These are difficult exams, which students have been preparing for since September. There are five papers (speaking, listening, reading, writing, use of English), and the students need to get a minimum of 60% to pass.
Sometimes I think that both teachers and students spend too long on worrying about how to pass the exam rather than how to be better at English. However, that might be because I never liked exams when I was at school!There is no doubt that having an exam at the end of a course does motivate most students - and that must be a good thing.
Of course, it's true that our courses and these exams really can make a difference to someone's life. This week I received a lovely email from an old student in response to this blog. Anne (or, Nanou, as she was called), was at the school nearly 10 years ago. She wrote to say that she is working now as a Clinical Research Associate in Paediatrics in Paris. Nanou took the highest Cambridge exam and tells us, "I must say that it was my English that really made the difference when I was hired ... So thank you very much. It's partly thanks to you and the school that I have a great job I really like!"
Thanks Nanou!
Hopefully, over the next few years we'll hear some success stories about the students who are sitting their exams this week.
Regards,
Stuart Rubenstein
