M’sians win big in IELTS prizes
KUBERAN Hansrajh Kumaresan applied for the International English Language Test System (IELTS) Prize because he found it to be one of the fairest scholarships available to students.
“It welcomes applicants from all backgrounds, courses and institutions alike. After reading many online articles about past IELTS Prize winners, it became rather obvious to me that the British Council is a truly incredible organisation to be affiliated with and that they would support my learning in ways that transcend just financial help,” said the first place winner for the IELTS Prize in Malaysia.
The 18-year-old received the award, alongside two other local prize winners Julia Chin, 18, and Zulaiqa Mohamad Riduan, 25 ( pic).
These three outstanding test-takers from Malaysia who received a total of GBP15,000 (RM80,228) are part of 29 winners in East Asia who were awarded the IELTS Prize 2019/20.
Among these 29, the top three students in East Asia were awarded regional IELTS Prizes.
Commenting on her award, regional grand prize winner Hyunah Kim, 29, said: “Studying in the United Kingdom (UK) is something I want to achieve, and I wasn’t going to let the recent disruption stop that. Now I am heading to the UK to study at the London School of Economics. Receiving the IELTS Prize will help me fulfil my education and career ambitions, and it gives me a lot more certainty, at what is a very uncertain time.”
Since 2011, the British Council IELTS Prize (East Asia) has enabled more than 270 IELTS test-takers to pursue their studies around the world, including the UK, the United States, Canada and Australia.
The British Council received over 1,400 applications and interviewed over 100 high-flying individuals, who not only excelled at their IELTS test, but explained their intentions to contribute to society locally or abroad after their studies.
The 29 talented students from across East Asia will receive a share of GBP187,000 (RM985,000) prize fund to help them realise their international study ambitions. British Council East Asia director examinations Steve Adams said: “The IELTS Prize recognises those high-performing students who demonstrate the academic excellence and commitment to excel during international study.
“More importantly, they show the determination to take what they learnt during their time abroad and use it to benefit their communities when they return home. It is our privilege to help these talented individuals make their mark in the world that is rapidly changing. International study is one way they can prepare themselves to thrive in the future.”
This year, due to the Covid-19 situation, in order to cater for students’ changing plans and to better support their study dreams, the British Council extended the IELTS Prize eligibility to those deferring their studies into the next academic year 2021/22. For details, visit