ISLPR Policy

ISLPR Policy

POLICY

Acceptance of ISLPR: It is your responsibility to check whether the institution to which you are applying will accept the ISLPR and what conditions they set.

Part tests: You may take a part test (i.e. one, two or three skills) but if you plan to combine results from different testing systems (e.g. ISLPR and IELTS) or from ISLPR tests taken on different occasions, you should check with the institution whether they will accept combinations and what conditions they set. NB: Separate certificates will be issued for ISLPR tests conducted on different days. Results from different tests cannot be combined onto one certificate.

Re- tests: If you wish to repeat a full test or to be re-tested in any skill(s), we recommend that you wait at least four weeks from the date of your previous test to allow your language level to develop.

Results: Results for tests conducted at our office are generally ready within ten working days after the test. On or before the tenth working day, the statement of results will be posted to the mail address that you have written on the application form. If you wish to collect your results in person, you must tell our Administration Officer when you sit for your test. If you wish to make a special arrangement (e.g. a friend to collect the statement of results) you must discuss this with the Administration Officer.

Life of results: We recommend that the results for any skill should be valid for 12 months from the date the skill was tested. Some institutions extend this to 24 months.

Re- checks: If you are not satisfied with your results, you may apply for a re-check of one or more skills within four weeks of the test date. Re-check application forms with details are available from our Administration Officer.

Feedback: Feedback is available if you wish to find out what is wrong with your English and what you should do to improve it. There is a fee payable to have a feedback document created.

CONDITIONS for TESTS & FEEDBACK

  1. You must pay the fee when you submit the form. Please note that the fees below apply to tests conducted at our office.
  2. If you wish to cancel your test and you notify our Administration Officer no later than 4:30 pm seven business days before the booked test date if booked seven days in advance, or 24 hours if booked less than seven days in advance (or, if the test date has not been finalised, seven business days before the Friday of the preferred week), the test fee will be refunded, less an administration charge of up to $80 (incl. GST). If you do not give seven business days advance notice, no refund will be given.
  3. If you wish to change the date or time of a booked test, notify our Administration Officer no later than 4:30 pm seven business days before the test date. If you do not give seven business days advance notice, you must pay an administration charge of $100 (incl. GST).
  4. If you arrive late for your test, you may be required to re-book and pay an administration charge of $100 (incl. GST).
  5. If you fail to attend your Feedback Session, you will be required to re-book and pay an administration charge of $100 (incl. GST).
  6. You must sign that you have read and that you accept these conditions.
  7. On your test day, you must present your passport. The only other form of identification that may be acceptable is your Australian driver's license. Your photograph will be taken at the time of the test and will be reproduced on your statement of results. You must bring your own writing utensils (pens, pencils, eraser) to the exam.
  8. Normal test conditions apply during your interview and writing test. No talking to other candidates. No photos. No disruptive behaviour. You are not authorised to remove test materials from the room.
  9. Serious misconduct during the test: Any candidate who causes a scene, distracts other candidates, does not follow the test supervisor's instructions, does not stop writing when they are advised the time is up or is caught cheating or misbehaving during an ISLPR test will be removed from the test venue immediately. Such behaviour will be deemed as serious misconduct. No photos may be taken during the test and test materials may not be copied or removed from the room.  In such cases were a candidate is caught breaching the terms and conditions of the test, an incident report will be submitted to the Director by the examiner who was present during the exam.  Behaviour during an exam that is deemed as serious misconduct will result in the candidate's test not being marked. The candidate in question will be required to book another test. A candidate may be banned from returning to an ISLPR test centre if their behaviour puts staff or other candidates at risk.
  10. Serious misconduct after the test: Any attempts to contact a tester to discuss, bribe, persuade or try to influence their marks in any way will be deemed as serious misconduct. An incident report will be submitted to the Director by the examiner who was contacted by the candidate in question. Behaviour deemed as serious misconduct will result in the candidate's test not being marked. The candidate in question will be required to book another test. A candidate may be banned from returning to an ISLPR test centre if their behaviour puts staff or other candidates at risk.
  11. All mobile phones, smart watches and other non-essential items are banned during your test. They can be kept in your bag and accessed AFTER your test. Essential items include pens, erasable pens and water. Anyone found to have banned items on their person during the test will have their test cancelled and the candidate will be required to book another test.
  12. Emails: It is your responsibility to check your email inbox thoroughly (we do not accept responsibility for emails that are filtered to your junk inbox).
  13. Upon submitting an application form you must sign that you have read and that you accept these conditions.

