1. Listen to authentic English conversations: Listening to English conversations is one of the best ways to improve your listening skills. You can find authentic English audio and video materials on websites such as YouTube, TED, and BBC Learning English. Make a habit of listening to English conversations regularly and try to understand what people are saying.

2. Build your vocabulary: To become proficient in English, you need to have a solid vocabulary. A great way to learn new words is to use flashcards. Write down words and phrases that you come across and review them regularly. You can also use online dictionaries and thesauruses to look up new words. EnglishScore also has a short video with some tips for remembering new vocabulary.

3. Read English news and write summaries: Reading English news is a great way to improve your reading, writing, and vocabulary skills. Try to read English news regularly and write summaries of what you’ve learned. This will help you understand the language better and will also give you the opportunity to practice writing in English.

4. Understand your level with EnglishScore: Knowing your level of English proficiency is crucial in order to track your progress and set achievable goals. EnglishScore is a comprehensive English assessment tool that can help you assess your reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Download the app for free from the Google Play or Apple App Stores.

5. Join an English language course or group: Joining an English language course or group can be a great way to practice speaking and writing in English and to get feedback from a teacher or tutor. This will also provide you with an opportunity to meet other English language learners and exchange tips and advice. Look for online or in-person courses that suit your level and interests. Learn more about EnglishScore tutors and get your first lesson for $1.

In conclusion, learning English takes time and effort, but it can be an extremely rewarding experience. By listening to authentic English conversations, building your vocabulary, reading English news and writing summaries, understanding your level with EnglishScore, and joining an English language course or group, you’ll be well on your way to speaking English fluently. Remember, the key to success is consistency and dedication. Good luck!

However, our understanding of what is important in workplace communication has evolved over the years.

Previously there was a focus on the ‘native speaker’ as a model to aspire to, but this has since changed. In the last 10-20 years there has been a shift to ‘business communication skills’ and being strategic with language choices, with a focus on ‘getting the job done’.

Business English in today’s workplace

Technology has completely changed how we communicate. We now rely on a number of tools and technologies to collaborate with colleagues in real-time, such as video conferencing systems, web chat and messaging platforms.

To respond to this change and prepare people for success in the world of work, we’ve designed a writing test that simulates real-life scenarios in the digital workplace. 

Our Writing Test assesses key skills like grammar, vocabulary and text organisation and the ability to respond and interact appropriately to a variety of different tasks and contexts. 

Testing each of these skills in a variety of contexts provides a more accurate reflection of how people are expected to communicate at work today. 

Our new Writing Test is therefore based on three characteristics of good written communication needed to be successful in today’s workplace:

• Understanding the context and adapting to it
• Prioritising meaning over correctness
• Organising your writing so it is clear and concise

Understanding the context

The range of business scenarios and sectors, and therefore the types and styles of writing required, are vast and varied. 

This means it’s very difficult to create set rules or guidelines when it comes to business writing – in contrast to more familiar, ‘standardised’ writing scenarios such as academic essays. 

Because of this, the writer has to be able to recognise and adjust to the context – for example, the purpose of writing, the audience, and how it is being communicated. 

A web chat message to a colleague asking if they’re free for lunch has very different demands compared to writing a report to the board of executives summarising the year’s activities.

As well as this, writing conventions and expected approaches can vary between companies, and even within teams in the same company. 

So adapting to context is an important skill for any writer of English. Being too formal when the person you’re writing to is being very informal (perhaps through the use of emojis, or punctuation) risks a lack of rapport and communication breakdown.

Prioritising meaning

A traditional view of English proficiency focuses on grammatical correctness. 

In business writing, however, employees should focus on using the appropriate technical or general business-related vocabulary, while also being aware of the purpose and audience. 

For example, a global marketing message will aim to use simplified, relatively plain language for a global audience, whereas a technical report will have a smaller, more specialised audience. Therefore the use of technical jargon and specialised terms would be more appropriate (and less likely to cause confusion). 

