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Those wishing to test their ability in spoken English might be interested in the examinations offered by Trinity College London.

Trinity, one of the organisations taking part in the Education and Careers Expo, does not teach but provides recognised independent examinations for students around the world in music, drama, speech and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL).

Adam Giles, Hong Kong-based national consultant for Trinity, says music examinations were Trinity's main area of activity until about five years ago, when the demand for English examinations started to take over.

'We have a few thousand music candidates, but I think English is the growth sector in this part of the world, as it is in most other parts of the world. English has rapidly overtaken music, especially in parts of Europe, Latin America and Asia,' says Mr Giles.

Trinity sends examiners from Britain to wherever there is demand, whether it is Argentina, Italy or Hong Kong.

'It is a completely unbiased system which, hopefully, lets you know how well you are doing, as compared with people in other countries.'

Students wishing to take a Trinity exam must enter through one of the 100 registered centres in Hong Kong, typically government and private schools. Each centre has to enter candidates in groups of at least 25.

Schools and other training institutions often co-operate with Trinity advisers in selecting the type and level of examination to aim for.

'Trinity has a syllabus. You can download it from our Web site [www.trinitycollege.co.uk/], but we do not teach. We provide a completely non-subjective assessment system,' Mr Giles says.

Increasing numbers of Hong Kong students are being assessed through Trinity's examinations, according to Mr Giles.

'About two years ago there were about 1,500 from Hong Kong and Macau, and last year there were 4,000. Now we are extending into the most populated areas of mainland China.'

Examinations are already being held in Beijing under a joint venture between Trinity and the Beijing Examinations Authority. Beijing uses the Trinity syllabus and examinations to improve teachers' proficiency in English. Trinity has offered special qualifications for teachers, including native English teachers, since the 1980s.

At the expo, Trinity will be promoting its English and music examinations to the Hong Kong student market.

'Our examinations come from a performing arts background. Our examinations are different in a number of ways. For example, a lot of exams mark you down when you get things wrong, but Trinity tries to emphasise marking you up when you get things right. It is an exam for what you can do, not what you cannot do,' Mr Giles says.

Trinity's ESOL examinations are oral. Once the student has presented a topic and had a chance to speak, the examiner will direct the conversation to those points of grammar with which the student may seem unfamiliar.

'This is a great exam if an employer wants to know what someone can do with English. It shows what the student can do at a certain level.'

Trinity's biggest country operation is in Italy, where its examinations have government approval and about 90,000 students enrol for English examinations every year. Spain also has a strong demand, with about 50,000 candidates a year.

Trinity examinations also play a role in the competition for places in Hong Kong's EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) schools. Last year, EMI schools began to formally recognise examination grades from Trinity and Cambridge, another major British examinations organisation, in assessing whether students are qualified to attend.

'A Trinity Grade 4 or a Cambridge fliers exam pass would be the minimum needed at the primary level,' Mr Giles says.

'Trinity has a series of 12 exams which you can take at any age, whereas Cambridge has a specific set of children's exams - starters, movers and fliers, which are very non-exam in style.'

A Trinity Grade 4 would allow a student admission into an EMI school, but some popular schools demand a Grade 5 or a pass in a Cambridge Key English Test.

'We have gone a step further and recommend a Grade 6 for the very top schools,' Mr Giles says.



Testing English and musical skills has British examiners on the move