涼月解析:雅思考試時間的選擇
在涼月為考生解答的諸多問題中,有一類問題是考生最關注的:我該報哪場考試?
由于雅思考試每次的試題是不同的,因此考生就會認為某些場次的考試相對簡單,而某些場次的考試則會難一些。大家都希望能夠選擇一場相對簡單的考試來參加,這樣就可能獲得更好的成績。但是,這樣的機會真的存在嗎?
在幾年前的雅思考試中,這樣的機會是存在的。由于2005年以前,雅思考試題庫中的題目非常少,所以樣本的差異較大,每次考試多多少少都會存在難度上的差異。而由于當時題庫小且規(guī)律性極強,涼月能夠輕松預測到考試的版本。有興趣的同學可以到3G雅思網(wǎng)翻翻2005年涼月的預測,基本上全部聽力預測只有20多個版本,只要考舊題命中率就是100%。從2003年起,雅思考試中心開始有計劃地使用新題,并將新題補充到題庫之中。2005-2006年引入的新題的數(shù)量達到了高峰,有時候聽力、閱讀都會出現(xiàn)所有的sections全部都是新題的情況,使機經(jīng)完全失效,目前聽力機經(jīng)中的大量的V30***和V50***版本都是在那幾年產(chǎn)生的。不過,那幾年出現(xiàn)新題規(guī)律性非常強,涼月可以根據(jù)規(guī)律預計到哪場出新題,哪場出舊題,因此可以給大家提供報考場次上的建議。但是,隨著雅思考試題庫的不斷豐富,目前的考試規(guī)律性已經(jīng)沒有那么強了,而且基本不會出現(xiàn)全部是新題的考試,多數(shù)場次是由大量舊題和少量新題組合而成的。因此,從出現(xiàn)新題的角度講,每場雅思考試之間的差異已經(jīng)不大了。
那么,在考試難度上是否還有差異呢?由于雅思考試的題庫已經(jīng)趨于穩(wěn)定,近幾年每年雅思考試中心都會對過去一年中所有的考試版本作可靠性評估,即評估這些考試版本是否能夠客觀穩(wěn)定的反應考生的英語水平,從另一個角度講,其實也就是在檢驗每場考試的難度差異是否越來越小。
涼月從IELTS ORG提取了2010年度的雅思考試可靠性評估數(shù)據(jù),給大家分析如下:
聽力:
Module (All Academic and General Training versions) |
|
Alpha |
Listening version |
487 |
0.89 |
Listening version |
488 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
489 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
490 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
491 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
492 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
493 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
494 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
495 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
496 |
0.89 |
Listening version |
497 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
498 |
0.89 |
Listening version |
499 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
500 |
0.92 |
Listening version |
501 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
502 |
0.89 |
Listening version |
503 |
0.92 |
Listening version |
504 |
0.92 |
Listening version |
505 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
506 |
0.89 |
Listening version |
507 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
508 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
509 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
510 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
511 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
512 |
0.92 |
Listening version |
513 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
514 |
0.92 |
Listening version |
515 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
516 |
0.92 |
Listening version |
517 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
518 |
0.93 |
Listening version |
519 |
0.92 |
Listening version |
520 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
521 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
522 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
523 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
524 |
0.89 |
Listening version |
525 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
526 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
527 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
528 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
529 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
530 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
531 |
0.9 |
Listening version |
532 |
0.91 |
Listening version |
533 |
0.92 |
Listening version |
534 |
0.87 |
Average Alpha across versions |
|
0.91 |
Module |
|
Alpha |
General Training reading version |
372 |
0.87 |
General Training reading version |
373 |
0.9 |
General Training reading version |
374 |
0.89 |
General Training reading version |
375 |
0.9 |
General Training reading version |
376 |
0.91 |
General Training reading version |
377 |
0.91 |
General Training reading version |
378 |
0.91 |
General Training reading version |
379 |
0.91 |
General Training reading version |
380 |
0.92 |
General Training reading version |
381 |
0.92 |
General Training reading version |
382 |
0.93 |
General Training reading version |
383 |
0.91 |
General Training reading version |
384 |
0.89 |
General Training reading version |
385 |
0.92 |
General Training reading version |
386 |
0.9 |
General Training reading version |
387 |
0.92 |
General Training reading version |
388 |
0.93 |
General Training reading version |
389 |
0.92 |
General Training reading version |
390 |
0.94 |
General Training reading version |
391 |
0.91 |
General Training reading version |
392 |
0.9 |
General Training reading version |
393 |
0.92 |
General Training reading version |
394 |
0.91 |
General Training reading version |
395 |
0.92 |
Average Alpha across versions |
|
0.91 |