This focus on strategy and adaptation vs correctness and adherence to a ‘native speaker’ model is further evidence of the shift that’s taken place.

Organising your writing

A sometimes overlooked aspect of writing is organisation or discourse, in particular ensuring that the message is clear, concise and can be easily understood. Just as in speaking, this contributes to the ‘voice’ of the writer as much as grammar and vocabulary can. 

The most commonly expected discourse pattern in business is linear and concise, with a clear progression of ideas and appropriate levels of supporting information. Texts which are circular or divergent may take longer to read or process. 

This is commonly referred to as coherence (does the text ‘hang together’ and make sense as a whole) and cohesion (are ideas signposted clearly through use of linkers and other discourse markers). A useful analogy is that of a house – think of coherence as the building and cohesion as the bricks and mortar that make up the building. 

A writing test for the digital workplace

The EnglishScore Writing Test is designed for real-world business communication. Our test uses a combination of AI and human marking to provide an accurate measure of writing skills in less than 24 hours.

To find out how we’ve built an accurate and reliable Writing Test that aligns with global frameworks for assessment, please read our validity report here.

In both Business English and General English, you need:

• The same four skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening
• A good understanding of grammatical structures and syntax
• The ability to use language in a variety of situations

However, there are aspects of Business English that are particularly important for effective communication in an increasingly global workplace that relies on English to get things done.

‘Communication’ vs. language ‘knowledge’

In the modern workplace, the focus is very often on communication – getting your message across clearly and concisely – rather than demonstrating a wide range of vocabulary or complex grammatical structures. 

Communicating clearly will help you complete tasks efficiently and effectively, as well as build rapport and trust with your colleagues and clients. 

A good example of this is the concept of ‘global comprehensibility’. This means how well you can be understood by people around the world when speaking. 

Global comprehensibility emphasises communication, over using a particular accent or trying to mimic an L1 speaker (or ‘first language’ speaker), which may not actually help improve communication with colleagues and clients.

Of course, there are times when knowing specific vocabulary is important (and expected). Knowing the right vocab can not only help you get your message across but also project a professional image. For example, project management has its own set of terms such as ‘deliverables, ‘blockers’ or ‘critical path’ – being able to use these terms appropriately will make communication that much smoother.

The importance of context

We commonly think of Business English as quite specific, but it actually covers a range of different language functions and situations. For example, the language used in presentations is very different to that used when making small talk with clients. 

Understanding this context when using any language is crucial. Linguists describe it as ‘socio-linguistic competence’. In the workplace, context takes on extra importance if the stakes are high such as when dealing with customers, or negotiating with other companies. 

So how does context affect the language choices we make? Take a look at these two written texts:

They’re both taken from a business context, but the language used is very different. We can understand the reasons for those differences by thinking about the who, the what, and the how:

The who

In the first text, this is clearly two colleagues, who know each other well, so they can use very informal, to-the-point language. In the second text, the job applicant doesn’t seem to know who exactly they’re writing to, so have used much more formal language.

The what

In the first text, it’s a routine, everyday question about who wants to have lunch. It‘s a very low-stakes request and the emoji reinforces this. In the second text, it’s a request for a job, so the power dynamics are skewed towards the Hiring Manager, and the stakes for the applicant are much higher. 

So the language changes to reflect this. It’s much more formal and follows a standard, expected model for this type of text.

The how

The first text is a webchat, where typically conversations are informal, to the point and the use of emojis is often encouraged. The second is a letter or email, and so there’s a fairly standard structure and set of conventions when writing this.

While every workplace has a different culture and bahaviour expectations, these two examples are designed to represent the breadth of contexts needed to effectively use Business English, and show the importance of awareness of context when using English in the workplace.

The role of authenticity

One of the key factors when creating Business English assessments (or any kind of learning materials) is that it is authentic. It should reflect the scenarios and content that test takers and students experience when using English in the workplace. 

This means both the content and the tasks need to be relevant. 

So the topics included in the questions need to be relatable and useful, and what we ask test takers to do with that content is the same or similar to what they do at work. 

