British Council emphasises the importance of obtaining quality support for IELTS preparation at the IELTS Partner Forum 2013

The IELTS Partner Forum organised by the British Council was held recently at the Dukes Court Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo. The event was organised in order to recognise the contribution made by British Council IELTS registration centres across Sri Lanka including Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Matara, Batticaloa, and Jaffna. The forum engaged in a panel discussion on the ‘Challenges of IELTS in Sri Lanka’, with an eminent panel from the British Council comprising English Language Teaching professionals and Exam Administrators from Sri Lanka and the South Asia region. The panel discussion was facilitated by Harriet Gardner, Country Exams Manager, British Council Sri Lanka. A number of misconceptions around IELTS were discussed and delegates explored how stakeholders, including teachers of IELTS, can help support IELTS candidates in preparing better for the test, with the support British Council materials and services.

British Council IELTS registration centres provide customers with the opportunity to register for the test across the country, and customers are eligible for the same benefits and study support they would have received if they registered directly with the British Council.

At the award ceremony, the top award for the year went to ICBT campus for the second consecutive year. Regional winners included Unex Language Academy, Headway School of Languages and British College of English. The award for individual contribution was given to MR J W Gnanathilaka of the Southern Region.

Speaking at the event, Country Director, Tony Reilly emphasised the importance of UK qualifications and the role the British Council plays in making these qualifications more accessible to Sri Lankans.

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the world’s most popular high stakes English language test, used mainly for academic study abroad and migration. It enjoyed 12% growth globally in 2011.

The British Council offers a range of study support free of charge for candidates who wish to take the IELTS test. The support options include a practice workbook, a 30 hour online preparation course, an IELTS seminar and access to the English Learning Zone of our British Council library.

For further details of regarding IELTS please visit http://www. britishcouncil.org/srilanka or ‘like’ the British Council IELTS Facebook page for instant updates: www.facebook.com/ IELTS.BritishCouncilSriLanka