A good 3 years ago it was. But I remember this one quite vividly. Calm and soft spoken, Manish always had the potential to achieve the magical Express Entry score: 8,7,7,7. Together, in the end, we did it. A CEFR C1, no less. But it was hard work punctuated by fleeting moments of doubt. His Reading score may not seem to indicate so, but Manish had some real doubts in that module. Especially in the “True/False/Not Given” type of question. I should be able to vouch for that. After all, I had to explain to him 3 different ways to tackle that annoying problem.

Listening was never an issue with him, not even the MCQ’s. Multiple Choice Questions frustrate many, and I readily include myself among them. Manish, however, was always spot on. Though, the map did trip him up once or twice. He was already fairly good in writing when he came to me. Therefore, I had to only show him how to tackle the different types of Writing Task 1 and Writing Task 2 questions. After checking his writings, I had to give him a 7-band score.

Like all my other students, Manish went through the same grind at my academy. 13 Reading and 20 Listening questions every day. He was also advised to focus on accuracy rather than on developing speed. 12 days before the main test, he started taking his mock tests under exam situation. After every 3-4 mock tests, we would analyze his performance and find out why he made those errors. These would then be eliminated, but a further analysis after the next lot of tests was bound to throw up an entirely new challenge. It was slow and painful work. But it did the job at least.

3 years is a long time. I have lost touch with Manish. But every day I hope that he has found the life that he wanted to live. Abroad. Far away across the seven seas. Wherever you are, Manish, take care!