Relocating abroad especially with your family is capital intensive. One of the reasons why this is so is you must have enough money set aside for their upkeep for a reasonable period of time within which you can find a job in the new country.

This is the reason for the "proof of funds" required by many embassies before you can be issued a visa

However, there are immigration programs that do not require this proof of funds simply because you have a job waiting for you on arrival

In this article we will be looking at 2 of such programs. Both programs guarantee a job on arrival, require no proof of funds, and have easy-to-meet requirements so to speak.

And both of them are fast (if your papers are set, you could be out of this country in 6 months or less)

One of such program is for the UK and the other is for Canada.

We will be discussing the procedure, requirements eligibility, how and where to apply for jobs under these 2 programs and other relevant information

This is an article and not a guide. So therefore it is to be expected it will not contain all the needed information.

However, relevant links both from official and personally recommended sources will be given where you can obtain complete and up to date information concerning these 2 programs

At least one of these programs will favor you if:

- If you want to relocate fast (in 6 months or less)
- If you want a job waiting for you before you relocate
- If you have a low score in the IELTS
- If you or your partner (or both of you) have low educational qualifications ( WASCCE or OND)
- If age is not on your side (you are closer to 45 than 25)
- If you do not have proof of funds

My brother, if you stay at a job for 3 years, no promotion, no increase in salary, won't you be applying for another job? It's just human nature

She's been with you 3 years, no marriage. It can be either of these 2 things:
1. You're still contemplating if she'll make a good wife
2. You do not have the resources to run a family, yet

I doubt if no. 1 is the case.

If it's no. 2. Bro, just focus on you increasing your means. Let the babe go if she wishes to move. You will definitely get opportunities to meet better quality people when you increase your means

And as for your GF, she just wants chance to enjoy the other guy without feeling too much guilt. I might be wrong though.

The signs are there. But it's up to you to decide if she's worth waiting for.

If she isn't, turn that 2 weeks break she's asking for to a permanent break

Selah

ladyprosper:
Interesting....can you elaborate more on how to apply for the visa and documents needed. ( what type of visa a pregnant woman should apply for)

Though there are no specially reserved categories of visa for giving birth in Brazil, here are 2 that are usually used:

1. Health Treatment - Temporary Visa II (VITEM II) or

2. Visitor Visa (VIVIS) visa popularly called tourism visa

The first step of getting any of these visa is to fill and print a visa application form from the Brazilian consulate website. Next, you take the form to the Brazilian consulate with other required documents

The documents you will need are dependent on which type of visa you are applying for

However, there are some documents and requirements common to both types of visas.

1. A valid international passport

3. Your bank account statement

4. An e-booking for your flight. You do not have to pay yet. Just the booking will do

5. It takes 5-6 weeks to get the visa, and you have to apply in person.

6. You will be invited for an interview after which a decision is made on your visa.

There are other specific requirements for the VITEM II (health) and VIVIS (tourism) visas respectively. I wrote about them here:
[url]iknowexperts.com.ng/second-passport[/url]

Giving birth in another country is one of the easiest, cheapest and fastest way to gain a second citizenship.

And it is no longer news that Brazil is now one of the top destinations in the world for citizenship by birth

A lot of people want to give birth there and one of the questions they will need to ask is how much will it cost? This article is here to answer that

In this article, we would be looking at the estimated cost of giving birth in Brazil from Nigeria.

Right from the visa application process, right up to the time you do your documentation to get a Permanent Residency, and prepare to get the Brazilian passport

We would be talking fees, fares and financial settlements, and the different stages you will need to spend

We will be detailed but not too detailed, which means this article will be lengthier than normal

Below is a step by step breakdown of how much it will cost to give birth in Brazil from Nigeria

1. VISA APPLICATION FEES

This is the money you would pay at the Brazilian consulate when submitting your visa application

For Nigerian passport holders, the cost is 36000 Naira (which is about $100) per application.

If you are going with your spouse (which you should, preferably) that will be 36,000 x2

Only mode of payment acceptable is cash deposit to the Brazilian Consulate’s Stanbic IBTC bank account which you will be given

2. TRAVEL EXPENSES

This will include your airfare to and from Brazil for you and your spouse, and cost of transportation for moving around once you are in Brazil

When travelling, you can either move from Lagos or from Abuja.

