It HELPS to be bold when learning to speak English, according to two law students who scored maximum points in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) this year.
More than 9,500 final-year university students - 64 per cent of all final-year undergraduates - joined the 2005/06 Common English Proficiency Assessment Scheme funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC).
The voluntary assessment scheme encourages students to improve their English proficiency and provides a framework for assessing their standards.
The committee has adopted the IELTS, which is valid worldwide, since 2003. It is divided into four papers: reading, listening, writing and speaking.
This year's average score was 6.67 on the nine-point scale, up from 6.64 last year. About 88 per cent of the students obtained between 6 and 7.5 points, which means they are 'competent'
or 'good'.
