British Council IELTS celebrates achievements and shares plans for expansion for 2023

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The British Council held its first in-person IELTS Partner Gathering since the pandemic, inviting its valuable partners to celebrate their 2022 achievements through a star-inspired British icons theme in line with the organisation’s 45th anniversary in the Philippines. More than a hundred guests representing 35 partners from all over the country gathered in this much anticipated annual event.

The whole day affair began with professional development opportunities for partners. Managers, owners and administration staff joined for a session on influencing from the Corporate English Solutions courses of the British Council. IELTS teachers joined a hackathon on developing impactful lesson plans, learning how they can better support test takers through innovative approaches.

The highlight of the whole-day affair was the culminating event, where partners received recognition for their achievements over the past year. Through the years, British Council’s partners have vastly contributed to opening global opportunities for many Filipinos through The International English Language Test System (IELTS), the world’s most popular English language proficiency test.

“During the pandemic, we only had the chance to recognise our partners virtually. It feels different to have physically everyone together to celebrate our partnership. We value our relationship, and tonight, we renew our commitment to continually work together in facilitating opportunities for Filipinos to achieve their dreams and aspirations,” said Mike Cabigon, Exams Business Development Manager of the British Council.

Partners of the Year recognition were given to BS Migration and Visa Processing Services, CEVAS Language Centre, De Jesus-Beltran & Co. World English Inc., English Language Academy, EPro Training Centre, Ilocos IELTS Review Center, NR IELTS Review Center, Relicus Learning Hub and Universal Immigration Services Inc.

9.0 Niner IELTS Review Center received the 2023 National Partner of the Year distinction. Founder and CEO, Ervin Nil Temporal, shares, “On behalf of 9.0 Niner’s 52 IELTS review centres and 8 IELTS testing centres, I would like to thank the British Council for recognising us as the National Partner of the Year. We dedicate this award to all our partners and to all Filipino dreamers who aspire to study, work, and live abroad.”

Since March 2023, the British Council has opened seven partner computer test centres with 9.0 Niner. More partner testing centres will be opened later this year.

Samantha Smith, Regional Examinations Manager for Southeast Asia, who’s joining the event for the first time remarked how honoured she is to be welcomed with such warmth from partners. “I am amazed at the diversity (and artistic talents) of our Filipino partners. At the core of the British Council is a mission to build shared cultural understanding between the UK and the Philippines and these partnerships help us build that. We are truly grateful for their trust and support, especially as we look forward to making IELTS more accessible to more Filipinos hand in hand,” she adds.

The British Council continues to make IELTS more convenient to Filipinos with its 17 IELTS on computer and 20 IELTS on paper test locations, with more test centres slated to open this year. The organisation also recently launched IELTS Ready: Premium, a free preparation platform exclusive for British Council test takers. The platform features practice tests and access to live online classes, powered by Guided e-Learning (GEL), a leading provider of digital learning based in London.

For announcements and updates about IELTS, check out the official social media account of IELTS British Council Philippines on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about IELTS on  www.ieltsasia.org.

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2022–23 we reached 600 million people.

In 2023, the British Council in the Philippines is marking our 45th anniversary, celebrating our commitment to building connections between the UK and the Philippines through our work in education, arts, English, and exams. (www.britishcouncil.org)