The least amount for a round trip to and from Brazil per person is a little above $1000. For 2 that is over 2000 dollars

Tickets can be as high as over 3000 dollars per person for a round trip

Note: price of airline is not the only factor you should consider when choosing an airline to use.

Consider that you are pregnant or your wife is pregnant. Think of the health implications of long travel.

Take into account things like duration of flight. Will there be a stop over?

Also consider that you might not be staying in the same city you first land in Brazil

You will need to commute to your preferred city

In summary, the cost of airfare, to and fro Brazil and cost of movement while in Brazil amounts to $4000. It can be higher

3. COST OF ACCOMMODATION

When you get to Brazil you will need a place to live in.

Cost of accommodation varies depending on the city and place you want to stay ( hotel or rented apartment),

and very importantly the season. Brazil get lots of tourists, so prices of accommodation can more than double during periods where there is a high influx of tourists

A low cost and comfortable self contain with AC apartment can be found for 400 to 500 dollars per month.

Something higher can be gotten for 1500 to 2000 dollars per month

4. FEEDING

You have to eat while in Brazil. *smiles

This will cost around $500 per month.

Of course it will be cheaper if you cook by yourself

5. HOSPITAL EXPENSES

While public hospitals are free in Brazil, the Brazilian authorities would seriously frown on you if you come into their country and use their free healthcare

This is because you are coming from outside and putting a strain on taxpayers money.

So, it is advisable you use private hospitals
Again, cost varies depending on location and standard of hospital.

The Brazil healthcare system is very reliable across board whether public or private, or whatever standard

For healthcare, budget for tests, antenatal, drugs, delivery of your baby etc

This will cost between $1500 – $4000 depending on city and standard of hospital

6. GOVERNMENT FEES FOR YOUR PERMANENT RESIDENCIES

You will need to do some documentation for you and your child after child birth.

These documentation include: birth certificate, The cédula de identidade ( National ID card), and other documentation in processing your permanent residencies and your child’s passport

Budget around $500 for this

7. LOCAL GUIDE AND TRANSLATOR

The official language of Brazil is Portuguese.

While you will be able to communicate in English in some places, you will need a local guide and translator to help you around government offices and in the hospital.

Cost of hiring one ranges from $1000 – $2000 per month

8. LAW FIRM

The Brazilian bureaucracy is noted for its laid back approach. It takes time to get things done.

To get things done, you either start on time and have patience, or you hire a law firm which will greatly make things a lot faster for you.

Hiring a law firm is optional and will cost around $2000

Summary of cost of giving birth in Brazil from Nigeria

1. Visa application fee for 2: $200

2. Accommodation: $500

3. Travel expenses for 2 (to and fro and within Brazil): $4000

4. Feeding: $500

5. Hospital Expenses: $1500

6. Documentation fees: $500

6. Local guide and translator: $1000

7. Law firm: $2000

Thats a total of approximately $11,000. This translates to about 4 million Naira.

Throw in $2000 to $3000 for unforseen circumstances that is $13,000. Which translates to 5 million Naira.

The sum given here is not exactly what is needed. It is an estimate. Total sum could be higher depending on the options you choose

Hope this helped

Cheers to your second passport!

Read more at

[url]iknowexperts.com.ng/second-passport[/url]

There is a way you can get a United States citizenship for your child(dren) without stepping a foot in the US.

This way is perfectly legal, and is in fact supported by the 14th Amendment of the United States constitution

If you are a parent and can afford it, you would probably like your kids to be born in a developed country with a strong passport like the US

But since the inception of President Donald Trump's administration, it has become more difficult getting a visa to give birth in the US. And as such, a large percentage of applicants have been denied visas

Well, there is good news. You do not have to give birth in the US before your child(ren) can obtain US citizenship

Just how is this possible?

Many people don't know this but the US controls and protects a number of tiny countries or territories in Asia/Oceania region.

