British Council in Hong Kong Announces 2018 IELTS Prize Winners

HONG KONG,Aug. 2,2018 -- Three outstanding IELTS test takers in Hong Kong have been selected as local prize winners of the British Council IELTS Prize 2017/18. The winners are Leong Yun-Rui Henna,Ng Pak-Chi Peggie and Sezto Wing-Shan Sandy. Winners attended a panel interview and were selected based on their organisation and communication skills,ability to talk about their dreams and aspirations,and insight into how they plan to contribute to their home country after their studies. Since the launch of the IELTS Prize in 2011,the award has helped more than 200 students in East Asia pursue their dreams of studying abroad. This year,30 local prize winners will be added to the list. Each of the local prize winners receives an award valued at HKD22,000. British Council also awards three regional prizes to top students in East Asia who will pursue higher education in their dream universities abroad in the coming September.

British Council IELTS Prize 2017/18 Hong Kong winners

One of the local prize winners,Ng Pak-Chi Peggie commented that IELTS helped her more than fulfilling the University entrance criteria. "Taking IELTS gives me a good idea of where I stand in terms of my language proficiency in the areas of writing,listening,speaking and reading. From my results I realised that my weakness lies in writing and I have started to prepare early by practising more. It will also be very useful when I apply for internships because IELTS is widely recognised by employers and schools."

Regional Grand Prize winner Dinda Royhan,an advocate of human rights and humanitarian actions,believes that IELTS enabled her to secure a place in one of the world's most competitive institutions to study her field. She notes,"After attending Bahasa Indonesian-medium public schools in Indonesia throughout my entire academic life,succeeding in the IELTS test boosted my confidence and affirmed my readiness to study abroad in English. My IELTS score significantly contributed to my successful Sciences Po application,helping me stand out from thousands of other applicants".

"Through the IELTS Prize,we are pleased to support more high-calibre individuals who demonstrate the potential to contribute to society as a result of their undergraduate or postgraduate study",said Steve Adams,Director Examinations,East Asia. "With over three million tests taken in 2017,IELTS is the world's most popular high-stakes English proficiency test,helping test takers realise their dream to study,work and live overseas. It is trusted and recognised by more than 10,000 universities,schools,employers and immigration bodies."

British Council provides full support in preparing students for the IELTS test,including its offering,Road to IELTS,a collection of specially-designed online practice materials for registered students,and access to a range of preparation materials,such as practice tests. For convenience,test sessions are organised at least three times a month,which gives test takers flexibility when selecting sessions that best suit them.To learn more,please visit www.ieltsasia.org/hk.

Notes to Editors:

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

IELTS is the International English Language Testing System,the world's most popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration with over 3 million tests taken in the last year. Over 10,000 organisations 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 Assessment English.

The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education,and provides IELTS testing in more than 800 locations in over 100 countries.

About the test

Test takers are measured in listening,reading,writing and speaking. All tests are scored on a banded system from 1 (non-user) through to 9 (expert user).

IELTS offers a choice of two tests,to serve both academic and non-academic purposes. IELTS Academic 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 measures English language proficiency in a practical,everyday context. The tasks and texts reflect both workplace and social situations. IELTS General Training is suitable for immigration purposes to Australia,Canada,New Zealand and the United Kingdom and Ireland.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We work with over 100 countries in the fields of arts and culture,English language,education and civil society. Last year we reached over 75 million people directly and 758 million people overall including online,broadcasts and publications. We make a positive contribution to the countries we work with-- changing lives by creating opportunities,building connections and engendering trust.

Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive 15 per cent core funding grant from the UK government. britishcouncil.org

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