British Council recognises IELTS partners at Annual Forum

28 August 2015 07:00 am

The British Council recently held their annual IELTS Partner Forum at the Hilton Colombo Residences. 
The event was held in order to recognise the performance of the British Council IELTS Registration Centres across Sri Lanka. 
The British Council in Sri Lanka works with over 50 IELTS Registration Centres which include educational institutes, migration agents and IELTS tutors to increase access to the IELTS test around the country. Through the British Council IELTS Registration Centre network, customers can register for the test at several locations such as Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Matara, Negombo, KurunegalaAnuradhapura, Vavuniya, Batticaloa and Jaffna.Every candidate registering through their partners is eligible for the free study support offered by the British Council. 
Speaking at the event, Country Director of British Council Sri Lanka, Keith Davies, emphasised the importance of UK qualifications and the role the British Council plays in making these qualifications more accessible to Sri Lankans.  
ICBT Campus secured ‘Partner of the Year’ for the fourth consecutive time. Regional award winners included ICBT City Campus –Western Region, J.W.Gnanathilake – Southern Region, British College of English – Northern Region, and Headway School of Languages –Eastern Region. 
The event also saw the launch of 2 schemes -the British Council IELTS Scholarship Scheme for students and the ADDvantage scheme for partners. 
The British Council IELTS Scholarship Scheme is a programme aimed at IELTS candidates of the British Council hoping to study in the UK, USA and Australia. These scholarships are worth £3,000 each and will be offered to 3 students. The British Council IELTS Scholarship Scheme is to launch later this year. 
The ADDvantage scheme offered to partners includes a number of benefits including a membership certificate recognising the partnership, access to the British Council’s promotional material including posters, leaflets and brochures, a dedicated online IELTS registration facility through the British Council registration website and much more. 
Simon Creasey, Country Exams Manager, British Council Sri Lanka, said, “The demand for IELTS in Sri Lanka is very impressive, and has been driven by our extensive network of excellent test centres and by our registration centre partner network. 
For many, IELTS is a gateway to countries such as Australia, USA, Canada and the United Kingdom.”
IELTS is accepted by more than 9,000 organisations in over 145 countries and is the stepping stone to helping many young people achieve their aspirations. 
The British Council offers a range of study support free-of-charge for candidates who wish to take the IELTS test.  The support options include a practice workbook, a 30 hour online preparation course, an IELTS seminar and access to the English Learning Zone of the British Council library.