They are called Political entities or permanent territories of the USA. And people mostly visit these places for vacation

While these territories are outside of the United States geographically, their citizens are also citizens of the US, and are bound and protected by US laws to some extent

To travel there you still have to apply for a US visa at a US Embassy but this time, because you are applying to go to US territory...

the visa rules for these places are less stricter and easier. And the approval rate for issuing of visas is far higher compared to that for the US

You can just say you're going to vacation, then you could go have your child there

Once your child is born in any of these territories (except one), they get automatic USA citizenship.

Which places are these?

Puerto Rico
US Virgin Islands (in the Caribbean)
Guam
Northern Marian Islands

There's another place called American Samoa. A child born there doesn't get automatic US citizenship but they get American Samoan citizenship which allows them visa free travel to the USA and opportunity to naturalize later.

So, that is it for how to obtain a US citizenship for your child(ren) without going to the US

There are other great countries which allow Citizenship by birth, and they also have very good benefits

Canada (you can try applying to go give birth there too. It's a great country, obviously)

Chile (they also have a residency and citizenship option.
Chile gives a citizen visa free travel to 148 countries.

Panama. If your child is born in Panama, you as a parent together with your spouse can apply to become citizens too after 3 years of residency. As a citizen, you get Visa free travel to over 130 countries including the UK and France

Barbados. Rihanna 's country. The child can apply for special privileges

Europe. All countries in the EU except Cyprus.
Cyprus want everybody to pay money (their citizenship program us great though

The UK also, but the child must live in the UK consecutively for 10 years.

South Korea. Give birth to your child there. It's a great passport. Visa free to 160...
countries.

There is another country worth mentioning separately because this country is considered to have...

...the world's no 1 citizenship by birth program...

as of August 2019

This country is BRAZIL!

Brazil is the most affordable and best place to have your child today.

It's safe, and your child gets visa free travel to over 150 countries including the EU, Russia, Asia, Australia, Canada, minus USA, but that's easy.

Once you have your child there, you can apply for and be granted immediate permanent Residencies as the parents together with your other children,

You and your spouse as parents can get your own Passports in just one year!

No other country in the world does this

Read an article about benefits, procedures and fees for Brazil citizenship option
Click Here => https://iknowexperts.com.ng/brazil-citizenship-article

MrDvc:
What is this
I have been posting on naira land to reach front page but nothing happened.
But someone just registered on naira land today and his first post reach front page

Some truth bro... I glanced through your posts, and they are hardly educative, informative or entertaining.

Try putting any or all of these ingredients in your future posts and then you stand a chance of making front page.

For one, check out this particular post we're reading, it's educative, and informative at least

classicalbenson:
when an undergraduate sees this post,to become a graduate becomes so scary..in this country the future isnt bright at all,the pressure to succeed is fierce but the means isnt available.

True.

And when a wise undergraduate sees this very great thread he'd know it will be sensible to start earning income while still in school. No matter how small.

Makes life easier afterwards

mansakhalifa:
OP, you mean you left out St. Christopher {Kitts} and Nevis? Then your list is totally incomplete.

They have a similar program and it's been running since the 1980s}. It's called the Citizenship-By-Investment Program. Quite similar to the Antigua and Barbuda deal. Matter of fact, the two Russian brothers behind Telegram actually became St. Kitts and Nevis citizens through this means. All they did was invest/donate 250,000 in to the Federation's{yeah, St. Kitts and Nevis is also a federation-albeit of two islands} sugar industry and voilá, they automatically got St. Kitts citizenship.

Now, that's one example for you.


To a more serious note... you can also get Afghanistan citizenship. Just invest 25 Afghani in a poppy field and you automatically get Afghan passport. You see?

You're correct. My list is incomplete. Thanks for pointing that out.

There are other countries with really strong passports which allow citizenship by investment. St Kitts just like you mentioned, Dominica etc.
Mentioning them all will fill up a small book

Actually, giving complete lists is not what I aim to do in this thread

The aim of this thread is to bring to our knowledge the various options available for getting a 2nd citizenship. (or a 3rd or even 4th if we like)

To all those following, thanks. Updates coming up this evening.

