<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>I recently had to take the IELTS to certify that I had attained a certain level of English in order to get my master's degree at a French university.</p>
<p>Anyway, I got my results last week: 7.5 / 9 (9 reading, 7.5 listening, 7 speaking, 7 writing). </p>
<p>The score that I got is more than enough to get my degree, but I am shocked at how low it is- especially for the speaking and writing sections- considering that I spent half my childhood in the US and that I did all my schooling in English! </p>
<p>I have previously taken:</p>
<ul>
<li>TOEFL and got a 117/120 with perfect reading and writing scores </li>
<li>SAT and got 710/800 for the verbal part (top 5%)</li>
<li>SAT II with a 720/ 800 for the writing section</li>
<li>International Baccalaureate English Higher Level exam and scored a 6/7</li>
</ul>
<p>Isn't it a bit odd that I scored so low on a test that is supposed to be a piece of cake compared to the SAT or IB? Granted, I didn't prepare for this test, but I didn't study for the TOEFL either and still got a much higher score. I wasn't sick or tired the day of the test, nor did I leave the room under the impression that I had done badly. </p>
<p>The only reasons for scoring so low that I can think of are:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>This test needed preparation in the sense that a specific structure was expected for the essay, speaking part, etc...They do, after all, make millions selling prep material. </p></li>
<li><p>There's some sort of British bias to this exam because of accent, spelling, etc. I learned English in the Midwest, and thus my accent and spelling are American. I find it odd that I scored a perfect score (9/9) on the only multiple-choice section that leaves no discretion to the examiner. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>I'm considering asking for a second correction, but it costs 90 euros. I wanted to ask you guys if you have taken this test and what you thought of it just to know if I am crazy, losing my faculties, or what...</p>