16-year-old female student achieved 9.0 IELTS: Learning English through entertainment since age 3

(Dan Tri) - Kieu Ha Trang, a female 11th grade student with a 9.0 IELTS score, learns English naturally through daily recreational activities.

Good at English thanks to watching movies, reading books, chatting online Kieu Ha Trang is the 4th student of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted to achieve 9.0 IELTS, and is also one of the very few Vietnamese people to achieve this maximum score. Trang has no special secret other than learning English naturally from a very young age. At the age of 3, Trang was exposed to English by her mother through cartoons, TV shows and books. Being entertained, Trang enjoyed it very much, not thinking that she was learning. Trang's mother also let her daughter absorb the language naturally, not forcing her to memorize dozens of new words every day or do exercises like she was studying a subject at school. Passive learning through daily entertainment activities helped Trang accumulate a good vocabulary. In grade 3, Trang could speak confidently with native speakers. In grade 4, Trang talked to foreign teachers, fully expressing all her thoughts without any obstacles.

Kieu Ha Trang and her mother (Photo: NVCC).

For Trang and her mother, English has never been the number 1 priority. Trang pursues English because it is her strength and hobby. Although Trang's mother values ​​all subjects equally, she respects her daughter. During primary and secondary school, Trang really ate and slept with English. Every day, Trang spent at least 2-4 hours reviewing and doing exercises to "conquer" competitions from computer-based English competitions to excellent student competitions, TOEFL exams... Currently, Trang no longer likes to participate in competitions. Trang confided that she feels that learning English by doing exercises and memorizing can easily lead to boredom and loss of passion. For a long time, Trang has not actively studied English anymore but passively studied through reading books, watching videos, surfing social networks, listening to music, chatting online with foreign "game friends". And all in English. Talking about the secret to studying to achieve 9.0 IELTS, the English major student of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted honestly said that there is no secret. Trang explained that being exposed to and learning English from a very young age helped her accumulate a wealth of knowledge without having to work hard. At the same time, the experience from the competitions that Trang had participated in before was especially useful for listening and reading skills. With writing skills, Trang practiced writing in the form of questions. Writing requires understanding of social issues, so this is Trang's advantage when she diligently updates information through newspapers or foreign social networks . Trang also affirmed that learning English will be most fun and effective when absorbing it naturally through life instead of through lessons. Talent is important, but passion is more important. Having experienced learning English from a young age, and living in an environment where friends mainly talk to each other in English, Kieu Ha Trang affirmed that people of any age can learn English if they are determined and passionate enough. "Talent certainly plays an important role, but I think what's more important is your passion and determination. In my opinion, English should be considered a language, a tool for communication instead of a subject that you just get high marks in class and then leave it there. Because it will be really useful in the future," Trang shared.

Portrait of female student 9.0 IELTS Kieu Ha Trang (Photo: NVCC).

Although she is no longer interested in competitions, Trang still considers tests such as IELTS, TOEFL, and SAT to be really valuable in terms of knowledge. The reading, listening, speaking, and writing of these competitions all cover interesting and engaging topics about history, mathematics, and science. Therefore, when hearing adults express concern that children's focus on English will cause their knowledge in other fields to be lost or lead to a shortage of human resources for natural sciences, Trang expressed her opinion: "Being proficient in English will really help develop and expand your knowledge. I also think I don't need to worry about the lack of people studying natural sciences. Because many Vietnamese students studying abroad pursue science majors." Outside of studying, Trang is very "hardworking" at playing. Trang has a special hobby of drawing, and she often watches anime, reads books, listens to music, and chats with friends like any other teenage girl. Talking about her future plans, Trang said she is still looking for her direction. She is currently thinking a lot about studying abroad in the US and is interested in environmental studies. However, that is not the career Trang wants to do. "I have a hobby of drawing, so if possible, I want to do a freelance job and draw for the games I love," the 9.0 IELTS student expressed her simple, innocent dream.

Dantri.com.vn