The Reading / Listening - English Language Tests - Level 5

Getting visas in Australia just got tougher. Foreign partners of residents who want permanent residence must soon pass an English language test. Australia's government says people need to show a certain level of English proficiency before they are given permanent visa. This requirement could start from the middle of 2021. Australia's immigration minister said: "We will require an applicant...to have met a functional level of English or to have at least made reasonable efforts to learn English." People can get 500 hours of free English classes on a government language programme.

The English test is controversial. Politicians critical of the new requirement called it "discriminatory" and "racist". They said it targets people from non-Western nations. A spokesman for Australia's opposition party said: "English proficiency isn't a test of someone's love." He said couples already faced an uphill struggle in the application process. An immigration expert said: "It certainly puts a lot of pressure on couples who've been hit hard by COVID. Many of them have lost their jobs and now they've got this added burden to pass an English test."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    English Language Tests - Level 4 or  English Language Tests - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-54458637
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-08/500-hours-of-english-classes-required-under-partner-visa-changes/12741714
  • https://www.sbs.com.au/language/english/major-australian-immigration-update-english-language-test-for-partner-visa-and-priority-to-onshore-applicants


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. permanent
  2. English
  3. the middle
  4. immigration
  5. met a functional
  6. made reasonable efforts
  7. get 500 hours of free
  8. a government language
  1. to learn English
  2. of 2021
  3. programme
  4. residence
  5. English classes
  6. proficiency
  7. level of English
  8. minister

Paragraph 2

  1. discriminatory and
  2. it targets people from non-
  3. couples already faced
  4. An immigration
  5. puts a lot of pressure
  6. Many of them have lost
  7. they've got this added
  8. pass
  1. their jobs
  2. an uphill struggle
  3. an English test
  4. racist
  5. burden
  6. Western nations
  7. on couples
  8. expert

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Getting visas in Australia (1) ___________________. Foreign partners of residents who (2) ___________________ must soon pass an English language test. Australia's government says people need to (3) ___________________ level of English proficiency before they are given permanent visa. This requirement could start from the middle of 2021. Australia's (4) ___________________: "We will require an applicant...to have met a functional level of English or to have at least made (5) ___________________ learn English." People can get 500 (6) ___________________ English classes on a government language programme.

The English (7) ___________________. Politicians critical of the new requirement (8) ___________________ and "racist". They said it targets people from non-Western nations. A spokesman for Australia's (9) ___________________: "English proficiency isn't a test of someone's love." He said couples already faced (10) ___________________ in the application process. An immigration expert said: "It certainly puts a lot of (11) ___________________ who've been hit hard by COVID. Many of them have lost their jobs and now they've got this added (12) ___________________ an English test."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

GettingvisasinAustraliajustgottougher.Foreignpartnersofresidents
whowantpermanentresidencemustsoonpassanEnglishlanguagetest
.Australia'sgovernmentsayspeopleneedtoshowacertainlevelofEngli
shproficiencybeforetheyaregivenpermanentvisa.Thisrequirementc
ouldstartfromthemiddleof2021.Australia'simmigrationministersaid
:"Wewillrequireanapplicant...tohavemetafunctionallevelEnglishort
ohaveatleastmadereasonableeffortstolearnEnglish."Peoplecanget5
00hoursoffreeEnglishclassesonagovernmentlanguageprogramme.
TheEnglishtestiscontroversial.Politicianscriticalofthenewrequire
mentcalledit"discriminatory"and"racist".Theysaidittargetspeoplefr
omnon-Westernnations.AspokesmanforAustralia'soppositionpar
tysaid:"Englishproficiencyisn'tatestofsomeone'slove."Hesaidcouple
salreadyfacedanuphillstruggleintheapplicationprocess.Animmigrati
onexpertsaid:"Itcertainlyputsalotofpressureoncoupleswho'vebeen
hithardbyCOVID.Manyofthemhavelosttheirjobsandnowthey'vegott
hisaddedburdentopassanEnglishtest."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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