By the way, wetin I wan carry Afghan passport do? Nigeria passport better pass am sef

3 Ways to Obtain a Second Citizenship or at Least a Permanent Residency.
===========≠============

There are ways you can go about pursuing a second citizenship, but we'll be discussing the 3 easy and common ways you can take to get that citizenship you've always wanted

The 3 Ways are:

Economic Citizenship
Permanent Residency
Citizenship by birth


1. Economic Citizenship

Also known as Citizenship by investment.

The process of obtaining a passport involves making an investment or donation into a particular country in exchange for her passport

It is quite expensive, although the price differs from country to country

You can get a Second Passport real quick (as quick as 2 months). And approval rate is very high

If you've got more money than time, or you need a another Passport in a short time and can afford it, this is a great option you should consider

Below are some cool countries that accept Nigerians for their citizenship by investment program

Cyprus:

They are the most expensive on the list. It cost 3 million Euros.
Out of this, 2.5 million is invested into real estate, others goes towards fees and cost

The duration for getting your passport is 3 months

The application process is straight forward and the approval rate is very high. You don’t even have to live in Cyprus permanently

You not only get a Cyprus citizenship if your application goes through, you also get…

an instant EU citizenship
Visa free travel to over 150 countries including the US
Visa free travel to Canada for 6 months, and 3 months for Autralia, Singapore and Hong Kong

The Second Country on the list is…

2. Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is one of the top tourist countries in the world.

They are an island country located between the Carribean sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

To our main discussion…

The Cost of an Antigua and Barbuda citizenship is: $100, 000 (single) and ($175,000) for a family of 5.

Visa free travel to 150 countries including UK...
, EU Schengen zone (including France, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Spain and 21 other countries), Honk Kong and Switzerland.

3. St. Lucia

Also a Carribean nation. Their passport is ranked 32nd in the world in terms of travel freedom

Citizenship Fees: $100,000 for a single applicant or $165,000 for a couple and $190,000 for a family of 4.

Visa free to over 143 countries. Including France, Belgium, Switzerland, the UK etc

Okay, that's it for the economic citizenships that gives you an almost instant Passport.

In our next post, we'll be discussing some really nice permanent residency options

Hello Guys,

In this thread will be revealed 3 perfectly LEGITIMATE ways you can take to have a second citizenship from another country, or at least a Permanent Residency as for you and your family

Some of these ways are fast. As fast as 3 months, and of course they aren’t cheap. While some take up to a year and are quite affordable if you earn middle class income in Nigeria.

You will also be shown fees and procedures you can follow

Before we begin the discussion, allow me to ask you some questions.

Have you or a loved one lost international opportunities just because those who were to give you the opportunities found out you are Nigerian? Or,

Have you been finding it difficult to get visas to different countries you might wish to travel to? Or

Are you, just like many persons tired of the insane conditions found in Nigeria and you want out?

Or you just want a plan B in case if anything happens you can easily carry your bag and your family and jet out, or cross border?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are not alone. We are many.

And obviously, a Second Citizenship, especially from a powerful Developed nation country will go a long way in solving these challenges

I am not a fan of running away from this country. In fact, I believe great things can still happen here

But I am also not stupid.

Nigeria is not a place you live in and not have a plan B especially if you can afford it. Because things can get dangerously unpredictable over here. Easily.

And our reputation as Nigerians have been so battered, so much so that in some circles Nigerian equals (s)he is a scammer equals have nothing to do with him/her

So a second citizenship is a great thing to have especially at this point in time.

Our politicians and their children have it.

Our top Civil servants have it.

The rich and super rich have it.

Heck, even some yahoo boys that have joined corrupt Nigerians to put us in this mess (May they all be exposed. Whether through FBI or EFCC) also have it

So, why not you?

The truth is, there are some countries that have made their citizenship programs difficult for Nigerians to enjoy, and we won't be discussing them

Fortunately, there are other great countries that still leave their citizenship programs open to us and next, we are going to dig into the details of…

WAYS YOU CAN OBTAIN A SECOND CITIZENSHIP AS A NIGERIAN. REGARDLESS IF YOU HAVE MORE TIME THAN MONEY, OR MORE MONEY THAN TIME.

We Will Also Be Discussing Procedures And Fees.

I suggest you watch out for the next post in a few hours. And also hit the follow button so you’d be sure not to miss anything.

