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The following is issued on behalf of the University Grants Committee:
The University Grants Committee (UGC) today (July 31) announced the results of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) taken by final year students of UGC-funded undergraduate degree programmes under the 2006-07 Common English Proficiency Assessment Scheme (CEPAS).
Almost 10,000 final year students, or about 66% of all full-time and part-time undergraduate final year students, participated in the scheme in 2006-07. This represents an increase of about 3%, in terms of number of participants, as compared with last year.
The average overall score is 6.67 on a nine-point scale. About 87% of the students obtained a score in the 6.0ˇV7.5 range, which means they are "competent" or "good" users.
Among the four modules of the system, students, on average, did better in "reading" and "listening", scoring overall 7.22 and 7.03 respectively.
Breakdowns of candidates' average scores by broad academic discipline and by institution are attached at Annexes A and B. Comparisons of the overall average scores in 2005-06 and 2006-07, broken down by broad academic discipline and by institution, are attached at Annexes C and D.
Commenting on this round's results, Chairman of UGC Mrs Laura Cha May Lung said, "We are encouraged to have a record high number (almost 10,000) of final year students participating in the scheme, and pleased to note that the test results demonstrate the majority of the graduates who took the test are 'competent' or 'good' users, which is the level required by many employers and overseas academic institutions."
"CEPAS is a voluntary scheme. An increasing number of students participating in the scheme shows studentsˇ¦ confidence in their English abilities and their recognition of the value of CEPAS. The scheme is at the same time attracting more recognition from society. In addition to the Civil Service Bureau, more professional and employer bodies have accepted International English Language Testing System results for recruitment purpose. We shall continue to promote the CEPAS targeting at employers, students, as well as the wider community," she said.
Forty-four testing sessions were held from July, 2006, to May, 2007. For the 2007-08 round of CEPAS, the registration period began on April 3 and will continue until October 19. Students may use the online registration service by visiting the CEPAS website (www.ugccepa.com). Summer testing sessions will continue to be offered from July to October to facilitate both students and employers.
The UGC encourages all final year undergraduate students of UGC-funded degree programmes to participate in the scheme. Test fees will continue to be reimbursed (once only) if students agree to reflect their participation in CEPAS in their transcript. The actual test score however will not be shown. Those who wish to obtain more detailed information may visit the CEPAS website, call the IELTS hotline at 2620 0321 or contact the Registrar's Offices of their respective institutions.
CEPAS is a voluntary assessment scheme intended to encourage students to be more aware of the importance of proficiency in English and to provide a common framework for assessing and documenting graduating students' English proficiency. IELTS has been adopted by UGC as the Common English Proficiency Assessment since 2002-03. Through the assessment, the UGC aims to benchmark the English proficiency of local university graduates against a reliable, internationally validated instrument, which will serve as useful reference for students when they enter the workforce after they graduate or when they pursue further studies.
IELTS is an internationally validated English testing instrument, and is jointly managed by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, the British Council and the IDP Education Australia. In recent years, more than 700,000 candidates have taken the IELTS test annually around the world. Its results are reported on a band scale from 0 to 9. Overall band scores, listening and reading scores are reported in whole and half bands; writing and speaking scores are reported only in whole bands. Candidates scoring Band 6 are considered competent users who have a generally effective command of the language, despite some inaccuracies, while those scoring Band 7 are considered good users who generally handle complex language well.
An overall band of 6.5 or above with no subtest score below band 6 obtained in the same sitting in the Academic Module of IELTS within the two-year validity period of the test are accepted as equivalent to "Level 2" result in the Use of English paper of the Government's Common Recruitment Examination.
Ends/Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:01
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