For example, we don’t want to ask people to write a 500 word academic essay if they only use webchat to communicate with their colleagues at work. 

If a test is authentic, this increases motivation as there is a clear purpose and relevance for the test taker and gives them a reason to engage with the test and perform well.

How to certify English skills for employment

Employers will pay a premium for people with English skills in today’s globlalised workplace. 

EnglishScore is the English Test for employment, providing an accessible and user-friendly way to officially certify English proficiency. 

EnglishScore’s mobile English Test can be taken on a smartphone from anywhere in the world. There’s no upfront cost, no exam centres and no travel – just an accessible and convenient way to test and certify English skills for employment.

Want to see how EnglishScore can help you assess the English level of your students and staff? Click the button below.

The Ministry of Education and Training in Vietnam has set an ambitious goal under the National Foreign Languages Project to measure students’ level of English against CEFR-V every year and for all undergraduates to achieve Level 3 (B1) or higher by 2025. The aim of the project is to improve the standard of English language teaching, learning, and assessment in state primary and secondary schools, universities, and vocational training institutions throughout the country.

A 2021 research study by Can Tho University in Vietnam assessed whether this was an achievable target for students given the varying levels, motivations and exposure to English. The study found that it was achievable, but that English teachers and lecturers should help create better conditions for learning so students can gain the expected level. These include: 

• Upgrading online resources to be more user-friendly and making online assignments more aligned with Level 3 of the CEFR-V. 

• Making learning materials (in house-textbooks and supplementary materials) more attractive to help increase students’ motivation to learn English. 

We’ve been working with universities and English lecturers in Vietnam to help address some of these challenges. 

EnglishScore provides a user-friendly way to assess CEFR level

Since launching in Vietnam, EnglishScore has been partnering with universities and colleges across the country to help make English learning and testing more accessible to students. 

EnglishScore provides students with a user-friendly, convenient mobile test, to accurately assess English proficiency in accordance with CEFR.

Why our partners in Vietnam choose EnglishScore

The Government of Vietnam has set out to improve the standards of English teaching and assessment, with the overall goal of improving English communication skills among its workforce. EnglishScore has been supporting this journey, as the global test of English for the workplace.

EnglishScore uses layers of technology to provide a secure remote testing environment, which means universities can issue certificates that are accepted by thousands of organisations around the world. 

Here’s why our partners in Vietnam choose EnglishScore:

• British Council EnglishScore is a trusted assessment provider which uses the CEFR scale 
• Students can take the test on their mobile phones, which is convenient for them and helps with motivation
• Remote delivery helps save on administrative costs involved in in-person assessment

Become and EnglishScore Approved Partner

British Council EnglishScore is selecting education institutions in Vietnam to join its Approved Partner Programme. As an Approved Partner, you can administer EnglishScore tests to your students or staff and issue certificates based on the results. Find out more about our Approved Partner Programme and if you’re eligible to apply.

Since then, we have partnered with top-ranked universities, government departments and household-name brands like Pioneer Indonesia and Capella Ubud, Bali to help improve graduates’ English proficiency skills for future employment.

In a study which looked at the skills needed for the future (by 2030) in Indonesia, employers said digital skills and English language skills were the most important to develop, and a lack in these areas would limit youth employability in the future.

EnglishScore’s mobile test aims to bridge the gap between education and employment by making English assessment more accessible and affordable. The EnglishScore mobile test is used by over 5 million people globally, and hundreds of universities and organisations test and certify their students and staff through our partnership programme.

Partnering with top-tier universities in Indonesia

We have partnered with more than 60 universities in Indonesia, including some of the top 20 ranked institutions in the country (according to Scimago Institutions Rankings 2022), to help assess and certify the English level of their students.

Our university partners use EnglishScore for placement, monitoring progress, graduation, or all three and over 430,000 test sittings have been conducted in Indonesia to date.

Supporting government initiatives in Indonesia

EnglishScore is also working with the Indonesian government to support its plans to upskill students and teachers and improve the standard of education and employability of young people.

