New IELTS centre for computer-based test

WITH up to 78% of Malaysians opting to take the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) digitally, the nation has become one of the top three countries for the IELTS on Computer (IoC) preference in the East Asia region.

This, in turn, has seen a high number of IoC test venues being set up nationwide.Joining the offerings is the new IoC flagship test centre launched at British Council Kuala Lumpur recently.

Open up to six days a week, this latest addition has the capacity to accommodate up to 500 test takers weekly.

It also allows IoC test takers to obtain results within three to five days after the test date.

According to British Council East Asia exams director Steve Adams, IoC test centres are available in 11 major cities and towns nationwide, while IELTS on Paper (IoP) is available in six major cities in Malaysia.

“We provide convenience to our test takers so that they do not have to travel far to take their IELTS tests, and they can save time for better preparation and get a better score,” he said in a press release.

British Council Malaysia director Jazreel Goh said the IoC test centre at British Council Kuala Lumpur has modern facilities and state-of-the-art audio equipment that will help test takers take the test with confidence and in comfort.

“The British Council is also currently providing free access to ‘Road to IELTS’, our online self-study preparation resource for IELTS test takers, with 100 exercises, nine tutorial videos, webinars and two practice tests for each of the four skills: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking,” she said.

At the launch of the flagship centre on Aug 24, attendees comprising British Council partners, stakeholders, test takers and the public were given a chance to experience an IoC familiarisation test, as well as obtain results for their Listening and Reading sections for free.

They were also invited to join workshops on the four skills tested in IELTS, with effective test-taking tips and techniques, in addition to learning more about the British Council’s preparation resources.

IELTs is an English language proficiency test for those who plan to study abroad, migrate or work overseas.

Test takers pursuing an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in any chosen discipline at a higher education institution can enter the annual British Council IELTS Prize competition and stand a chance to win scholarships worth RM45,000.

Another scholarship offered by the British Council is the United Kingdom government’s GREAT scholarship worth £10,000 (RM51,953).

It is open to students who are pursuing a one-year postgraduate course at any UK university.

The British Council IoC can be taken in Penang, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Johor Baru, Kuching, Sibu, Miri, Kota Kinabalu and Melaka.