Signing out… for now

Selah!

Bizarre story of Neha, a student from India who has taken the IELTS test over 20 times, spent $8000 (N2.9m) in the process, failed to get the desired 7 bands in writing each time even while she scored a near perfect score in the remaining modules.

By Manpreet K Singh , Shamsher Kainth
Source: https://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/punjabi/en/article/2017/06/21/i-feel-they-are-harassing-me-says-woman-who-took-ielts-21-times

After moving to Australia in 2013, Neha successfully completed two masters’ degrees in Education and teaching from Victoria University and RMIT.

Since then, she has attempted the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test over 20 times but hasn’t been successful in scoring the required score for her permanent residency.

She needs a score of 7 bands in two and 8 in the other two modules of the test in order to be eligible for permanent residency as an early childhood teacher. But in all the attempts she had at the test, she missed the mark by a whisker in writing but scored well above the required level in the remaining three.

“I have so far spent approximately $8,000 on tests and coaching but every time I have fallen short by a very small margin, something that I fail to understand is how come I haven’t been able to improve my writing despite having improvement in all other areas,” Neha tells SBS Punjabi.

"It's so stressful. I feel they are harassing me. I get bands in every module except writing."

"When I have studied here, completed two masters degrees, taken this test a number of times and improved in all areas, and I am still given the same score in writing." she adds.

"It costs me too much because every time I pay $330 for the exam and the travel expenses. My husband has to leave work in order to take care of our baby every Saturday while I take this exam."

Neha believes something's not right with the way the test is marked.

After having taken the test repeatedly, Neha has got a near perfect score in speaking, listening and reading modules.

IDP (International Development Program), the co-owner of IELTS, says it introduced feedback on results in Australia last year which gives a brief explanation of the band score and a general advice on how to improve the test performance. It also says test takers can utilise tools, such as free face-to-face masterclasses, a 25-hour free online preparation course.

“I paid $50 [to IDP] to get feedback on my writing performance and I was told everything with my writing was fine except a little bit of punctuation,” she says. “If it’s just punctuation, you can't give me just 6- 6.5 [bands] every time?.... I think it's not fair,” Neha says.

Neha, who has worked in public-facing customer service jobs in Australia, says she has experienced depression and mental trauma because of the stress caused by her repeated failure in the test.

IDP said 2.9 million people take the test worldwide every year. When asked about the psychological pressure and financial impost young migrants experience when they are unable to achieve the desired score, IDP did not comment.

Frustrated with her repeated failure to get through the English requirement, Neha is now planning to enrol herself for another masters’ degree which may waive her IELTS requirement. But she questions the very logic of adding different layers of language tests at different levels.

“When someone has successfully completed a master's degree from an Australian university, this means their English is good enough. Had it not been so, the universities wouldn’t allow them entry in the first place,” she says.

The Australian parliament is debating a change in the citizenship law to introduce a similar stand-alone English language test for new migrants wanting to become Australian citizens, a move staunchly opposed by the opposition.

===================================
For IELTS study materials, specific strategies and resources
Check out Ademiluyi David's High-score IELTS program

Click here: https://iknowexperts.com.ng/ielts_high_score_program

(cont) SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR TELLING A GOOD STORY NO MATTER THE TOPIC

When a friend took the IELTS Speaking, he was asked in part 2 to talk about the river in his hometown. And he was to also talk about the kind of water animals you can find there, how long the river is and the kind of activities that go on around the river.

Now, this my friend is from Bayelsa, and there was a river which passed through his community quite alright, but he had never been to his village or anywhere close to a river since he was a little boy.

Now, you will agree with me that he was in a difficult situation. But guess what, he scored an 8.0 in Speaking.

If he had told the examiner that he had not been close to a river for a long time and as such he cannot talk about this topic, I assure you he would have scored very low.

But using the same techniques of
1. Speaking off point temporarily, and
2. Embellishing
he was able to speak for about 2 minutes before he was asked to stop by the examiner.