Perguruan Tinggi Negeri Pariwisata (PTNP): EnglishScore is working with the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf), which oversees six polytechnics, to upskill tourism graduates by helping them certify their English skills for future employment. 

In partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and hospitality industry experts from Traveloka and Capella Ubud, Bali, EnglishScore delivered a webinar on the skills young people need post-COVID to succeed in the hospitality and tourism industry. You can watch the full Hospitality and Tourism webinar here.

ICE-I edX: The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology provides scholarships for diploma, undergraduate and master’s degree students who take online courses at the Indonesia Cyber ​​Education (ICE) Institute. Students can now apply to the ICE-I edX Scholarship and use British Council EnglishScore’s trusted Professional Certificate as proof of their English proficiency.

Program Pendidikan Profesi Guru: This initiative involved using our mobile test to assess over 2,000 high school English teachers, with the aim of identifying teachers who required additional support and training. English teachers who successfully completed the programme will be awarded the title Gr (Profesi Guru).

Join EnglishScore’s global network of Approved Partners

British Council EnglishScore is selecting education institutions in Indonesia to join its Approved Partner Programme.

As an Approved Partner, you can administer EnglishScore tests to students or staff and issue co-branded certificates based on the results. 

Find out more about our Approved Partner Programme and if you’re eligible to apply by clicking the button below.

We were honoured to host Sandiaga Uno, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, who delivered the opening address, highlighting the need for reskilling and upskilling as well as continued collaborations between the public and private sectors.

Minister Uno gave an impassioned speech to the thousands of students and young people in attendance, drawing on his wealth of experience in building and creating jobs in the MSME sector and deep understanding of the inner workings of the hospitality and tourism industry.

Minister Sandiaga Uno said:

“The Ministry has formulated and implemented programmes and activities for reskilling and upskilling those in human resources and tourism. Collaborations between the public and private sectors further accelerate the recovery and make sure no one is left behind. In this regard, I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to British Council EnglishScore for their assistance to our tourism polytechnics.”

The workshop addressed current trends and technologies impacting the hospitality and tourism industry and featured expert insights from a panel including Mr. Nyoman Widiana, HR Director, Capella Ubud Hotel & Resorts Bali, Mr. Benedict Jodie, General Manager, Sheraton Lampung Hotel and Mr John Safenson, VP of Market Management, Accommodation, Traveloka. 

During the session, panellists shared their advice on how educators and trainers can help prepare graduates for jobs in these industries post-pandemic. The discussions centred on the importance of communication and digital skills and English proficiency and how innovation will play a central role as the industry builds resilience in the post-Covid era. See Media Indonesia’s coverage of the event here.

Tony Gunawan, Indonesia Country Manager at EnglishScore said:

“We were privileged to have the honourable Minister Sandiaga Uno deliver a passionate and informative address to a collection of students from EnglishScore’s Approved Partner Universities. 

“Tourism is one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors in the world, however, it is also one of the sectors most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are grateful to the panel of industry experts for joining and sharing their insight and learnings from the past couple of years, along with their advice for graduating students looking to enter the sector.”

We’re now selecting universities to join our Approved Partner Programme. This exclusive programme grants education institutions the ability to issue British Council certificates to their students, helping with employment opportunities into growing sectors such as Hospitality and Tourism. To watch the full webinar, click the button below.

The COVID-19 pandemic certainly increased the uptake of tech-based solutions designed to facilitate education and examinations, often remotely. Since then, universities and colleges across Latin America have seen the operational and cost benefits of digital assessments and are now looking to build on these learnings and innovate further.

English learning and certification is a key part of the curriculum in most Latin American education institutions. Since launching in the region in June 2022, we’ve partnered with universities across the continent looking for digital ways to assess English – for either placement, graduation, monitoring progress, or all of these combined.

EnglishScore is also set to help universities achieve their internationalisation goals by improving the English language skills of students, staff and faculties to become recognised internationally.

