{"id":59,"date":"2016-10-18T21:42:16","date_gmt":"2016-10-19T04:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/?p=59"},"modified":"2016-10-18T21:42:16","modified_gmt":"2016-10-19T04:42:16","slug":"lpi-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/2016\/10\/18\/lpi-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"I survived the LPI, and here are some tips so that you can do it too!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-60 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/files\/2016\/10\/Add-heading.png\" alt=\"LPI\" width=\"615\" height=\"342\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/files\/2016\/10\/Add-heading.png 810w, https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/files\/2016\/10\/Add-heading-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/files\/2016\/10\/Add-heading-768x427.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/files\/2016\/10\/Add-heading-552x307.png 552w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px\" \/><\/div>\n<div>Two days ago, I received a message from my friend saying \u201cLPI results are out\u201d. I sprang into my chair to check my result. I was really, really nervous &#8211; this single $120 exam would decide whether I can take first-year English. I was elated to see my result: a 5 on the essay!<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The LPI is a fairly basic English language test that international students who do not meet first-year English requirements need to take. The <strong>2.5 hour exam<\/strong> tests students\u2019 grammar, summarizing and writing skills, all of which are essential for a successful university career. While the exam includes 4 sections, the only section that is considered by UBC is the essay writing section. <strong>If you receive 5 or more points\u00a0(out of 6) on the essay, you are through.<\/strong><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><em><b>Overview:<\/b><\/em><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The first three sections of the exam include questions on sentence structure, English usage and reading comprehension. These sections will not directly affect the grade on your essay; nonetheless, it is important to attempt questions in these sections. The fourth section is the essay writing section.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><em><b>Part-wise tips:<\/b><\/em><\/div>\n<div><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n<div><strong>For the first 3 parts, I highly recommend you look up sample questions for this section on the LPI website <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lpitest.ca\/about\/test-format\/\">here<\/a>.<\/strong> They aren\u2019t valued much, and the questions are usually very simple.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>In Section B of Reading Comprehension, <strong>you will be asked to summarize three 200-word comprehension:<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>&#8211; Write three sentences or less. Overshooting this limit will\u00a0result in you getting a <i>zero<\/i> on the\u00a0summary.<\/div>\n<div>&#8211; Do not quote from the given text<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>&#8211; A good summary will\u00a0include these three points:<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0topic description<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0how is the paragraph\u00a0organized?<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0viewpoint of writer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<div>&#8211; stay on topic!<\/div>\n<div><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n<div>The essay is the crux of the exam, and you should give it about 1 hour 20 min during your exam. A good idea would be to practice by writing an essay yourself, and refer to the grading rubric to evaluate your writing.<\/div>\n<div>You are given 3 essay topics, out of which you choose one.<\/div>\n<div>Here is how you should <b>manage your time:<\/b><\/div>\n<div>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0&#8211; Choose a topic and brainstorm about it. Jot down ideas and plan a structure &#8211; 20 min<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0&#8211; Write your essay &#8211; 45 min<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0&#8211; Proofread, revise and remove as many errors as possible &#8211; 15 min<\/div>\n<div>It is crucial to plan a structure and write a thesis for your essay, because you will be graded on how your essay \u201cflows\u201d.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Essays on the LPI usually require you to explain your argument on a topic. <b>On the essay:<\/b><\/div>\n<div>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0&#8211; stick to one side of the topic, and ensure you have enough ideas to back up your argument<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0&#8211; the first paragraph must clearly state the side you\u2019ve chosen<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0&#8211; no humour, rhetoric questions, complicated\/long words required (keep it simple and avoid mistakes)<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0&#8211; again, don\u2019t go off topic! Not even in your body paragraphs; not even by mistake.<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0&#8211; don\u2019t tell the reader obvious facts, like \u201clack of exercise can be a major reason for obesity\u201d<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0&#8211; avoid using one specific example throughout your essay<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0&#8211; be concise, it\u2019s just a 300-400 word essay!<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>A good way to score on the essay is to make it easy for the reader to understand your essay. On my essay, I followed a very simple structure:<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A thesis statement<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03 body paragraphs, starting with &#8216;Firstly\u2026, Secondly\u2026 and Thirdly\u2026&#8217;<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Two examples to support my opinion within the body paragraphs<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Conclusion<\/div>\n<div>This no-nonsense structure is legitimately easy for a reader to grade. Also, this allows for easy transitions between paragraphs, which is one of the grading parameters in the rubric.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>In the conclusion, it is okay to make a prediction or state a fact. However, ensure that you repeat your opinion on the topic (but do not copy it from the thesis statement, try to rephrase it).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b>Here are some essay topics for practice:<\/b><\/div>\n<div>\n<ol>\n<li>\u201cGifted athletes should be admitted to college without having to meet the regular admission standards.\u201d Agree OR disagree.<\/li>\n<li>The Internet is more frustrating than useful. Agree OR disagree.<\/li>\n<li>Would you rather support a national charity or a local charity? Be specific.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cPhysical education is an important program for all high school students.\u201d Agree OR disagree.<\/li>\n<li>Would you pay $2000 for a pair of shoes by a recognized designer? Why OR why not? Be specific.<\/li>\n<li>Should governments spend the most money on health care or on education? Be specific.<\/li>\n<li><i>(my topic)<\/i> E-books are better than printed books. Agree OR disagree.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>All these essay topics are from the LPI website\/exam.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Don\u2019t fret too much about the essay topics, as you will likely find a very simple topic to write on during the exam. The topics on the LPI are usually related to education, technology\/progress or commonly debated topics.<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b>After you write a sample essay, compare it with the rubric <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lpitest.ca\/about\/test-scoring\/\">here<\/a>\u00a0and evaluate it.<\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>If you are a UBC student, you can find <b>free LPI workshops<\/b> here:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ubcca.mywconline.com\">https:\/\/ubcca.mywconline.com<\/a>\u00a0(you will need to sign up and check for appointments). Also keep a track of emails from UBC for information (I found out about LPI workshops from the Science Distillation newsletter and an email from the International Student Advisors of your faculty).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>And just chill! The exam is generally <b>easy<\/b>, especially\u00a0if you speak English fluently and\/or you have survived the SAT\/IELTS\/TOEFL.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Before the exam, get good sleep. On the day of the exam, carry a pencil and a pen, an eraser, your printed hall-ticket with picture and a <b>photo identity proof<\/b>. Be there about 30 min before the exam begins.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Want any specific help?<\/strong> Comment below, and I may be able to answer your question.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>Best of luck!<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>If you need more help:<\/div>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lpitest.ca\">https:\/\/www.lpitest.ca<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lpi-satessayhelp.com\/essays.htm\">http:\/\/www.lpi-satessayhelp.com\/essays.htm<\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>Stay #involved!<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>#UnderTheHood<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>#IAMUBC<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"post-excerpt\">Two days ago, I received a message from my friend saying \u201cLPI results are out\u201d. I sprang into my chair&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":60,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1732584],"tags":[244724,986299],"class_list":["post-59","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tipshelp","tag-essay-writing","tag-lpi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions\/61"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/underthehood\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}