This is the entrance test for PLC's programs. Students without evidence of IELTS need to pass this in order to enter these program.

Should students trying to get into the programs fail this, they will need to attend the IAP program.

SEGMENT MARKS

• Listening - 6
• Reading 1 - 5
• Reading 2 - 6
• Writing - 5
• Speaking - 5
• Total marks = 27

For IELTS 6.0, student needs to get 63%, or 17 marks out of 27. Each segment mark should not be below 60%.

For IELTS 5.5, student needs to get 55%, or 15 marks out of 27. Each segment mark should not be below 51%. 

Transcript

I first came to Canada in 2006 for university, to attend the English Literature program at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia. It was a great program because it let me read some great classic literature such as Gilgamesh, poetry like The Waste Land, and even contemporary works like Harry Potter. I also got a 3.8 GPA, which made me feel accomplished.

Before I took the English Literature program, I had to take the university’s English as a Second Language (ESL) courses for one semester in order to improve my English level. I took a total of four ESL courses that semester, and got excellent marks in all of them. Only in one of the classes did I get less than an “A” grade. In that course, I was sick during the last week of class and therefore was not able to concentrate as well as I would have been had I been healthy. Sickness strikes at the worst time.

Social Media and Health

Social media is an area of rigorous study today, especially because of its health implications. Historically there has been resistance to the use of daily social media due to its perceived effects on people’s emotional well-being. Even in recent times, a University of Pittsburg study showed that people who spend more than two hours a day on social media were twice as likely to feel lonely as those who do not.

However, another study by the MIT Sloan School of Management showed that social media can be used to improve health: it looked at how Facebook and Twitter can be used by people to motivate themselves and one another to exercise more. Another University of Washington study showed that Instagram users use the app to post photos about what they eat in order to track it and to be held accountable by followers. 

Since social media is based on quick response, it has been cited to allow for the spreading of what is known as “fake news,” or false information made to look like news. This is according to research from Georgia Tech and Georgia State University. However, an award-winning research paper in Human Factors journal showed how social media, especially Twitter, can help first responders such as paramedics identify which areas of a city or town are in need. 

Some interesting studies are also being done about social media and the healthcare industry. A UK study looked at 50,000 social media posts by 7,000 healthcare professionals to identify who influenced online discussions around diabetes. The study helped find misconceptions held by doctors. Leveraging this kind of data from social media has big potential impact on health services, including pharmaceutical purchasing.

Hotspots Changes, But Global Giants Continue to Dominate in Hospitality

Hotel investors and operators are eagerly watching the rising Asian markets for hospitality hotspots. A number of cities in Asia are emerging as attractive global tourist destinations – Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Bangkok and Dubai. These cities have already seen a rapid increase in hotel construction as well as other indicators that denote key interest from the hospitality industry. Moscow and Seoul are other candidates in this rising group of cities.

Other cities in Asia are also rising, though not as meteorically as those mentioned above. Riyadh, Manila and Hanoi are following on the examples of their neighbours mentioned above.

However, the case of Istanbul and Sao Paulo as fallen rising giants in the hospitality watch-list show that this kind of interest can be fickle. Nine cities, known as the Global Giants, dominate the hospitality industry because they account for almost a quarter of number of hotel rooms available globally, and also nearly half of the total global investment. Within this group, New York and London, with their many business and leisure centers, are the undisputed leaders. The two cities attract almost 30% of global investment – US $23 billion per year.

In addition to these two categories, there also exists a group of mid-sized cities that get consistent attention from the hotel sector. Denver, Seattle and Vancouver are popular tourist destinations for both North American and global tourists. They rank in the top 30 investment destinations for hotels.