English Speaking Board (International) Ltd

Author: Liam Morton

  • It’s a boy! ESB baby arrives just after Mum’s successful assessment!

    Hilay Mohamad has to be one of ESB’s most dedicated learners – after going into labour during her assessment!

    When Hilay arrived at North London’s Stanmore College to begin her ESOL Skills for Life Entry 3 Award assessment, she gave no indication to Assessor Nicola Rose that she would be swept off to hospital to give birth as soon as her 29 minutes of assessment time were up.

    Said Nicola, “Hilay was a shining example of a dedicated ESB learner.  She spoke clearly and accurately in her assessment, despite the fact of her baby’s imminent arrival! Her composure and tenacity were truly inspiring and I’m delighted to say that she also passed her assessment with full marks. A successful day all round!”

    As soon as her assessment was over, Hilay and her husband Ibrahim rushed to Barnet Hospital to prepare for the birth of Abubakar Mohamed. Hilay says,

    I was nervous doing my assessment because I knew that I did not have much time! I’m very happy that Abubakar was born in excellent health and I passed my Entry 3 qualification!

    ESB sends its congratulations to both Hilay and Ibraham Mohamed on their new addition to the family.

    Baby Abubakar Mohamed

  • ESB has updated its Malpractice and Maladministration Policy

    English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. has updated its Malpractice and Maladministration Policy as part of its review process to ensure all procedures and practices continue to meet the required legislative and regulatory compliance.

    ESB is committed to taking all reasonable steps to present the occurrence of any malpractice or maladministration in the development, delivery and award of qualifications.

    You can access the Malpractice and Maladministration Policy here.
    You can access the Sanctions Policy here (p.10).

  • Czech learners find their voice in first ESB assessment

    prague school

    English Speaking Board (International)’s centres come in all shapes and sizes, from all over the world, but it’s not often we find ESB assessments taking place underneath a castle.

    Park Lane International School in Prague is unique as it stands tucked away beneath the walls of the city’s breathtaking castle, close to the historic Old Town.

    ESB Assessor, Julia Ward flew out to the Czech Republic to assess the learners, and was blown away by the talent and dedication shown by the youngsters in their presentations and poetry recitals.

    Says Julia,

    It was a delight to see the pupils carry out their ESB assessments with such confidence and skill, as well as hearing how much they enjoyed the experience afterwards!

    Siobhan Woodruff, English Teacher at the school says,

    Prior to the examination, the pupils were a bundle of nerves, but nobody would have believed that they were nervous when watching the actual presentations – they looked and sounded like supremely confident young adults.

    Please click here to see Park Lane International School’s website.

  • ESB is launching a new Speech pathways qualification

    English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. has improved the single unit ESB Level 2 Certificate in Speech (Grade 4) to give teachers and learners more options and flexibility to explore oracy in the classroom.
    speech pathways
    Speech Pathways

    Adding new pathway options will provide teachers with more options and the flexibility to explore oracy in the classroom in different contexts to suit the needs of their learners.

    ESB surveyed over 160 centres in relation to its portfolio of Speech qualifications. The results showed that schools would like greater choice for their learners and more opportunities for advancing their communication skills. ESB responded to this feedback by working on redesigning the ESB Level 2 Certificate in Speech (Grade 4).

    The updated and improved qualification will contain three exciting new units for teachers to choose from. Please click here to see these pathway options in full.

    The new options include using speech to inform an audience, for performance, or for employability. The addition of these pathways options were formulated to ensure ESB’s portfolio of Speech qualifications remain relevant and accessible to all learners. 

    ESB has begun piloting the pathways qualification in a number of centres to see how teachers and learners respond to the new options before its launch in September 2019.

    Effective communication is crucial for young people in achieving success in education, employment and life, and ESB strive to ensure every learner is given the opportunity to realise their potential through oracy.