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Alena Kopalina

Preparing for TEF

Articles by Alena Kopalina: Preparing for TEF.

A certificate is not a guarantee of peace of mind

A case worth knowing about — to stay informed, not to panic. A former student gave me permission to share her story without identifying her. It is an unusual situation that may be useful to anyone preparing for exams or who has already taken them. She received an invitation to apply from IRCC, gathered her documents, submitted the application and waited for it to be processed.

Why does your speech fall apart?

Why does your writing fall apart even when it contains no errors? One student and I once joked that my corrections were competing with ChatGPT, after he sent me a text thoroughly edited by AI. Everything looked flawless: the vocabulary was good, and so was the grammar.

Which is easier: TEF or TCF?

Before deciding which exam is easier, we need to ask: easier for whom? The answer depends on each person’s circumstances.

Mistakes in the TEF speaking section

I recently worked as a TEF examiner. There were many candidates, which gave me the opportunity to identify several serious mistakes common to their responses.