1. Speaking Off Point Temporarily

This is very simple to do. What this entails is that, when you are talking about an item, you take sometime to talk about some other variable of the item before you return to the item itself

For example, someone is asked to talk about the shirt he is wearing. While talking about the color of the shirt (lets say it is blue) he could also talk about how blue is a very relaxing color and how research has proven it helps people fall asleep easier (I made that up).
After this, he returns to talking about the shirt

2. Embellishing

Basically, this means you have to lie. Embellish means to add extra details to your story that are often untrue to make it more interesting.

When the tutor said this, I was a little uncomfortable. But the I got to understand that the IELTS examiner does not care if what you are saying is true or not....

.... He only cares if you are following the criteria for Speaking which are pronunciation, grammar, fluency and coherence and some others which I can't remember right now

I'll explain how I incorporated these techniques when I did the IELTS

When I did the IELTS Speaking test, below the line is the topic I was asked to talk on

_____________________________
Talk about a gift you have received that is very important to you. You should say

* Who gave it to you
* When and why it was given to you
* Whether you still use it

And explain why you consider it to be a very important gift
______________________________

As you can see, you can talk about the topic and points in the above task card in less than a minute. But following th 2 techniques above I was able to speak for 2 mins

This is how I spoke about the topic in the task card..
I chose to speak about a watch as my most important gift. First, I took the 1 minute to gather my thoughts using the preparation strategy talked about in Ademiluyi David's IELTS high score program.

...Then I started my story

"I consider my Casio gold watch to be the most important gift I have ever received, and I can never imagine trading it for something else"

Dot Point 1: Who Gave It To You?

It was given to me by my grand mother on her 81st birthday. She was an adventurous woman and the first woman from my state to belong to the navy. She always wore it to all her travels. On one of her trips from Africa o Europe, the vessel she was on collided with an iceberg. Thankfully there was no extensive damage and no life was lost. But this watch fell on to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and she thought she had lost it forever.

Amazingly, four months after, it was found by a group of underwater divers at the top of the sea bed 250m below sea level. And somehow it was returned to her in perfect working condition

Since then, the watch has been a family treasure and is to be passed on to the most trusted offspring of my grandparents. It was to be my father, but he is no more, so my granny passed it to me.

As you can see, I'm talking off point... I'm talking about where I got the watch from and at the same time I am talking about my grandmother

... And, I entirely made up the story about my grandmother

By the way, talking off topic in IELTS Speaking is absolutely allowed. It us only in Writing you are expected to write essays that are strictly on topic. In speaking, you are graded based on grammar, pronunciation fluency and coherence...
And not whether you remain on topic or not...

(cont) PART TWO: TELL A GOOD STORY

A quick one before I head back to the Champions league final

To be successful in part 2, basically, what you need is to be able to tell a good story. Once you can tell a good story in part 2, you will perform very well.

Like I earlier said, in this section of the speaking test, you will be given a task card
and inside the task card will be a topic containing 3 or 4 points you should speak on. You have one minute to prepare and two minutes to talk...

... And the topic you are given can be about anything.
Mine was about my most important gift.

When I watched the past IELTS Speaking videos which were among the materials given in Ademiluyi's High program,
one thing I noticed about the test takers who scored 6.5 and below was they usually finished talking about everything in their task card in around 30 or 40 seconds

After 30 or 40 seconds, when they realize their time is not yet up, they start repeating their points, and repeating their words and repeating their ideas. And the rate at which they say "... erms" and putting many pauses in between their speech start increasing. All these goes against the scoring criteria for the IELTS Speaking.

The truth of the matter is, it is difficult to speak STRICTLY on a particular topic for 2 minutes especially when you have little time to prepare.

For example, try speaking about the clothes you are wearing for the next 2 minutes to see what I mean

Now, there are 2 things you can do during part 2 that will allow you speak for even more than 2 minutes no matter the topic you are asked to speak on:

1. Temporally go off-point
2. Lie. Yes you read right. Lie

Now, in my next post I will explain how you can use these techniques to tell a good story no matter the topic you're given

Meanwhile, to get Ademiluyi David's High Score program,visit...
https://www.iknowexperts.com.ng//ielts_high_score_program

You will also get very useful study materials and past questions for your practice...

TO BE CONTINUED....

