Studying overseas has been a dream for many students in the Philippines. With an aim to connect people with learning opportunities, the British Council launched the IELTS Prize in 2011 and, since then, it has supported a total of 123 students in the East Asia region in entering universities worldwide. This year, 47 prize winners would be added to the list. The award presentation ceremony was held at the British Council office on 01 August 2015. Each of the local prize winners received a prize valued at Php140,000. The British Council also awarded five students in the East Asia region with an amount of £12,000 each, who will be entering their dream universities overseas to pursue further education.
'As an international English proficiency test, IELTS has grown its popularity with over 2.5 million of tests taken in 2014, and is now recognised by over 9,000 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.'
This year the British Council extended the IELTS prize to awarding five regional prizes to top prize winners in the East Asia region. All of the regional prize winners will be pursuing further study in the UK. Hong Seok Lee from Korea will attend the London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK for a bachelor’s degree in Politics and International Relations while Vu Dihn Hung from Vietnam will study the Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Nottingham University. Prethika Nair from Singapore, Riza Purnama from Indonesia and Cassandra Tam from Malaysia will study master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh, University College London and London School of Economics and Political Science respectively.
In addition to the regional competition, The British Council Philippines awarded three students at the local level. One of the local prize winners who will be studying at Bangor University, Ewygene Templonuevo commented that IELTS Prize enabled her to fulfil her dreams of studying abroad. She said 'Winning this year’s IELTS Prize is a great help to fulfil my dream of becoming a translator. My chosen field of study and career path needs exposure to foreign cultures and an immersion abroad which I can now accomplish. British Council IELTS continues to help students fulfil their dreams and thereby contribute to the betterment of our society and our nation.'
Yakov Jonathan Lerer, who will study at King’s College, shared his excitement and gratitude, ‘I’m so excited to have the opportunity to study in London! The British Council has been such a great help in this journey – from the earliest days of figuring out the application process to applying for the IELTS, and now facilitating the IELTS Prize. I am deeply grateful to the British Council for the award and all that it implies, and for the warm accommodation they give to test takers.’
As an IELTS official test centre, the British Council provides full support in preparing students in taking IELTS exams. Marie CDDYQA Jaya Rogel, one of the IELTS Prize winners who will be studying at Durham University found the One-Day Workshop helpful. She said 'I highly recommend the British Council IELTS Workshop to prospective test-takers. The workshop is a practical and enjoyable way to master the different parts and the general format of the test. The workshop I attended was facilitated by an experienced and engaging English language instructor, who shared a wealth of strategies and techniques for the listening, reading, writing and speaking tests.' British Council also provides Road to IELTS, a specially designed online practice material and access to the latest IELTS book in the IELTS Resource Centre for registered students. Furthermore, test sessions are organised three times a month, which give students flexibility for the most suitable sessions. For more details, please visit http://www.britishcouncil.ph/exam/ielts