US Announces the IELTS Recognition List May 2011 Acceptance of Cambridge ESOL (KET) by UKBA IELTS for all Exams & English News – Sri Lanka Announcements Get to know our Exams Team Help in Speaking English Teach better Exams Guru Competition Time! Laughter Bucket Your Feedback
Hello Friends! It is our pleasure to present to you the first ever edition of Lighthouse. This e-publication will keep you informed of what we do at the British Council – particularly regarding English and Exams. In each issue we will talk about an exam or course that is of interest to you. We will also keep you informed about the news and events at the British Council. We will introduce you to our team of examiners and administrators, who work round the clock to bring you the best in terms of exams and English training. There will also be your Exam Guru, who will answer all your questions concerning English and exams. Please write with your comments, suggestions and any feedback to help us improve! Warm Regards Dileepa Manawadu Editor
Message from the Country Exams Manager A warm welcome to our inaugural Lighthouse E-zine on behalf of the British Council. I hope this will improve communication and support from the British Council. We aim to use this publication to provide links to content that will be relevant to you, particularly teaching and learning resources that are produced or coordinated by the British Council. Lighthouse isn’t intended to be one-way though. We welcome your thoughts, opinions and suggestions, so please write to us. We will endeavour to include or respond to all your feedback. Time stands still for no man. This will be both my first and last contribution to this newsletter. As is the British Council way, I will be moving next month, and a new Country Exams Manager, Harriet Gardner, will be arriving. She’s currently our Teaching & Exams Manager in Mexico. I’m sure you will join me in wishing her a very warm welcome to Sri Lanka! Best wishes Kishore Roy Country Exams Manager
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is now accepted as proof of English language ability by over 1500 institutes, delivering over 3000 courses in the USA.
These institutes include the top Ivy League universities listed below:
o Harvard University
“ We want qualified applicants who
o Brown University
can communicate effectively. The
o Dartmouth Collage
IELTS examination is a strong, well
o University of Pennsylvania
– constructed test that caters to this
o Yale University
demand.” – Graduate Programme
o Cornell University
administrator, Brigham Young
o Princeton University
University, USA
o Columbia University
The US recognition of IELTS opens doors and opportunities for many, making placement easier for students who wish to pursue education abroad. Moreover, the test results are available in just 13 days!
We have 3 exam sessions every month in many different test venues, giving you the choice of where and when you want to sit the exam. One of our unique features in delivering the exam is the use of infra-red headphones for the listening module. This makes the sound crystal clear and improves your chances of getting a better result.
Over 50 partner registration centres can help you with the IELTS examination. Please check our website to find your nearest registration centre or call British Council to get an extended list of partners who can help you register for your IELTS exam. What’s more, British Council registered candidates get the following absolutely free! •
IELTS preparation pack
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Access to the British Council Library
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Top Tips seminar to sharpen your exam skills and better your score
Find out more >
The Key English test (KET) is now widely accepted as an A1 level exam required for any non European migrant, wishing to enter the UK as a partner of a British citizen or a person settled there. The new regulation requires an A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in listening and speaking. This means, reaching a score between 45-69 in the KET exam for each of those modules. This requirement is applicable to individuals if you are: • • •
a national of a country outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland, and, in a relationship with a British citizen or a person settled there, and, applying as that person’s husband, wife, civil partner, fiancé(e), proposed civil partner, unmarried partner or same-sex partner.
The Key English test comprises of four modules, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing. The exam is administered by the British council in both paper based and computer based forms. The computer based exam is available on a monthly basis in order to cater to the growing number of test takers. Please ensure that bookings are made in advance. Guidance on the exam can be obtained via the Cambridge ESOL exams website. In addition, past papers can also be purchased at the examinations department of the British Council. For exam dates please visit our website. For information about how you can prepare candidates for this exam, please contact us.
