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Recently, I often hear that "4 English skills are important" in business. Although the importance is vaguely understood, there may be some who cannot find the essential and effective learning method.
For those who have been trying to acquire English that will be useful in practice after graduating from school and becoming a member of society, but are uncomfortable with a learning method that suits them, English 4 We will explain the certification test that you can understand the importance of skills and test how to develop each skill and power. Please refer to it and use it as an opportunity to take a new step.
What are the four skills of English?
The four skills of English refer to listening, reading, speaking, and writing, which will be explained in detail below.
Listening skills
Listening comprehension is the ability to hear English and understand its meaning correctly. Both the ability to understand that the sound coming from the ear is English and the ability to connect the heard English with Japanese and understand the meaning are required. By catching the conversation, we absorb knowledge and communicate with the other person to deepen our understanding. If your listening skills are weak, you will not be able to communicate in English. Listening is the key to that conversation, and it is said to be an important foundation for English proficiency.
Reading skills
Reading ability is the ability to understand English sentences quickly and accurately. If you can understand the content written in English directly as English without going through Japanese, you can read English sentences smoothly. When you have reading ability, you will be able to understand the English words more reliably with not only the voice information coming from your ears but also the textual information coming from your eyes. At the same time, you can effectively improve your speaking and writing skills, and the synergistic effect will dramatically improve your English.
Speaking skills
Speaking ability refers to two skills: communicating with each other using English and communicating one's opinion to the other. Speaking regards these two skills as two areas, and sometimes calls the four skills of English "4 skills and 5 areas". Specifically, in addition to the communication ability of having a conversation with others, the speaking ability must be equipped to give a presentation in front of the public and to convey one's opinion to the listener in an easy-to-understand and logical manner in discussions. It means that there is.
Writing skills
Writing ability is the ability to write English sentences correctly and smoothly. It includes the ability to understand grammar and words, and to understand paragraph structures. It is evaluated that you have writing ability if you can develop the story with logically orderly content according to the correct grammar so that the other party can understand it. In addition, it is also required to have the ability to develop logical sentences by stating a conclusion and then giving a reason.
Why are four English skills becoming more important?
Why are the four English skills becoming more important? This is because, as globalization progresses, there is an increasing demand for the ability not only to know English as knowledge but also to use it properly as a means of communication. To communicate properly in English, you need to acquire four skills in a well-balanced manner.
In modern times, people and goods frequently move and interact across national borders, and the spread of the Internet and smartphones is rapidly advancing the globalization of information. English, which is used in many countries and regions, has become so familiar to us that we never see or hear it in our daily lives. If you acquire the four skills of English, you will have more opportunities to play an active role in your company or work.
How to measure 4 English skills?
The four skills of English can be measured by taking a certification test. Here, we will introduce a test that can measure 4 skills and explain how you can measure skills.
TOEIC
TOEIC is a test to measure practical English communication skills in business situations and daily life. TOEIC is a well-known and popular test that is often used as an index to measure the evaluation of English in employment. "TOEIC L & R", which measures reading and writing skills, is known as the general TOEIC. It is not a pass/fail form, but a maximum of 990 points, 495 points for listening and 495 points for reading, and is evaluated by a score in increments of 5 points. There is also a "TOEIC S & W" test that measures speaking and writing skills, and it is possible to measure 4 skills by taking this test as well.
Practical English Proficiency Test
The official name is "Practical English Proficiency Test", which is a large-scale English qualification test in Japan sponsored by the Eiken Foundation of Japan and sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. You can measure your English proficiency in a wide range of fields, from daily life to business situations.
There are 7 grades, 1st grade, quasi 1st grade, 2nd grade, quasi 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade. Measure only 2 skills. However, those who wish to have Level 4 or Level 5 can also take a speaking test that does not affect pass/fail. In the transcript sent after the exam, you can see not only the pass / fail judgment but also the Eiken CSE score corresponding to CEFR, which is an international evaluation standard for foreign language proficiency, so you can know your objective English proficiency.
TOEFL ibt
This is a four-skill measurement test that is taken mainly by non-native English speakers to enter an English-speaking university or graduate school, or by those who want to study abroad to prove their English proficiency. There is no pass or fail like Eiken, and it is displayed as a score in 1-point increments within 0 to 120 points. The test will be conducted at the facility where the PC is installed. Since it is used as a test to measure the English proficiency required for university entrance, there are many problems with the content in daily life and school life. Of the four skills, listening conversation is said to be difficult for Japanese to hear because it is quite conversational in American English.
