New learning hub to assist overseas-bound Pinoys

The British Council recently opened its new learning hub in Taguig City to assist overseas-bound Filipinos taking English proficiency exams.

Nicholas Thomas, country director of the British Council, said the new facility, located at The Curve in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, offers a wide range of services to help takers of English tests, particularly the International English Language Testing System or IELTS achieve their desired scores.

The British Council coowns IELTS.

“We want to give our test takers access to high quality content and services much of it for free, to help them prepare for the test to achieve the best possible score in IELTS and unlock more opportunities for themselves,” Thomas said.

The British Council offers their IELTS test takers a free two-hour seminar prior to the exam. The orientation provides attendees with an overview of the test, the different test sections, and tips and techniques to achieve their desired band score.

David Akast, British Council test manager for East Asia, noted Filipino IELTS takers did not perform well in the written section.

At the new facility, the British Council offers the IELTS Exceed Writing Workshop to address common mistakes in the written exam.

It has a library where British Council IELTS-registered test takers can have unlimited access to IELTS books, practise test materials, audio CDs, and other resources.

Non-registered test takers may also avail of the services for a fee.

According to the British Council, tens of thousands of people globally take IELTS to fulfill requirements for employment, study or migration to English-speaking nations like United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, US and Ireland.

In 2017, more than three million people around the world took the IELTS.

Ian Cortez, head of partnerships and new business at the British Council-Philippines, said over 10,000 organizations recognize IELTS worldwide.

IELTS provides a valid and accurate assessment of the four language skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking.

It uses nine-band score to identify the proficiency level of takers from non-user (band score 1) to expert (band score 9).

IELTS results, however, expires if not used for application for study, work or migration within two years.