When you meet Saqlain Haider Shah for the first time, you might be surprised to know that he’s visually impaired. He explained that “when I decided to pursue further studies from UK, I had to give IELTS. I was not sure how I was going to manage it”. Only British Council gave me the confidence and the support that I needed”. In the spirit of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, the British Council IELTS team made sure that Saqlain’s testing experience was made easy. The IELTS team, working closely with Cambridge, were able to arrange modified material in the form of CD, test papers printed in Braille etc. This is the spirit in which British Council works across the globe. Saqlain ultimately managed to take the IELTS exam without a hitch and scored an impressive 7.5 band overall, a score that most people wish for. He won over many people at the British Council and at the testing centre due to his determination, focus and confidence. “I would like to thank British Council for being so cooperative. They help their customers out no matter what the issue is and try their level best to solve it.” Said Saqlain in his concluding remarks. Here’s wishing Saqlain all the best for the future! You can watch Saqlain Haider Shah describe his experience. Courtesy: British Council - Pakistan.
IELTS PUBLIC AWARENESS SEMINAR ORGANISED BY THE BRITISH COUNCIL IN NEGOMBO We organised our inaugural public awareness seminar on IELTS recently. Based on partner feedback, it was identified that we should reach out to people in the Negombo district to improve understanding of the IELTS examination. The highlight of the event was the “Top Tips” presentation. This included an interactive session, discussing the important areas of the exam to focus on. Addressing the gathering Mr. Kishore Roy – Country Exams Manager for the British Council, stressed on the truly international nature of IELTS and its acceptance across over 6000 universities and organisations worldwide including Canada, Australia and the USA. The event was supported by the British Council and was organised by three of its partner registration centres, namely Australian Consultancy Centre for Higher Education (ACCHE), International Institute of Health Science (IIHS) and Phantomz Global Pvt Ltd. Candidates interested in registering for the exam can do so at the British Council Colombo, Kandy or any partner registration centre island wide. The British Council offers a wide range of support material for candidates taking the IELTS test, its exclusive support service include: • • •
Free library membership to the English Learning Zone Free access to its Top Tips seminar Free IELTS practice book
Please visit our website for further details or contact us on 011-7521521.
EXPANSION OF BRITISH COUNCIL TEST VENUES For a long time British Council has held IELTS exams in Colombo and Kandy. Having assessed the growing demand from different parts of Sri Lanka, we are happy to state that our exams team is venturing out. Our current examination venues include Colombo, Kandy, Jaffna, Batticaloa, Welisara and recently we have added Negombo. This move is in line with our determination to facilitate a better customer experience by improving accessibility for candidates based outside Colombo. We are hopeful that the elimination of long distance travel will help exam candidates reduce part of the mental stress associated with facing any exam. We recently administered our first IELTS examination in Welisara in collaboration with the International Institute of Health Sciences (IIHS). The first test in Negombo was conducted successfully on Saturday 13 August 2011.
INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATE IN FINANCIAL ENGLISH (ICFE) EXAMS IN SRI LANKA Cambridge ESOL has recently introduced the ICFE examination to Sri Lanka. ICFE is an exam specially aimed at finance professionals. It has been carefully designed to cater to the needs of financial professionals to become more effective communicators in English. The first batch of candidates sat for the exam conducted by British Council last month. This programme was launched in partnership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants Sri Lanka, which is the national professional accounting body of Sri Lanka. ICFE consists of four modules; listening, speaking, reading and writing. The exam is based on tasks and topics encountered by financial professionals on a day to day basis, such as financial reporting, insurance, investment. For further details on the exam visit the Cambridge ESOL exams website.
LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL COHESION The 9th International Language and Development Conference British Council in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of National Languages and Social Integration and Deutsche Gesellschaft f端r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) is organising the 9th International Language and Development conference on Language and Social Cohesion in Colombo from 17 to 19 October 2011. For more details please visit our website.
