I have also been updating all the posts about CELBAN online courses, CELBAN online classes and CELBAN material.
But what I realized, is that although so many people come to Dear Kim to learn about the CELBAN and CELBAN preparation, only one IEN wrote me from the US, asking me about the LPN process. And, only one wrote to me asking how to prepare for the CELBAN from the UK.
So, despite the 400 articles, none answer questions for people located in the USA! Only one was written for IENs in the UK! I am about to change that!
COVID has changed our lives substantially. But some of the changes are good. After 10+ years of the CELBAN being delivered face to face and only in Canada with the announcement of the Computer Based Test, CELBAN CBT, in January of 2021:
The CELBAN is available online,
It is available internationally, and
IENS can take the CELBAN more than 3 times.
What that means is that as a service provider, CELBANPrep is changing too. As a result all of the articles on Dear Kim have to be updated. With more than 400 posts and 700 comments that is alot of content to wade through. The hope is to have the entire blog updated for Canada Day: July 1st, 2021.
(When you are reading articles on Dear Kim, look for “Updated 2021” at the top to know if the post is current and updated.)
Today I was updating Where should I start? originally posted in January 2015. So much has changed since then.
In writing that post I began answering the question, “How much does it cost?” I decided to create a new and separate post on that topic.
Hi Kim,thanks to google I was able to found you.i read a lot of your blog articles for dear Kim.i’m now encourage to take my celban exam.i took my ielts once last year, my score was as follows Listening-6,reading-4.5,writing 5.5,speaking-6.0.from that time I didn’t have anymore interest to take again.because I’m afraid to fail,I feel also that I would not be able to pass.i wanted to try celban last year but I keep on postponing,I don’t have the confident,I feel that I will fail,I even thought that I would not pass.now I want CELBANPrep. Hope to hear from you Best regards L..
Hello again! First of all, i want to say thank you for all the support you have given me despite the fact that i was not able to become an active student that time. My first experience to take the CELBAN early this year still went smooth despite my tremendous lack of self confidence and time ( as i described to you my condition before). Kim i got 8 for speaking, 10 for listening, 9 for reading…..BUT a very huge BUT only 6 for writing. The result was fine at first because i tried to console my self that i could just try LPN and not go for RN anymore for when i got my result that was the time that CLPN in our province were accepting applicants with some differences in the English assessment results. After 6 months CLPN approved me for CCA but they still want me to update my English result. That was the time that my heart shattered because first, i tried to settle for less than what i dream to become; second was that the next available spot for CELBAN is March ; third, i din’t know anymore how to approach the writing and lastly, i will have to be retested again for listening. Its just recently that i managed to forgive myself and forego of the wrong decisions that i made. From this moment , my experience made me more matured in approaching my goal. I had learned another life lesson and now i need to apply it. Kim, with humility, please recommend to me any [reources] for the writing and listening that you think would be able to help me. Thank you very much for reading my letter. S
Yes I am and I am from the Philippines. We came here with my family as immigrant last July 26 last year. So, we’re only 1year 3months in Canada. I’ve taken IELTS,CLB but not yet of CELBAN. The last time I took the Ielts was last feb here in Canada. It was too bad because I got a score of 6. I took also one in the Phil last June before we came here in Canada and I got OBS of 6.5 which is higher than the recent one. Is CLBPT and CLB the same? Yes, I took already twice of CLB. The first time I had it was last Sept.17 wherein I had scores of 6,7,7,8 (listening, speaking, reading, writing). The second one was in VCC where my scores were 6,7,8,7. G
I’m great! I am from Swift Current, came from Philippines about 3 years ago. I just took CELBAN and I got 9 listening, 8 reading, 6 writing and 7 for speaking. I wanted some review materials to read at home anytime coz I have two jobs it is hard for me to adjust
Hi Kim! Im so amazed with all the stories that i read, that lead me to write you my story wondering maybe you can help me. T’was my dream to be a nurse when i was a kid! Luckily that. was year 2000,when I becme an RN in the Philippines. Due to financial struggles in our family,i went to Saudi Arabia to help my parents sending mu 4 other siblings to college and gaining experience too. That 7 years was so great for me as a nurse, especially i learned a lot. Then, I decided to come here in Canada under in a caregiver program year, that was 2007 . While i was in that program I took several times in ielts exam but failed. To make story short,I’ve been here now in Canada for almost 7 years and yet my road to become an RN here is still dim out and hoping you can be my light to pursue my dreams. I dont know how to start, im so desperate, frustrated ,hopeless especially i have a 2 year old baby boy now. But with all the stories from your previous studs my hopes reignited. My last IELTs exam result 2 years ago,reading & listening 6.5 , writting 6 , speaking, 7. CLBPT result just recently: listening 8,Speaking 7,reading 8,writing 6 I did not try Celban exam but Im planning to try at this time. Mr Kim, I really really need your help! Thank you M
I’m doing fine, yes it is nice here in Winnipeg, except for the very cold weather.