SHORT CUT TO IELTS SUCCESS - SPEAKING

In this post, I am going to show you the strategies I used that got me an 8.5 in IELTS Speaking. The good thing is that these strategies are easy to understand and easy to apply. Just reading about these strategies will make you better in the Speaking test. *winks.

...And at the end, I will also share a link where you can get Ademiluyi David's full IELTS High score PROGRAM. This program contains very useful materials, resources and simple practical strategies that will fetch you a high score in the IELTS

This is a long post, but I have divided it by including headlines to make it easy to read

So, here we go...

I am a hard working person. But unlike most hardworking people, I believe in short cuts, and I believe there is a short cut to achieving almost anything under the sun

What is that short cut?

To me, the best shot cut is to find a person who has achieved what you want. Meet him (or her), and let him guide you. That way, you avoid most of the errors you will likely encounter if you had set out alone. And you don't waste time on trial and error

Getting guidance from someone who had taken the IELTS and scored high was my first priority when I registered for the test. And luckily, I achieved that priority right on time.

Now, Before I talk about the strategies I used, it is important you first understand the format for the IELTS Speaking test. If you know the format already, you can skip to the main gist. If you don't, I suggest you continue without skipping.

===THE IELTS SPEAKING TEST FORMAT===

The IELTS Speaking test is a face to face interview between you the test taker and the examiner. This section usually lasts between 11 - 14 minutes. It is recorded (for assessment purpose) and It is divided into 3 different but related parts.

In Part 1: The examiner will introduce him or herself and ask you to introduce yourself and confirm your identity usually by checking your passport.

The examiner will go on to ask you general questions on familiar topics, e.g. home, family, work, studies and interests. This is meant to make you relax and talk naturally, but your performance will also be assessed

In Part 2: The examiner will give you a task card which asks you to talk about a particular topic, including 3 or 4 points to include in your talk.

You will be given one minute to prepare and make notes. You will then be asked to talk for 2 minutes on the topic.

You will not be interrupted during this time, so it is important you keep talking. The examiner will then ask you one or two questions on the same topic.

In Part 3: The examiner will ask you further questions which are connected to the topic of Part 2. These questions are designed to give you an opportunity to discuss more abstract issues and ideas.

IELTS SPEAKING SUCCESS STRATEGIES I USED
Now, back to the main purpose of this thread which is to help you pass the IELTS.
What are the strategies that can make you score high in the Speaking test?

=== HIGH SCORE STRATEGIES FOR SPEAKING ===

First of all, here are the 3 parts of speaking in terms of what the examiner wants yo to do

Part 1: You are expected to do small talk
Part 2: You are expected to tell a good story
Part 3: You are expected to discuss big ideas

Let's take it step by step.

Part 1: SMALL TALK
One of the simple strategy I learnt and used which gave me a high score was to add extra details in my answers, even though I wasn't asked for them. How do I mean? I will explain.

In Part 1, after you have introduced yourself and confirmed your identity, the examiner will ask you simple and general questions such as which school did you attend, are you a student or are you working? Do you still live with your parents? Do you like sports? Tell me about your favorite holiday spot?

If you notice, you can answer most of these questions with one sentence or just by saying a simple YES or NO. But don't, that will fetch you a low score.

Dont just answer with one sentence, or answer with a yes or no and then stop there. Give additional details

For example, one of the questions the examiner asked me was do you like sports?

I didnt answer by only saying "Yes I do" and ended there. I gave extra details because it allowed me the opportunity to show off my language. And that is what the examiner wants you to do. Show off your language.

Observe how I answered the question "do you like sports?"

My reply: "Yes. I do like sports. In fact, I enjoy playing and watching a variety of sports such as football, basket ball and running. My favorite sport is football. Back in secondary school I used to play football almost on a daily basis.
Presently, I hardly have time to hit the pitch. But during the weekends, I do watch some football, especially the English Premier League. I plan on engaging myself more actively in sports because it is one of the ways I can keep fit"

Another example. This time from from one of the real IELTS interview videos recommended in Ademiluyi's High Score program. The test taker scored a 9.0 in Speaking

N/B: watching actual ielts speaking videos is a pretty effective way to prepare. That way you can model your answers to those who scored high
and secondly, you can see and avoid the mistakes of those who scored low. This is one part of the Materials in the Highscore Program that really helped me)

In the interview video, he was asked "where do you live?"