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Hard copies of University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) May/June 2011 results have been dispatched to respective schools and private candidates. If candidates wish to re-take subject(s), they can apply for October/November 2011 exam series. The deadline for entries is 7th September 2011. British Council in collaboration with the University of Cambridge International Examinations will be conducting a workshop for teachers who have been teaching the Cambridge syllabus for at least one year. This face to face professional development course is held on 10th and 11th September at the Taj Samudra hotel. Applications for Edexcel January 2012 exams series will be open from 30th August, 2011 onwards
Name: Amarasiri Ananda Designation: Assistant Manager, Educational and Professional Exams In our inaugural issue we are happy to introduce you to our longest standing member of the exams team. Amarasiri has dedicated over three decades of service to the British Council. What inspires us most about him is his positive attitude and passion towards his work. This passion motivates him to travel over 60 km daily from home to work and back. Let’s get to know him better! Q: Tell us some thing about yourself A: I joined the British Council in 1980. At that point it was part of the British High Commission, later in 1981 we moved to the current building. I initially joined the library team and thereafter moved to help set up the examinations department in 1989. In terms of personal life, I am married and have two children. Q: What type of work do you do at Exams? A: I am currently working as the Assistant Manager for Educational and Professional examinations. The educational exams section includes London External, BMAT and other university exams. The Professional exam bodies include Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, British Computer Society, City & Guilds, Professional Linguistics and Assessment Board and MRCP (Member of Royal Collage of Physicians). We administer exams almost every day and I would like to mention that I have an excellent assistant Chamika who does a good job with administering exams. Q: How does it feel to be a part of the British Council for so many years? A: Initially I learnt quite a lot from the first examinations officer Mrs. Sha. She was very competent and always looked at exams from a customer centric perspective. Over the years, I have seen the examinations department grow with the introduction of many new exams which has lead to new team members and diverse insights on best practice. It is a very supportive team and my work has been a very nice experience. Q: What is it like to conduct an exam? A: There are many things that take place before an exam, to name a few: exam prices need to be determined, registration dates decided etc. There is much emphasis given to venue selection and invigilator training to ensure that exams meet the required standards. Q: What is the most popular exam that you conduct? London external and ACCA. London external also has a few candidates with special needs/disabilities and it gives me great pleasure to be able to assist them on such occasions. Q: What are your future plans? A: I hope to extend the range of exams delivered through the Education and Professional exams unit.
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BBC World Service Talk about English This is an excellent site with links to a wide range of EFL sites. There is a particularly informative and useful section on pronunciation.
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Connected Speech Podcasts produced by Alan Stanton. Alan is an EFL teacher, teacher trainer and materials writer. He explains how you can make English sound more natural by using connected speech.
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Teaching English Here are classroom resources that can be used by teachers at many different levels. It also encourages the learners to work out the rules for themselves (inductive learning).
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Pronunciation of past simple verbs This is an activity to help students consider the differences in pronunciation of regular past verbs. It encourages students to discover the rules by themselves, making the learning more memorable.
Preparation You will need to produce a set of around 12 cards, with a (regular) past simple verb on each. Make sure they're large enough to be seen from the back of the room. Procedure •
Start by holding up the cards, for students to tell you what the words have in common. Once they have identified that they are verbs/past simple/regular (i.e. All with '-ed' endings), drill the verbs.
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Then write up three categories on the board: •
-ed = / t /
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-ed = / d /
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-ed = / id /
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liked
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learned
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wanted
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Point out that these represent different sounds and ask the class to read them out. Then show the first card, e.g. like, ask students to say it aloud, and decide which category it goes in.
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Once they indicate the correct category, stick the card to the board. If necessary, over-emphasise the 't' sound to highlight that it corresponds to the '-ed' ending. Repeat this for a second card, e.g. wanted.
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Then elicit that the two verbs, like and want have the same past simple ending, but the pronunciation is different. Tell the students that you are going to give them the cards to put in the right category. Depending on the size of the class, hand out two cards per pair/group.
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Then sit at the back of the class and observe as the students decide where their verb goes. I remind students to say the verb aloud to help them.
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Usually, within minutes, one of the more confident students goes to the board; the others soon follow.
