IELTS-like English practicals for Inter students in Telangana

Students will be tested for their English language proficiency skills — listening, reading, writing and speaking — similar to IELTS

Hyderabad: Starting this academic session, Intermediate students will have English practical exams that will be on the lines of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

The Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TS BIE) has released a handout detailing the English practical sessions for first-year Intermediate students from 2023-24. Students will be tested for their English language proficiency skills — listening, reading, writing and speaking — similar to IELTS, which is an English language test for studying or working in foreign countries where English is the native language.

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The English practical exams, as part of the Intermediate Public Examinations, will be conducted for 20 marks, while 80 marks will be for the theory paper. It will be for all students irrespective of their stream of study.

The Board recently constituted an expert committee and finalised the syllabus for both English theory and practical exams. “The practicals are aimed at improving students’ English language skills. The test will be on the lines of IELTS. It will be implemented for first-year Intermediate students only. Students must clear both practical and theory exams, and the practical marks will be added to the total score as well,” an official said.

Currently, Intermediate students take practical exams for general streams — physics, chemistry, botany and zoology and various vocational courses. Just like for science streams, the managements have to set up English language labs and train students in listening, reading, writing and speaking skills.

Using computers, students can record their speaking skills and check their pronunciation, sentence formation and other grammatical errors, if any, using the English language testing software. “English labs might not be of immediate requirement but colleges have to eventually establish them,” the official added.