch thick and was placed inside a 9" x 12" white envelope addressed to as instructed by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Here is the complete address:

Citizenship and Immigration Canada
49 Dorchester Street
Sydney, NS
B1P 5Z2
Canada

The Cheers attendant handed me the DHL Express Shipment Waybill form and I filled it up with my information, handed back to him and he then asked me for the payment of S$50.00.

How to Keep Track on My Documents in DHL Website?
Got the receipt and so excited to see how it goes.  For me, it's the ultimate goal of my life, to be able to move to Canada.

The following day, I started to get more and more excited.  I wanted to know where's the location of my documents.  The good thing about sending your document to a courier is that you can track the exact location of your document through online.  This is the benefit of the S$50.00, unlike the "old-fashioned" way...

I logged in to the DHL Website (www.dhl.com.sg) and looked for the Track DHL Express Shipments.

The most important thing to do before doing this is that you need to have your waybill number.  This is found at the DHL Express receipt, on top of the barcode (10 digits).  I keyed in the number and found "No Result"...I found out that it was less than 24 hours since I sent it at the Cheers, sorry, I'm just too excited...

Other locations of DHL in Singapore
The locations of the DHL service point in Singapore can be found at this link..
Ben Alagnam - MeMovingToCanada