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Once you feel students have done what they can, tell them how many verbs are not placed correctly. Note: don't say which ones, just how many, e.g. '3 verbs are not correct'. Then encourage students to make changes. Again, comment, e.g. 'Now, 2 verbs are not correct!', so students know how to proceed.
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Once changes have been made, ask the class to read the verbs aloud. Praise them for successfully completing the task!
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With older or more analytically minded students, the rule for when the verb is pronounced / id / (i.e. When the verb already ends in a “t” or “d” sound) can now be elicited. As regards the “t” and “d” distinction, you will find that students produce this quite naturally (being a question of which sound is easier) - a better option than trying to work out complex rules.
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Students then have a few minutes to copy their work to their notebooks, adding one verb of their choice to each category.
Hi everybody, I am your Exams Guru. We administer nearly 70,000 exams every year including IELTS, School exams, Cambridge ESOL exams, Professional and Academic exams and exams for teachers. You can visit our website for more information. Let's try and get some of your questions answered. •
Q - I am worried that if I retake the IELTS while my current score is still valid and get a lower score it will cancel out my existing one? A - Don’t worry, you can retake an IELTS exam and if you get a lower score it will not cancel out your existing higher score ____________________________________________________________________________
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Q - I have a nine year old student who has already taken all the Young Learner exams and passed them. Can he now take the KET test or is there a minimum age limit? A - In theory he can take the KET test as there is no age limit, but he might find the content difficult as it is not designed for children. In this case it would be a good idea to contact our ESOL expert who will give advice on a case by case basis. ____________________________________________________________________________
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Q - I have already taken the IELTS exam once but did not get the score I needed. I will be taking it again at the end of the year to try and get a higher score. How can I best do this? A - British council offers a range of options in its Colombo and Kandy centres .You could access the English Learning Zone of our Library free of charge upon registering with us. This section of the library has a range of IELTS preparation material and self study guides which will help you plan a programme specific to your needs. In addition you will be able to attend a Free IELTS “Top Tips” seminar. This will provide you advice on the tips and techniques required to obtain a high IELTS score. ____________________________________________________________________________ Remember to plan ahead, so you give yourself every opportunity to improve you score. It doesn’t happen overnight.
Please send in your questions to Exams Guru at EandENewsSrilanka@britishcouncil.org.
Answer all three questions correctly and stand a chance of winning a prize from the British Council! •
Question 1 KET is a British Council produced examination. Is this true or false?
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Question 2 The KET exam is available in paper based as well as computer based formats. Is this true or false?
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Question 3 The KET speaking test interview is conducted in pairs by one examiner. Is this true or false?
E-mail us your answers.
How about some light relief! •
A student is taking his final exams. He takes his seat in the exam hall, stares at the questions and then in a moment of inspiration takes his shoes off and throws them out of the window. He then removes his shirt, pants and socks. The teacher, alarmed, approached him and asked what is going on? "I am only following the instructions -- the test paper states, answer the questions in brief."
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After an English test with particularly disastrous results, the teacher scolds the class and then asks everybody, who think they are not particularly good at English to “stand up”. For quite a while all the students just look at each other, but nobody moves. Finally, little Johnny slowly stands up. "Very good, Johnny", says the teacher, "at least you realise where your weakness is and that gives you an opportunity to improve". "Oh, but I don't think I'm very bad at English, Madam" says Johnny, "but I simply felt sorry for you standing there all alone.
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An English teacher wrote these words on the whiteboard: "woman without her man is nothing". The teacher then asked the students to punctuate the words correctly. The men wrote: "Woman, without her man, is nothing." The women wrote: "Woman! Without her, man is nothing."
Please send in your thoughts, ideas and constructive feedback to Lighthouse at: British Council 49 Alfred House Gardens Colombo 3 T (011) 4521521 or (011) 7521521 E eandenewssrilanka@britishcouncil.org
British Council 88/3 Kotugodella Veediya Kandy T (081) 4471188 E eandenewssrilanka@britishcouncil.org