Friday 10 January 2014

 

British Council IELTS 25th Anniversary Scholarship 2014 opens for applications

Take IELTS and win up to £25,000 scholarship

In celebration of IELTS’s 25th anniversary, the British Council extends the IELTS scholarship to the East Asia region for the first time in 2014, increasing the amount of individual scholarships of up to £25,000. Since its launch in 2011, the British Council IELTS Scholarship has been well received by Hong Kong students pursuing further education.  In the past three years, a total of 14 students succeeded in entering their dream universities in different countries including the UK, USA and France with the help of the scholarship, each of which was valued at HK$22,000. 

“IELTS is an international English proficiency test that puts people first, and there is no better way of underlining this than helping more people realise their aspirations and access to international educational opportunities,” says Greg Selby, Director of Examinations British Council, East Asia. “To celebrate our 25th anniversary, we are launching the British Council IELTS 25th Anniversary Scholarship 2014 in 12 cities across East Asia, awarding a total of 57 local scholarships worth £2,500 each, and 3 regional scholarships worth £25,000 each, to individuals pursuing further education either locally or overseas.”  

One of the 2013 IELTS scholars, Wong Hiu Sin, who is studying for a Master of Children’s Literature degree at the University of Roehampton, UK, commented, “IELTS offers a comprehensive way to evaluate candidates’ English ability.  It is widely recognised by international institutions, as well as employers from the government and commercial sectors.  Not only did it help me get into my desired university, it also provides a reliable indication to my potential employers about my English ability, which is much needed when I work overseas.”

2012 IELTS scholarship winner Chiu Pui Chung, who is studying Economics at the University of Chicago, said, “One of the greatest advantages of taking the IELTS test is its high level of recognition amongst academic institutions around the world. It gives me the flexibility to apply for university places in both the UK and USA with only a single test result.”

The British Council IELTS 25th Anniversary Scholarship 2014 is open for applications from now until 31 May 2014.  The top three scholars in the East Asia region (includes China, Hong Kong & Macau, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam) will each receive £25,000, and up to three students in Hong Kong/Macau will each receive £2,500. The scholarship will go towards tuition fees of the scholars’ chosen courses. 

The British Council IELTS Scholarship aims to award outstanding students who have career aspirations and demonstrate the potential to contribute to society what they have gained from their undergraduate/ postgraduate study experience locally or overseas. 

Candidates currently living in Hong Kong or Macau who will begin undergraduate/postgraduate study in 2014 at a higher education institution that accepts IELTS as part of its admission requirements are eligible to apply.  They must have taken their most recent IELTS test at the British Council, with a minimum band score of 6 in each of the four component parts of the test. Winning candidates must be able to provide an acceptance letter from the attending institution.

Notes to Editor

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 8,000 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.

About the British Council

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.

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.