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TOEFL® scores are now accepted for Australian student visas — and in this issue of the eNews Update, you'll discover the steps the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) is taking to incorporate this change into the way they process student visa applications. You'll also learn about how key personnel from ETS took the TOEFL programme on tour to raise awareness of the opportunities created by the DIAC policy change.
In addition, you'll learn about recent enhancements ETS has made to the Reading section of the TOEFL iBT® test and how these changes benefit test takers. You'll also learn about valuable new resources the TOEFL programme has created for test takers, plus information about the exciting 2012 TOEFL Scholarship Programme, which will be awarding over US$300,000 in scholarships to students in China, India, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
We hope you'll find these stories interesting and informative — and we welcome any feedback.
Sincerely,
Helen Cook
TOEFL Client Relations Associate Director – Australasia
hcook@etsglobal.org |
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DIAC Implementation of TOEFL® Test Scores for Student Visa Processing |
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Following the Ministerial announcement on acceptance of the TOEFL® test for student visa purposes, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has been considering the training and information needs of onshore and offshore posts which process student visa applications.
DIAC has surveyed its offshore posts to identify the kind of training they wish to receive, with most offshore staff indicating that tailored webinars would best suit their needs. Webinars will be delivered during working hours in relevant time zones by ETS Client Relations staff.
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The TOEFL® Programme Tours Australia |
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The TOEFL® team, led by ETS Vice President David Hunt, Executive Directors Shelly Punchatz and Eileen Tyson, and Associate Director Helen Cook, recently embarked on a comprehensive tour through Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. This tour aimed to raise awareness of the decision made by Australia's Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to approve the use of TOEFL test scores for student visa requirements.
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Timing and Navigation Enhancements to the TOEFL iBT® Reading Section |
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In response to feedback about the length of the TOEFL iBT® Reading section, ETS has decreased the maximum number of reading passages from five to four beginning on November 1, 2011. Test takers will have either 60 minutes to complete three reading passages and questions, or 80 minutes to complete four reading passages and questions.
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New Resources Make Studying for the TOEFL® Test Easier than Ever |
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2012 TOEFL® Scholarship Programme Now Accepting Applications |
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The 2012 TOEFL® Scholarship Programme is awarding over US$300,000 in scholarships to students in China, India, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. A TOEFL scholarship can help students study at any of the 8,000+ institutions listed in the TOEFL® Destinations Directory (PDF), including destinations in Australia and New Zealand. China and India each have a designated scholarship for a student who will be studying at an Australian university. Japan, Taiwan and Korea each have 10 TOEFL scholarships that can potentially be awarded to students who will be attending an Australian university. The 2011 TOEFL Scholarship Programme awarded two scholarships to students attending Australian universities including Queensland University of Technology and the University of Queensland.
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TOEFL® Committee of Examiners (COE) Welcomes University of Auckland Academic |
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ETS welcomes Dr. John Reed, Associate Professor, Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics, The University of Auckland, to the TOEFL Committee of Examiners (COE). Dr. Reed joins an Australian academic, Dr. Carsten Roever of the University of Melbourne, who was appointed to the TOEFL COE in 2010.
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Benefits to Being a TOEFL® Destination |
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Being a TOEFL® Destination has many benefits. It gives an institution access to services that are not available to non-TOEFL destinations, including gaining access to millions of students, score verification, online speech samples, and updates on the TOEFL test programmes and scores.
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New TOEFL iBT® Resource Centres Available for Students |
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ETS has recently opened several TOEFL iBT® Resource Centres around the world. The purpose of the TOEFL iBT Resource Centre is to enhance outreach to test takers as well as keep institutions, advisors, agents, teachers and others informed of the latest TOEFL programme updates. The new centres provide services in France, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Middle East, Poland, Taiwan, Turkey and Vietnam. More TOEFL iBT Resource Centres are expected to open in 2012.
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Visit the TOEFL® Programme at Upcoming Events |
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The TOEFL programme will be attending conferences all over the world. Be sure to stop by our booths, speak to a representative and get information on the latest TOEFL developments.
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In This Issue |
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Valuable Sites |
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Feature of the Month
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Inside the TOEFL® Test Videos
Inside the TOEFL® Test is a series of five videos providing an in-depth review of the Writing and Speaking sections of the TOEFL iBT® test. Our video for this month features the Integrated Writing section, where the test taker reads a passage, listens to a spoken lecture and answers a question about the relationship between the lecture and the reading passage. For a closer look, watch the video now. |
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Upcoming TOEFL® Test Dates
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Below are the upcoming test dates and cities for Australia. Please note that not all test centres participate on every testing date.
Adelaide
TOEFL iBT
Sat., Jan 14, 2012
Sun., Feb 05, 2012
Sat., Feb 25, 2012
Sat., Mar 24, 2012
Archerfield
TOEFL iBT
Sat., Jan 14, 2012
Sat., Feb 11, 2012
Sat., Feb 25, 2012
Sat., Mar 24, 2012
Brisbane
TOEFL iBT
Sat., Jan 14, 2012
Sat., Feb 11, 2012
Sat., Mar 10, 2012
Canning Vale (Perth)
TOEFL iBT
Sat., Jan 14, 2012
Sat., Feb 11, 2012
Sat., Feb 25, 2012
Sat., Mar 24, 2012
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