I know I have to practice more and harder. I am frustrated. I can’t get my timing [for my writing assignments] right. At some point, I lost my enthusiasm to write but I know I can’t stop and I need go on and never give up. Now, I am reflecting and asking myself on the things that I should be thankful. After some thinking and motivating, I am slowly gaining back my enthusiasm to write. You know, there are times that I am at a point of giving up. Honestly, it is true. But, I always find myself reading to your words of encouragement and to your articles Dear Kim. Really, those words lift my spirits up. They always remind me that the only thing I can do is to never give up. Thank you Kim, for everything.
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..
Hi kim! i am pleased to hear how you value us your students. I have been learning a lot from the lessons 1-5 which i did not used last celban exam. Unfortunately, i was so frustrated with myself after i received my evaluation report…. It was hard for me to accept because i did got high marks with the other three areas tested, except for my writing which is only 6. It was a friend that i met in the bus told me about your site, to be honest as a new resident here in canada i felt helpless. I dont have any background and idea about celban , and also i have been discouraged with ielts after many attempts. I am just so glad and inspired from the stories of your students on how you touched their lives. Im excited for the up coming lessons that i will be learning from you and at the same time feeling nervous for the exam this october. Hoping that this time il be much ready to face the battle. hoping for your guidance and help kim for me to achieve my goal. G.
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
Hi Kim! Its a great relief or say a great hope when I found you. With all the testimonies that i read it uplift my spirit and frustration. Tons of questions runs on my mind. How,why and when did they learned or know Kim? Why they sound so attached? Why and how did Kim motivated them so much? How and why Kim has a great heart in helping International Nurses in achieving our dreams and goals in our life and career? These are few to mention of all my ?
Anyway my family and I migrated here in Canada for more than a year now. I’ve been working in Middle East for almost 15 years when I decided to find a greener pasture and a better future for my family. Vancouver is our first stop directly form Middle East. I took my CLB last year, Reading 7, speaking, 7, Listening 8 and writing 6. I tried my luck on IELTS but unfortunately it didn’t go well, the results shattered my heart and my goal. Am on the midst of going back to Middle East but all the people that I’ve meet they will advised me to hang on. Thru browsing internet I found your site and it caught my attention. Here I am now hoping and praying that I will capture the better and brighter future that am dreaming for my family and kids thru your help. God Bless and may you be blessed more with knowledge and wisdom to share with us all……
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.
Dear Kim:
Thank you so much. It’s really hard, living in new country, and not to mention the long process of registration.
I failed my nursing exam on June, and i felt ashamed. But after your e-mail I know now that al lot faced difficulties when they came to Canada, and
I should keep trying and work harder to achieve my dreams.
Regards, D
Thank you for your email. I am an internationally educated nurse from the Philippines aiming to be registered here in BC in the near future. We landed here in …. with my family… I worked in the UAE for more than 9 years before coming here. Now, I am still in the process of completing the requirements for the NNAS application, and just like any other IEP’s , getting the required english proficiency test (Ielts) is a bit of a challenge since they require a certain score in each of the categories..I have taken the Ielts academic version in the past with an overall band score of 7 in 2010 for immigration purposes. Since it is already expired, i need to provide a recent result to the regulating body in order to begin the process of assessment. I have already taken 2 times in Abu Dhabi last year with only 6.5 band score since I scored less in writing and reading..Now i am contemplating of giving another try here in BC this month and if still not successful, I will opt for Celban. I heard that the chances of passing [the CELBAN] is higher than ielts because it is medical in nature and is intended for nurses that’s why i am optimistic that i will also pass the test with enough preparation and guidance/ strategies.
Thank you for the free study guide and practice tests in advance!
I don’t know where to start my [CELBAN or IELTS Writing Assessment]. Are you going to give me a topic and send you 250-500 words report? I’m confused. Please send me the step-by-step process because i don’t have any idea, and i’m not expert with the online process of study. Please help me. Thank you
![I heard that the chances of passing [the CELBAN] is higher than IELTS because it is medical in nature](https://dearkimdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/i-heard-that-the-chances-of-passing-the-celban-is-higher-than-ielts-because-it-is-medical-in-nature.png)
Dear Kim,
Dear Kim,