Here’s a selection of Latin American education institutions that have joined our Approved Partner Programme and are using our online, mobile test and certificates to adopt a secure and easy to integrate English assessment without the operational costs.

Join our Approved Partner Programme

British Council EnglishScore is selecting new Higher Education Institutions in Latin America to join our Approved Partner Programme.

We partner with universities and colleges to help them assess their student’s English proficiency using our mobile test – providing students with a respected certificate from the British Council to help them gain employment.

We also work with a number of businesses globally, including Welldex Logistics in Mexico, to streamline their recruitment and learning and development programmes. 

As an Approved Partner, you will have the authority to administer EnglishScore tests to your students or staff and issue certificates based on the results.

To see if your institution or organisation is eligible for EnglishScore’s Approved Partner Programme, click the button below.

Fairness is about making sure everyone has an equal chance to demonstrate their ability, regardless of gender, age, nationality or life experience.

Because EnglishScore is a truly global test, factors like this are vitally important to recognise and understand, to ensure our test is truly fair, valid and reliable.

And if a test is fair, test takers will be motivated and engaged, and therefore want to perform as well as they can. We use lots of different approaches to ensure our tests are fair – here are three examples of the kinds of things we do.

1. No background or specialist knowledge required

Take a look at this listening item and try to answer the question that follows:

What sport is the woman describing?

A: basketball

B: football

C: cycling

Although there are lots of clues to anyone who knows or follows football (Euros, World Cup, stadium, penalties, pitch, Wembley, Qatar) the item relies on this knowledge, and so wouldn’t be a fair question for those who aren’t interested in football or know nothing about it. 

When developing items, our writers and reviewers ensure that the question can be answered by anyone, regardless of background, nationality, or experience. 

This is particularly important for EnglishScore as a test of English for employment. We use lots of workplace language and scenarios in our test items to ensure they are authentic and represent the test construct. 

However, we also need to make sure that test takers who haven’t worked before, or work in different sectors, aren’t disadvantaged. And if test takers happen to be very familiar with a particular sector or role, we also don’t want them to have an unfair advantage. 

So although our items relate to workplace scenarios, they don’t assume test takers have specialist or technical knowledge to answer them.

2. Reducing bias in the Speaking Test

One of the unique aspects of the EnglishScore Speaking Test is the combination of AI and human scoring. 

This gives us the best combination of validity, reliability and fairness. 

We use AI scoring where it works well (for example, assessing pronunciation and fluency) and real people to score features of communication that are important in the workplace e.g. ‘Did they answer the question?’ or ‘Did I understand them?’

The EnglishScore Speaking Test uses 16 people to contribute to a test taker’s score from a range of different countries and backgrounds. Not only does this reduce bias (and therefore make it more fair) it also reflects the multicultural and multinational workplaces our test takers are working in.

3. Avoiding sensitive topics

Another important part of fairness is avoiding content that might be sensitive or upsetting for certain groups of test takers. This could be content related to gender roles, religion, socio-economic groups, age and ethnic groups.

As part of our item development process, all items go through a sensitivity review, carried out by a cross-cultural panel of experts experienced in analysing item content. 

The review process will either accept items, flag potentially problematic items that require revision, or ultimately reject items if they cannot be revised. Findings from this review also feedback into the item specification and training for item writers to support the continued validity, reliability and fairness of the test.

We want our test takers to perform to the best of their ability, which means they should stay motivated and engaged.

Overall, EnglishScore is designed for everyone – no matter their age, gender, ethnicity, belief or background. By taking steps to carefully create and review our test items, we aim to minimise bias, distractions and distress that could impact how people experience the test, or how they answer the questions.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how we’ve created an English test for the global workplace, you can find more information on our resources page.

Want to see how EnglishScore can help you assess the English level of your students and staff? Click the button below.

With a competitive job market and youth unemployment in Thailand hitting new peaks since COVID-19, there’s an increasing need to improve the qualification profiles of graduating students, to make them more employable in the global workplace.

Many education institutions are looking for convenient digital solutions which easily integrate into their current assessment processes to assess and track the English level of their students.