IELTS
IELTS has two types of tests, academic module and general module, depending on the purpose. The Academic Module is a test to measure whether non-native English speakers can enter an English-speaking university or graduate school and understand the lessons. The General Module measures language proficiency in English-speaking employment and vocational training, and scores are used as proof of English proficiency when applying for migration to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, etc. There are two types of answering methods, written and computerized, both of which measure four skills.
GTEC
The official name of GTEC is "Global Test of English Communication", which is an English 4 skill test conducted by Benesse Corporation. You can score each skill and measure your English proficiency by absolute evaluation. There are many questions that assume situations where you actually use English, and the writing and speaking tests are graded with an emphasis on whether or not they are properly communicated to the other party. It has become.
TEAP
TEAP is an abbreviation of "Test of English for Academic Purposes" and is an English test for high school students that can measure 4 skills. A test jointly developed by the Eiken Foundation of Japan and Sophia University to improve English proficiency in academic situations such as searching for materials and literature in English and expressing opinions in English during study and research at the university. It is something that can be measured.
Cambridge English Test
An English test developed by the University of Cambridge and conducted in more than 130 countries to measure four skills. The evaluation is divided into 5 stages from Pre-intermediate (basic) to Professional (highest level), and if you acquire Upper intermediate (intermediate level), you will be able to work in English-speaking countries or anywhere in the EU. It is recognized that there is. It is a test that can measure the operational ability to actually use English rather than the question of knowledge of English.
It is better to measure 4 English skills with the index called CEFR.
We have introduced various certification exams so far, but CEFR is an effective index for comparing each qualification exam. What is CEFR? (Cefal) is an abbreviation of "Common Eurpean Framework of Reference for Languages", which is an international evaluation index that measures the level of four English skills, and is useful for objectively measuring English proficiency.
There are 6 levels of CEFR, A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2, and the closer you are to C2, the higher the level. Scores such as TOEIC and TOEFL and Eiken grades can also be converted to CEFR, so you can compare the level of different English tests with international indicators.
How do you improve your 4 English skills?
I will explain in detail below how to improve the four skills of English.
Learn the four skills of English in the order of listening, reading, speaking, and writing.
In the case of my mother tongue, I imitate what others are saying and learn while speaking, but in English, which is a second language, I input it by reading and listening, and output it by speaking and writing. It is said that you can efficiently acquire 4 skills by learning in the order of doing. Some people may tend to be biased toward studying only input, but the knowledge gained by consciously outputting it will become more firmly established and the ability to use English will be strengthened. Develop 4 skills by advancing learning with both inputs and outputs in mind.
Tips for improving your English listening
The key to improving your listening skills is to acquire knowledge of grammar and words, and to become accustomed to the pronunciation peculiar to English. If you read something that you don't understand, you won't understand it, so first learn the basics of grammar and expand your vocabulary.
The vowels and consonants, rhythms, sound connections and sound strengths that are unique to English are unfamiliar to Japanese, so you need to be aware of them. As a training method for that, sharding that listens to the English sound source and pronounces it while imitating it with a slight delay, and dictation that writes while listening to the sound source are effective. You can use your own reference book or other sound source, so please try it.
Tips for improving your English reading
The key to improving your reading ability is to develop a habit of understanding English as it is. For example, if "teacher" appears in an English sentence, read it as "teacher" instead of translating it into Japanese in your head. It's a good idea to use an English-English dictionary to understand the meaning of words in English instead of Japanese translation.
Another trick is to add a habit of reading in the English word order. It may be difficult for people who have a habit of translating and reading while returning from behind, but there are ways to practice. It is to read a lot of picture books for children and simple English sentences at the level of the first grade of junior high school. The content is simple, so you can read it in word order. Extensive reading will be a habitual training.
Tips for improving English speaking
The key to improving your speaking ability is not to translate what you want to say into Japanese and then translate it into English, but to assemble an English sentence suddenly. At that time, be aware of using simple words and grammar.
The training method is to imagine a conversation and write what you want to say in English in your head. You don't have to suddenly make a perfect English sentence without any mistakes. Be aware of constructing English sentences without using Japanese. It's a good idea to write it out before you get used to it. Later, I will look up the ambiguous parts of words, grammar, and pronunciation in a dictionary and check them. It may take some time at first glance, but you can improve your speaking ability by repeating this process.
Tips for improving English writing
The key to improving your writing skills is to know the basic writing process. First, write an assertion about the theme, give three reasons, grounds, and cases to support it, and finally conclude by summarizing the story so far. The logical English sentences seen in long reading comprehension problems are often developed in the order of assertion, grounds, and conclusions, so it is good to refer to them. Once you know how to write a sentence, practice writing on various themes and get used to it.