CONDITIONS for TUTORIALS

  • You must pay the fee when you submit the form. Please note that the fees below apply to tutorials conducted at our office.
  • If you wish to cancel your tutorial and you notify our Administration Officer no later than 4:30 pm three business days before the booked tutorial date if booked seven days in advance, or 24 hours if booked less than three days in advance (or, if the tutorial date has not been finalised, seven business days before the Friday of the preferred week), the tutorial fee will be refunded, less an administration charge of $90 (incl. GST). If you do not give seven business days advance notice, no refund will be given.
  • If you wish to change the date or time of a booked tutorial, notify our Administration Officer no later than 4:30 pm three business days before the tutorial date. If you do not give seven business days advance notice, you must pay an administration charge of $90 (incl. GST).
  • If you cancel a tutorial more than three days before your tutorial a small Paypal Administration fee of $90 will be deducted from your refund.
  • If you arrive late for your tutorial, you may be required to re-book and pay an administration charge of $90 (incl. GST).
  • You must sign that you have read and that you accept these conditions.

Privacy ISLPR LANGUAGE SERVICES collects stores and uses personal information only for the purposes of administering tests, training testers, teaching, research and distributing research publications. The information collected is confidential and will not be disclosed to third parties without your consent, except when required under Australian law.

GUIDELINES FOR TESTS FOR ENTRY TO ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

The form and content of the test

Speaking, Listening and Reading skills are tested in a one-to-one interview that takes about 60 minutes. The interview is audio-recorded. For the Writing test, the tester will give you task sheets and explain the tasks to you; then you will have 60 minutes to write.

Three things determine the content of the test: everyday life in Australia, everyday life in the university or other educational institution, and your academic discipline.

 Speaking

Speaking skills are judged throughout the interview. The first part of the interview (about 15 minutes) is a conversation. The tester will introduce topics about everyday life and your particular needs and interests.

Listening

Listening skills are judged throughout the interview. In one part of the interview, however, recordings will also be used. The tester will ask you to listen to one or more authentic texts (e.g. news stories, news commentaries, interviews, talk-back, documentary material, community announcements, advertisements, messages on answering machines). The voices will be mainly those of speakers of standard Australian English but there may be segments with other varieties of English. Generally, you will hear each text only once; occasionally a short segment may be repeated so that the tester can check your understanding of particular details. With longer texts, you may like to take notes while you are listening to the recordings. If you do take notes, you are advised to keep them short. After you have listened to a text, you will show how well you have understood it by talking to the tester about it. While you are talking, you may refer to any notes you have taken but you must give them to the tester when this part of the test is finished.

Reading

In another part of the interview, the tester will ask you to read a variety of texts. Texts may be selected from such materials as; news stories, feature stories, editorials, ‘letters to the editor’, columnists’ opinions, advertisements, or community information (e.g. brochures). There may be some semi-technical material (e.g. from a textbook or special interest magazine). The time allowed for reading will depend on the length of the text and the kind of information in the text. You may take notes, underline, or use a highlighter. You will show how well you understand what you have read by talking to the tester. You may refer back to the text when you are talking to the tester. You will not be allowed to use a dictionary.

Writing

In the writing test, you will be asked to write about 400 words in total. There are usually two tasks; occasionally three tasks are given but the total number of words expected will remain the same. The topic, the type of text, the purpose for writing, and the audience to whom you are writing will be different for each task. One of the tasks is likely to be a letter or a note. In another task, you will be expected to express your opinion(s). If your test is for entry to a tertiary program, at least one topic will be relevant to the academic discipline or profession you plan to enter (e.g. business or engineering); it is likely to be a report, a personal statement, an essay, an article, or an open letter (e.g. a ‘letter to the editor’). If your test is for entry to a High School program, the topic will be an issue of interest to adolescents; it may be an essay, an article for a school newsletter or magazine, or a project report. You will not be allowed to use a dictionary.

How we judge your language

In Speaking and Writing we judge the accuracy, range, appropriateness, and fluency of the language you use and how well the ideas you communicate – including your personal opinions – match the requirements of the tasks you are given. Your flexibility (ability to cope with tasks and ideas that you have not been practicing) is important in both Speaking and Writing.

In Listening and Reading we judge how well you understand the information or other ideas presented. This may include the speaker’s or writer’s intentions and attitudes as well as the general ideas and specific details of the text. Your ability to cope with unfamiliar vocabulary and other features of the language is important. In Reading tasks, excessively slow reading will be taken into account but there is also flexibility, as in real life.