26 July 2017

FOUR MALAYSIAN STUDENTS WIN 2017 BRITISH COUNCIL IELTS PRIZE TO PURSUE THEIR DREAMS OF STUDYING OVERSEAS

Studying overseas is a dream for many students in Malaysia. With the aim of connecting people with learning opportunities, the British Council launched the IELTS Prize in 2011. Since then, it has helped a total of 170 students in the East Asia region gain entry into universities around the world. This year, 36 prize winners will be added to the list. The award presentation ceremony in Malaysia was held at InterContinental Kuala Lumpur on 26 July 2017. Each of the local prize winners received a prize valued at RM12,000. In addition to the local awards, the British Council also awarded three regional prizes to top students in the East Asia region, who will be entering their dream universities overseas.

Three students from Malaysia won the local IELTS Prize. One of the local prize winners, Mohamed Aizuddin Hilmi Mohamed Anuar accepted an offer from the University of Oxford and commented that winning the IELTS Prize is a testament to the rigorous assessment of English proficiency. He said, ‘It is crucial to thrive in an academic environment in the UK. This win is no doubt a great confidence boost for me to effectively communicate with and learn from my classmates and peers from all around the world once I head to the UK. This would not have been possible without the financial support from the British Council.’

Sue Yen Chong, the Regional Grand Prize winner from Malaysia, received multiple offers from UK universities and thinks that IELTS enabled her to accomplish her goals and embark on new challenges, ‘Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined winning a scholarship that would enable me to further my studies overseas. This prize means so much more to me than just relieving a financial burden, but helping me to bridge my aspirations and reality. I am extremely grateful to the British Council for granting me this priceless opportunity of pursuing architecture abroad.’

‘As an international English proficiency test, IELTS has grown its popularity with over 2.9 million of tests taken in 2016, and is now recognised by over 10,000 organisations, including universities, employers and immigration authorities worldwide.’ said Greg Selby, Director Examinations, Examinations Services, East Asia. ‘We are pleased that our wide international acceptance and the IELTS Prize are helping more students in East Asia to pursue further study overseas.’

As an IELTS official test centre, the British Council provides full support in preparing students for the IELTS test, including Road to IELTS, specially designed online practice materials for registered students, and the access to different preparation materials. Test sessions are organised at least three times a month for greater flexibility. For more details, please visit www.ieltsasia.org/my.

*The East Asia region includes Hong Kong/Macau, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Notes to Editor

About International English Language Testing System (IELTS) 

IELTS is the International English Language Testing System, the world’s most popular English language proficiency test with two million tests taken in the last year. Over 10,000 organizations trust and accept IELTS as a secure, valid and reliable indicator of true to life ability to communicate in English for education, immigration and professional accreditation. IELTS is jointly owned by British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment.

 About the test

Candidates are tested in listening, reading, writing and speaking. All tests are scored on a banded system from 1 (the lowest) through to 9 (the highest possible band score).

IELTS offers a choice of two versions, to serve both academic and non-academic purposes. IELTS Academic module measures English language proficiency needed for an academic, higher learning environment. The tasks and texts are accessible to all test-takers, irrespective of their subject focus. IELTS General Training module measures English language proficiency in a practical, everyday context. The tasks and texts reflect both workplace and social situations. The General Training module is suitable for immigration purposes to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.

We work in more than 100 countries and our 7,000 staff – including 2,000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the Arts and delivering education and society programmes.

We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A core publically-funded grant-in-aid provides less than 25 per cent of our turnover, which last year was £781m. The rest of our revenues are earned from services which customers around the world pay for, through education and development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations. All our work is in pursuit of our charitable purpose and supports prosperity and security for the UK and globally.