British Council IELTS launches the 1001 Ways mobile application and celebrates the diversity of the English language
Developed by British Council IELTS and is available on both AppStore and Google Play, 1001 Ways is a new application that celebrates the world’s accents and the universality of the English language.
With short videos and a unique message—There are 1001 ways to speak English—this fun and educational application gives users the chance to become accent experts by guessing the accents of inhabitants of different regions of the world. Users can also record and share their own accents to be part of the quiz.
The application is part of British Council IELTS’s aim to celebrate the differences in accents that can often confuse English language test candidates. It wants to show them as an asset to the English language and tell the world that command of English is the gateway to a world of opportunities. The IELTS test takes candidates’ different accents into account and, in its listening tests, offers audio materials that illustrate this diversity.
The 1001 Ways application is also part of a global multi-channel campaign launched in April 2014 and rolled out in over 25 countries on five continents. This major image and awareness campaign emphasizes the universality of English as the language of communication and the diversity of its spoken expression.
About International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
IELTS is the International English Language Testing System, the world’s most popular English language proficiency test with two million tests taken in the last year. Over 9,000 organizations 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 English Language Assessment.
About the test
Candidates are tested in listening, reading, writing and speaking. All tests are scored on a banded system from 1 (the lowest) through to 9 (the highest possible band score).
IELTS offers a choice of two versions, to serve both academic and non-academic purposes. IELTS Academic module 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 module measures English language proficiency in a practical, everyday context. The tasks and texts reflect both workplace and social situations. The General Training module is suitable for immigration purposes to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.
We work in more than 100 countries and our 7,000 staff – including 2,000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the Arts and delivering education and society programmes. In Hong Kong, we have been doing this since 1948, giving people opportunities to learn, share and connect worldwide.
We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A core publically-funded grant-in-aid provides less than 25 per cent of our turnover, which last year was £781m. The rest of our revenues are earned from services which customers around the world pay for, through education and development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations. All our work is in pursuit of our charitable purpose and supports prosperity and security for the UK and globally.