Specialist Language Courses

Target IELTS 7.0 for Nurses – Case Study: Laurence Jay

Laurence has always wanted to work overseas and is now following his dream by applying to work as a registered nurse in the UK.

Since taking his parents’ advice to become a nurse, Laurence has worked on general wards as well as spending 2 years in emergency nursing and now is training to work as a dialysis nurse.

The first step on his journey to the UK started over a year ago training to pass the IELTS exam at a local review centre. Unfortunately, despite taking the exam three times during this period he was never able to get level 7.0 in all four papers.

“The first time I took the exam my reading and writing scores weren’t very good, the next two times it was only the writing that was a problem.”

It was at this point that he was offered the opportunity to take the SLC Target 7.0 programme. Due to his busy schedule at the hospital he decided to take the email version of the course as it gave him flexibility to complete the classes after his shifts.

He thinks that the feedback his tutor gave him on how to make sure he answered the task fully and how to structure his essays was what helped him finally achieve a level 7.0. in all of the papers.

His key tips are to anyone about to take the course are:

  1. apply what you learn from your tutor and the course materials to your writing
  2. have a plan before you write to help with structure
  3. use words/ phrases to link your ideas
  4. don’t write too much!

Laurence is now completing the next phase of his recruitment process and hopes to be in the UK later this year.