I’m from Philippines, I’ve been in Canada for two years. This is the first country that we moved/lived into since we came from the Philippines. I don’t have a CLB score, because I didn’t took that assessment, but I did took CELBAN before, actually I already took CELBAN twice, but unfortunately I’m not lucky to pass.
My scores at the first time were: Listening 9, Reading 8, Writing 6, Speaking 7,
and the second time were: Listening 9, Reading 9, Writing 7, speaking 7.
They said that my weaknesses in writing were as follows:
some grammatical error make it difficult to understand the text
problem with prepositions
problem with verb tense
some problem with possession forms
Weaknesses in speaking:
pronunciation problems
work on grammar and vocabulary so that I can choose the correct words, word forms and word order to ask questions, and express my ideas clearly and accurately
problems with question formation
problem with singular/plural forms
problem with verb tense
I need to redo it all again, I hope you can help me, I feel so depressed after I received the score report from celas.
I’ve been reading your “Dear Kim” blog articles less than a year. I’ve contemplating to do my bridging program for RN in [province]. I procrastinated though, due to my fear of not passing the IELTS.
[My city] is such a nice place, it’s growing so fast. Sometimes, I like it. Sometimes, I don’t. I came here to Canada 5 years ago as an LPN from the Philippines. I used to be an RN back home. I am currently working in a busy floor, it’s a combination of Labour and Delivery, Postpartum Unit and Gastrointestinal Surgery. Once in a while we also get the not so very young. I have a permanent resident status and just recently submitted my citizenship application.
I love what I do, I know that I was born to be a nurse. Lately, our LPN scope of practice in Alberta has expanded. There are only 3 things an LPN in our unit can’t do. Be an Obstetrical Nurse, spike a blood bag and be a charge nurse. Other that than, LPNs do everything. However, we get paid less. Less than $20/hour.
I want to be honest with you, I want more. I want to get paid more on how good I am.
Does this make me a less nurse? I hope not.
I have a long history with IELTS. Back in 2007, I started taking up the test in Manila for my New Zealand application. They were requiring a band score of 7 on each modules. I took the test 9 times! You know why? Because my writing was always a band score of 6.5. So, I gave up.
I took the plunged again. I sat for IELTS exam. Even though, at the back of my mind, I should’ve taken CELBAN. My test score was L: 8.5 R: 7.5 W: 6.5 S: 7.5 Overall Band Score: 7.5. I was broken-hearted. I was 0.5 away, again.
I speak English everyday at work. I am well-read. I follow CNN newsfeed on social media and loves watching documentaries. I love travelling. I can speak with confidence and smitten anyone with my charming genuine smile, but I suck on writing.
After checking the CELBAN site that test dates and locations will be posted soon, I decided to seek your help. I promised to work hard. I borrowed all the IELTS materials I could borrow from our public library. But, I have nightmares on writing. So, could you please help me prepare for the test? I need your guidance.
Thank you for your time and I hope to talk to you soon.
As you may have known me, I’m K, from Philippines….I have been following your blog for quite some time now. … I’d like to let you know a bit of myself. I’m a BSN, and currently a registered nurse. I worked in a tertiary hospital here for only 14 months. Since then, I stopped practicing my profession because I’m actually looking for a greener pasture. Otherwise, I wouldn’t flourish knowing that wages here are very, very low and can’t compensate for your wants, needs, and assistance to your very own loved ones. Based on this, maybe you will have an idea that I’m a man with big dreams, and eagerly relentless on pursuing them. =)
…
I believe in the saying that, “success starts with IELTS.” However unfortunately, I already took the IELTS twice (April and July this year), but never found the luck especially in my Writing. Taking the exam twice in a row, I always got 6.0 bandscore in my Writing while the rest of the components L, R and S were okay. My writing sucks, isn’t it? I usually practiced my writing part before like 2x a week. But I admit I almost gave up knowing that I’ve had the same mistakes and no matter how hard I tried to improve my writing skills, I fairly didn’t have the chance of getting 7 especially during my practices. In my mind I believe that writing skill takes a talent, which I obviously don’t have. I’d like to think that I didn’t get a score of 7 because of the technicality of the IELTS writing topics and the topics themselves are difficult to be explained explicitly, to the point that I ran out of ideas, or no ideas to be input at all 😦
However, sooner, I will be reviewing and sitting for the CELBAN may be early next year if everything goes well. Right now, I have this ambivalent feeling, again. To be honest, I really don’t have any ideas right now what CELBAN is all about except its meaning, Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses. I have with me again this feeling of fear, completely mixed emotions because I don’t know how difficult the CELBAN exam is, or if I can make it with just one take. Although a lot of IENs from the agency where I have applied as student visa for Canada took and passed the exam with just one sit, still I’ve lessened down my expectations to make it….How do I improve IELTS or CELBAN writing? Ielts writing topics are getting more difficult than the ones established few years ago.
![1G Horaaaaaaaaay, I did it [wrote a perfect report for CELBAN Writing] in 20 minutes](https://dearkimdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/34.jpg?resize=40%2C40){kind=small}