Below was his answer

"I live in the Kala Ghola district in Mumbai which is a really lively and vibrant city. I stay in a 142 years building close to the city center. This allows me to conveniently access various parts of the city without much stress. My neighborhood is a little bit classy, so naturally, it's a little bit more expensive to live in compared to other houses around town. Basically, that's where I live, in an old building close to the city center"

As you can see, this test taker who scored a 9.0 in speaking didn't just say the address of his house and stopped there. He extended his answers by giving extra details in a fluent manner.

You can also observe my answer. I included relevant details in my answer to the question "do you like sports" even though I wasn't directly asked for them.

When you do this, you are demonstrating to the examiner you have a good command of English.

In summary, to score high in part 1 (small talk),one of the most important things you should do is to avoid giving one worded answers
or answering with one liners. You have to elaborate and extend your answers.

As practice, try giving extra details when you are answering questions in your every day conversations. You will observe that in a day or two, you will become very comfortable speaking that way and when you take the IELTS Speaking, answering your questions will come naturally to you.

In my next post, I will be talking about Part 2 of Speaking. Where you are expected to come up with an interesting story and speak for 2 mins.

Here is the link to Ademiluyi David's IELTS high score program, where you get the full materials, resources and strategies

https://www.iknowexperts.com.ng/ielts_high_score_program

TO BE CONTINUED

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Foods contain calories, and calories are the body’s source of energy.

Research has shown that when we eat foods with calories content that are higher than what is required by the body, the body takes what it needs and stores the rest as pure fat.

And when we eat foods whose calories contents are lower than is required, the body is forced to convert the stored excess fat into energy. Hence, promoting fat loss

But most common foods are heavily packed with calories. Foods like garri, bread, white rice, milk, yam etc. they contain between 1000kcal to 1500kcal of calories.
Eating any of such foods up to two times in a day will most likely supply excess calories to the body. Above the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended daily calories limit of 2000kcal for women and 2500 for men

While it may seem that most foods fall into the category of those that cause weight gain. And removing them from our diet will leave us with few choices of what to eat. There are many other equally delicious meals that are extremely low in
calories and thus, promote weight loss. Here are some of them:


1. Boiled plantain.
Either ripe or unripe. One contains about 180 kcal which slowly releases energy to the body. This means when you eat plantain, it will take a long time before you get hungry again. It is a great source of healthy carbs



2. Fish
A wide variety of fish such as cat fish, tilapia, mackerel (Titus) contain lots of protein. Whether served as point-and-kill, fish stew or fish pepper soup, it is a delicious and healthy source of protein and also great for weight loss


3. Pumpkin (Ugwu) and Spinach.
Has very low calories. It can as well be called a zero calories food which means one can eat as much as he/she want without adding a single weight



4. Brown rice popularly known as Ofada rice.
Our local rice. It's great source of healthy carbs. It slowly releases energy to the body. It is healthier than white rice for weight loss



5. Garden egg.
It is packed with Fibre. It is a great weight loss snack to be taken in between meals. It is very low in calories which means it can be eaten in large quantity without risk of weight gain



6. Eggs.
They are one of the healthiest animal protein food that can be added to a healthy diet. One egg contains about 70 kcal of calories. It is very effective for weight loss especially if exercise is involved



7. Lemon. Contains a lot of antioxidants. All you need do is, when you wake up in the morning squeeze lemon into a glass of water and drink. It helps in burning excess fat



8. Beans.
This one is not liked by a lot of people, but it is excellent for weight loss. It can also be made into moi-moi. When preparing the moi moi, add ugwu, egg, alligator pepper. You will come up with a highly delicious and nutritious meal

Other excellent mentions are cucumber, green tea, water melon, alligator pepper and carrots.

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine advised, let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food. Meaning a healthy diet will almost always eliminate the need for drugs.


Here is a video for some more healthy weight tips

Here: https://iknowexperts.com.ng/how-to-get-a-healthy-weight-by-eating-healthy-delicious-meals

PS. Experts say the secret of getting a healthy
weight is in the kitchen