Changes in English Proficiency After 5 Months of Language Study Abroad
I spent about 5 months studying English in Australia. In this article, I will describe how my English abilities changed. There are also topics such as the cost of studying abroad and the characteristics of the city, but I'll cover those in separate articles.
Information Before Studying Abroad
First, a regret: I should have taken IELTS or TOEFL before studying abroad. I couldn't quantitatively measure the change in my abilities.
My TOEIC score just before studying abroad was 900, and my Writing and Speaking skills were completely unknown. Below is an overall assessment of the four skills based on my recollection of that time.
Reading
I could read texts normally, but with complex passages, I was rereading multiple times. My reading speed (WPM) for simple texts was probably around 150. Quite leisurely. Although I was reading from the beginning of the text, it wasn't really sinking in. I could read technical documents in English as they are simple, but novels and newspaper articles were quite challenging.
Listening
I could understand slow presentations, but they didn't really sink in. I could hear the sounds, but it was somewhat difficult to understand directly. I often misinterpreted words because I couldn't accurately distinguish the sounds. With slightly faster English, I couldn't even distinguish the sounds, and it was impossible to grasp the main idea of songs or dramas. When I tried TOEFL questions, I often found myself at a loss, unable to even answer the questions.
Writing
I could write grammatically correct sentences to some extent, but I couldn't use complex grammatical expressions, and it was essentially just stringing words together. This might be fine for translation tasks in exam English, but it would probably appear extremely rudimentary to native speakers.
Speaking
Even simple sentences didn't come out smoothly. I frequently made mistakes with tenses. Interrogative sentences would become declarative, and there were grammatical errors, so it was essentially just stringing words together. My pronunciation was Japanese-like, undoubtedly difficult to understand.
Summary
Because I needed to read technical documents, I could read simple documents, focusing on the necessary parts. Conversely, I hadn't used English much for anything else, so my skills remained at the basic level learned for exams.
Information After Studying Abroad
I attended a language school for about 5 months, and during that time, I used almost exclusively English information (Twitter was an exception). I did a homestay, so even at home, I had opportunities to practice by conversing with the family and watching TV.
The IELTS I took at the end resulted in an Overall score of 7.5 (R:8.5, L:8.5, W:6.5, S:6.0). Below is the current status of my four skills.
Reading
I don't feel a significant change, but with improved vocabulary, increased speed, and clarification of ambiguous grammar points, my comprehension has certainly improved compared to before. For IELTS questions, I can understand almost everything within the required time. Even when there are unfamiliar words, I can make educated guesses, so I rarely struggle.
My speed reading has also improved, and in a speed reading test at school, I achieved nearly 300 WPM. This involves rapidly reading relatively simple texts (around mid to late TOEIC level) and then answering questions. I think native speakers would achieve 500.
Although the sample size is small, I still cannot read complex (adult-oriented) literary novels at all. This is likely due to my vocabulary not having mastered SLV12000 Lv.8. Personally, I find science magazines and newspapers easier to read.
Listening
A significant change is that I've become able to understand long conversations. IELTS and TOEFL have questions where someone speaks for about 5 minutes, but these didn't bother me much. I think it's because I've become accustomed to the sounds and can understand English directly.
I've become able to distinguish different sounds, for example, I can now recognize the difference between 'l' and 'r' in simple cases. As a result, when I hear "wrong" in Japanese, it gets linked to "long" in my mind, causing confusion.
I've also become accustomed to factors that make listening difficult, such as connected speech and strong accents. I'm gradually becoming able to understand faster English. I even have the capacity to guess which country a speaker is from.
However, I still can't understand fast speech in dramas or (foreign) anime. Especially American productions are challenging, whether it's just the speed or unfamiliarity with the sounds. I still can't catch song lyrics either, so it seems I need to get more accustomed to the sounds.
Writing
I've become able to write structurally organized documents in essay format. English texts differ structurally from Japanese ones, with fewer headings and meaning divided by paragraphs. I've become able to apply such formats and create structurally coherent texts.
I can write simple expressions without hesitation, so I now have the capacity to use more complex grammar. I can also use some difficult vocabulary specific to essays, so in terms of expressiveness, it's incomparable to before.
However, I still can't quickly recall grammar or vocabulary, and I'm far from being able to write large volumes of text in a short time. Also, grammatical and vocabulary mistakes still occur, often resulting in incomprehensible sentences.
Speaking
I've become able to handle basic conversations. If I can understand what's being said, I can respond, and I can generally express my own thoughts. Sometimes I'm not understood, but I can manage if given a bit of time. I still feel anxious about phone conversations though.
I've also learned about basic responses in English-speaking countries. I think this is a matter of communication skills, but using a foreign language makes you feel the importance of communicating correctly.
My pronunciation is far from excellent. Sentence stress is particularly challenging. It took time to reach a level where this became a concern, and I couldn't train to reach a satisfactory level.
Related to the above, I still can't speak fluently. With complex sentences, it takes time to construct them and check the grammar, inevitably causing a delay.
Impressions
If you seriously attend school for 5 months, your abilities will naturally improve. However, it's natural that areas you don't practice won't improve. I felt it's important to identify weaknesses and focus on targeted strategies, and in addition, improving all four skills evenly leads to efficient English use.
My advice for those considering studying abroad includes these three points:
- Decide on your goals and measure your current level
- Consider if it's possible in Japan
- Especially, online learning can be done anywhere
- For your first study abroad experience, 3 months is recommended
- Longer periods can lead to loss of motivation
- Reduces the risk if the location or school doesn't suit you
In my experience, the significance of studying abroad lies in "maintaining motivation" and "gaining experience living overseas", and in terms of English learning, it doesn't differ greatly from being in Japan. If you find a school where only English is used and stay alone at home, it's almost the same. If you're working, taking a 3-month leave and going with a vacation mindset is the safest option.
Summary
Writing it out, I felt that my English operational ability had greatly improved from before to after studying abroad. However, while the effects of studying abroad are certainly high, with the abundance of learning resources these days, it may not be the most cost-effective option. If you're considering it, think carefully in light of your current situation.
I plan to use online English conversation and correction services for a while to intensively train my Speaking and Writing. For Reading and Listening, I'll naturally get extensive reading and listening practice through technical documents and YouTube videos, so I won't focus on them consciously.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask on Twitter or elsewhere, and I'll answer to the best of my ability. Please don't hesitate if you're struggling.