Institutions are using British Council EnglishScore to:

• Securely and accurately test students’ English levels remotely via the EnglishScore mobile app
• Instantly collect and measure test results from a personalised reporting dashboard
• Save on time and administrative costs of in-person English assessments (like room hire, marking and proctoring exams)

University and college partners in Thailand

Since launching in Thailand in late 2021, we’ve had an influx of prestigious universities and colleges across the country join our Approved Partner Programme. These universities are able to issue co-branded certificates endorsed and accredited by the British Council, which students can add to their CV, LinkedIn profile and future job applications. 

Some of the top-ranked universities in Thailand include the EnglishScore exam as part of their placement, progress and exit exam requirements.

EnglishScore partners with the Association of Private Colleges of Technology and Vocational Education of Thailand

In March 2022, with the help of the Department for International Trade, EnglishScore signed an MoU with the Association of Private Colleges of Technology and Vocational Education of Thailand (PVET). This partnership will facilitate the adoption of British Council EnglishScore in all 450 vocational colleges within PVET.

PVET, established in 1984 to promote Thailand’s private vocational education, is a professional association of private vocational schools across the country. It has around 333,000 students studying courses at Vocational Certificate and Higher Vocational Certificate levels in commerce, industrial technician and fine arts.

Students, educators and employees get certified with EnglishScore

Tens of thousands of students, English learners and employees across Thailand use EnglishScore to test and certify their English for employment. 

English teachers are also using EnglishScore to improve and maintain their own proficiency skills and stay on top of the latest innovations and trends in assessment. Here’s how Peach used her EnglishScore result to prove her English level to employers at the school where she teaches.

Become an EnglishScore Approved Partner

British Council EnglishScore is selecting education institutions in Thailand to join its Approved Partner Programme.

As an Approved Partner, you can administer EnglishScore tests to your students or staff and issue certificates based on the results. All results are stored and accessible from a personalised reporting dashboard.

Find out more about our Approved Partner Programme and if you’re eligible to apply.

The Department of Information and Technology Education, a division of the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Taiwan, is dedicated to providing digital solutions to make education accessible to everyone – regardless of location, or ethnic background.

To make students more employable in the global workplace, the government’s Bilingual Nation 2030 Plan is working with universities to help make half of graduates from participating institutions bilingual before 2030.

In line with this mission to democratise learning and improve the employability prospects of students in the global job market, EnglishScore is partnering with many universities across Taiwan to help students and staff develop and prove their English proficiency with a convenient digital solution – whether that’s for placement or monitoring progress. Furthermore, EnglishScore is now officially recommended by Taiwan’s MoE as a digital learning product.

In developing the Bilingual Nation 2030 Plan the MoE also collaborated with the British Council to better understand the current status of Taiwan’s bilingual education and provide a baseline for future planning and implementation strategies. In the plan, the Ministry explains the need for accelerating the development of bilingual higher education before 2030:

Students are faced with rapid globalization and digital technology, as well as intensifying competition with young people from neighboring countries. To secure good jobs and incomes after graduation, future university students in Taiwan will have to be able to keep pace with international developments in their field of expertise, communicate and collaborate with professionals from other countries, and even work in markets worldwide in line with the deployment of Taiwanese industries. All of these challenges will require a high level of English proficiency.

Here is a selection of the universities in Taiwan that have joined EnglishScore’s Approved Partner Programme.

A digital solution to English assessment

British Council EnglishScore is selecting higher education institutions in Taiwan to join its Approved Partner Programme.

We partner with universities and colleges to help them assess their student’s English proficiency using our mobile test – providing students with a respected and accepted certificate from the British Council to make them more employable, and help them get their next job.

We also work with a number of employers across the world to streamline their recruitment and learning and development programmes. 

As an Approved Partner, you can administer EnglishScore tests to your students or staff and issue certificates based on the results. All results are stored and accessible from a personalised reporting dashboard.

Would you be interested in finding out more about our Approved Partner Programme? See if your university or business is eligible by clicking the button below.