Minami Yamamoto – who majors in business administration at Sophia University in Tokyo - was one of nine young English language students from across Asia who was flown to the UK to take part in the final of the Best Young Speaker from Asia competition.

The final was held at Robinson College, Cambridge on 5 July and Minami and the other contestants gave two presentations in English and answered a series of questions put to them by an expert panel. Minami told the event organisers that being involved in the contest was a wonderful experience and said she was impressed by the motivation of the other contestants. She also said she’d liked to be seen as a role model for Japanese women who go abroad for their careers.

Simon Wright, from competition organisers University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) said:

"Minami proved she could use spoken English to a really high level and her performance in the final was very impressive. This level of skill will be a big help to her when she enters the workplace and I wish her all the best."

The winner of the Best Young Speaker from Asia competition was Sruthi Vijayachandran from India who won the first prize of an MBA scholarship from one of the event’s sponsors the London School of Business Finance.

See also:
• Asia's got (English language) talent (Cambridge ESOL, 30 May 2012)

View the original article here

Minami Yamamoto – who majors in business administration at Sophia University in Tokyo - was one of nine young English language students from across Asia who was flown to the UK to take part in the final of the Best Young Speaker from Asia competition.

The final was held at Robinson College, Cambridge on 5 July and Minami and the other contestants gave two presentations in English and answered a series of questions put to them by an expert panel. Minami told the event organisers that being involved in the contest was a wonderful experience and said she was impressed by the motivation of the other contestants. She also said she’d liked to be seen as a role model for Japanese women who go abroad for their careers.

Simon Wright, from competition organisers University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) said:

"Minami proved she could use spoken English to a really high level and her performance in the final was very impressive. This level of skill will be a big help to her when she enters the workplace and I wish her all the best."

The winner of the Best Young Speaker from Asia competition was Sruthi Vijayachandran from India who won the first prize of an MBA scholarship from one of the event’s sponsors the London School of Business Finance.

See also:
• Asia's got (English language) talent (Cambridge ESOL, 30 May 2012)

View the original article here

An English language teacher from Japan, who recently won the Cambridge English Competition 2011, has returned to his classroom in Aichi with some fresh approaches to teaching English.

Shunichi Sugiura was one of six English language teachers to win the competition, launched by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (ESOL) and Bell at the end of last year, which invited teachers from all over the world to submit inspiring English teaching stories.

Shunichi was awarded a trip to Cambridge this summer to attend a professional development course at Bell Teacher Campus, based at Homerton College, part of the University of Cambridge, for his winning project encouraging students to take part in classroom discussions in English about their own experiences of working part-time.

Since returning to his class at the Aichi Prefectual Toyohashi Nishi Senior School, Shunichi said: “I couldn’t believe I’d won the competition. Coming to Cambridge gave me a great insight and was very meaningful to me. I’ve learnt many new skills which I intend to share with my ambitious English students and colleagues working at my school in Aichi.”

Shunichi believes the classroom should be a place where students can empower themselves and acknowledged that exposure to English is a challenge for Japanese learners. Speaking about his winning idea, Shunichi said: “Classroom discussion materials can be really useful but they must be relevant and motivating. Many of my students are working part time so it was an ideal topic to generate some lively classroom discussion. This helped to encourage interaction between students which is really important when learning English.”

Cambridge ESOL’s Marketing Manager, Simon Wright said: “It was great to welcome Shunichi to Cambridge. By bringing together all of the winners in Cambridge, they were able to share their unique experiences with each other which is really beneficial to everyone involved. Teachers of this calibre all play an important part in helping to raise the standard of English around the world.”

See Also
• Cambridge ESOL website

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Cambridge ESOL’s Online Speaking Practice incorporates video footage of a real Cambridge ESOL examiner asking authentic exam questions. Students can record and share their answers with teachers and friends – and then compare their responses to videos of students giving sample answers.

“Online speaking preparation gives students a really great opportunity to practice their speaking skills," explains Cambridge ESOL’s Christine Nuttall. “Speaking is a very complex skill and often presents many challenges for the learner. We’ve used videos of real examiners to create as authentic an experience as possible for people preparing for the speaking test of Cambridge English: First.”

Online Speaking Practice covers the four different parts of the Cambridge English: First speaking test. It includes feedback on sample answers, useful tips from the examiner and information on how speaking tests are assessed on exam day. Cambridge English: First is at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – an internationally recognised benchmark of language ability. Christine Nuttall explains:

“Cambridge English: First is an ideal exam for people who need to use everyday written and spoken English for work and study purposes. It’s often used as a stepping stone to higher level tests such as Cambridge English: Advanced.”

Cambridge ESOL plan to extend the range of Online Speaking Practice to other Cambridge English exams in 2012.

See Also:
• Cambridge ESOL website

View the original article here