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On March 31, 2021, Hassan Costello and Dr. Sayyed Rashid Ali Shah conducted an in-service teacher training webinar, attended by 145 participants. The webinar, a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Education in Asir and Rijal Alma, focused on "IELTS Listening and Speaking" and "IELTS Preparation: Reading & Writing". The training provided male and female teachers with a deeper understanding of the exam structure, imparting exam-specific tips and strategies for answering various question types.

The webinar commenced with an introduction from the Vice Dean for Academic Development & Quality, Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa. Following this, Costello dived into the details of the IELTS Listening Test, emphasizing that the test isn't just about listening; it also involves understanding the content and locating the correct answers simultaneously. He shed light on the challenge of multitasking during the test – the simultaneous reading, listening, and writing tasks – and the importance of practice to improve performance. Further, he identified maintaining concentration as a critical aspect, as losing focus could result in missed answers.

Costello proceeded to elaborate on the three parts of the IELTS Speaking Test. He advised test takers to offer expanded answers, with examples, rather than limiting themselves to 'yes' or 'no' responses. He explained the individual parts, highlighting how each part is a progression from the previous, and urged candidates to treat the test more like a conversation, not worrying about accents or mistakes.

Following Costello, Dr. Shah noted that many of the strategies applicable to the IELTS Listening Test could also be employed for the IELTS Reading Test. He pledged to share ten reading strategies and six writing strategies that candidates often overlook. Dr. Shah mentioned his personal journey from being an IELTS student to becoming an examiner, providing a unique perspective on the examination process.

He further emphasized that awareness and identification of the 11-14 different types of questions could significantly enhance a candidate's performance. He also stressed the importance of skimming and scanning long passages, acknowledging the difficulty of answering all 40 questions without these techniques. In addition, Dr. Shah advocated for wider reading practices, as he stated, "Reading articles online will help to widen reading skills and develop familiarity with complex texts and passages."

During the latter part of his session, Dr. Shah discussed the IELTS Academic Writing Task 2, explaining that the techniques could also be applied to writing a letter in the general training module or describing a graph or pie chart for Task 1 in IELTS Academic Writing. He clarified that the IELTS Writing rubric evaluates four distinct aspects: Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Task Response. He concluded by reinforcing the importance of understanding the question, stating, "Understanding questions solves half of the problem."

Overall, the webinar provided comprehensive training for educators, with insights into specific exam tips and strategies, demonstrating a commitment to enhancing teaching and learning practices in the field of English language training.