English Speaking Board (International) Ltd

Category: Language

  • New Academic Year Welcome!

    A Message from our Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw

    I know that this year will continue with challenges and I wanted to let you know that we are open for business, including taking new bookings and supporting you with any queries you might have. I was in direct contact with a number of you over the summer term as were many of our team. You told us you really appreciated our personal contact and our straightforward processes in difficult times.

    For those who were involved in certificating learners in the spring and summer as part of Ofqual’s Extraordinary Regulatory Framework (ERF), I am sure you will agree, it was a great success (as you can see from these learners below taking their ESB assessments during lockdown). We managed to award almost 10,000 certificates to our learners, so they have the opportunity to progress their oracy and English language skills in this new academic year.

    As you may know Ofqual are currently consulting on an Extended  Extraordinary Regulatory Framework (EERF), with the outcomes due to be published imminently. The focus of the EERF is to allow assessments to take place in circumstances where ‘normal’ assessment protocols cannot be implemented due to social distancing restrictions, for example, or if there was a local lockdown. This means that you can make assessment bookings with confidence that they will be able to take place. Some of our learners used an adaptation model for their assessments in the summer term so we are well placed and practised to manage any adaptations that we may need this academic year.

    If you would like to discuss these proposals in more detail, please contact the Product Development team at product@esbuk.org. otherwise do please book as usual and communicate with our team if your centre has any restrictions that we need to manage with you to ensure your learners have their assessment.

    Tina Renshaw
    Chief Executive
    English Speaking Board (International) Ltd.

  • Welcoming our new centres

    Earlier in the year we welcomed two new exclusively licensed centres to our ESOL International family; Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

    Over the last few weeks, we have held webinars for over 60 teachers to introduce them to ESB International and our assessments.

    Our fabulous ESB representative internationally Fabiana Pica has led the webinars, hosted by our in-country colleagues Charlie Zdravchev in Bulgaria and Vesna Milevska in North Macedonia. Teachers have been given techniques for excellent classroom activities to enhance candidates’ speaking skills in these webinars.

     

     

     

     

    Tina Renshaw, Chief Executive, said:

    “Despite these difficult times, ESB International continues to support all our centres, as well as welcoming new international ones. Focusing on the future, we are currently piloting online ESOL international assessments.
    This work, with international e-assessment developers, will broaden the opportunities for learners accessing our assessments. Congratulations to all our colleagues leading ESB International’s implementation in Bulgaria and North Macedonia.”

  • ESB learners reaching their goals

    With Covid-19 still bringing many things to a standstill, we are excited to report that ESB International is open for business!

    Ofqual’s Extraordinary Regulatory Framework is enabling many of our centres to either see through their assessments in a new socially distancing format using technology or have their results calculated.

    Taking the Calculated Results route are many of our ESOL Skills for Life learners and our learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities taking our specifically designed qualifications. Our Speech learners have been offered the opportunity to go ahead with their assessments in an adapted format. Centres can choose to have their learners assessed by video conferencing, giving them the closest experience to their usual assessments. Alternatively, teachers can record their learners’ performances and submit the recordings to be assessed. Finally, learners can record their performances at home with their parents or guardians acting as amateur directors!

    Says ESB International’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw:

    I couldn’t be more pleased that these learners are still getting the opportunity to have their hard work rewarded. We have been in contact with more than 100 of our centres and their responses have been truly heart-warming. We are all finding new skills and new ways of working to make sure that our learners are not disadvantaged and that they receive the credit that they deserve.
    In preparation for our new adapted assessments, our assessors have been taking part in special training (socially distanced, of course!). We now have a team which is ready and raring to go and I am confident that the learners being assessed LIVE by video conference will enjoy the experience almost as much as when we visit them in person. Fortunately, with mobile phone and iPad cameras being so good these days, no special equipment is needed for those wishing to record themselves!
    We love getting out and about around the UK seeing our learners’ endeavour, energy and talent, but until we are able to do that again this is the next best thing and we are looking forward to making a big success of it!

    We would like to give a shout out to the following centres who will be calculating the results of their learners. They are:- Adult Learning Lewisham; Belfast Met; Bromley By Bow; Carwarden House School; City of Bristol College; College of North West London; Gateshead College; Joseph Chamberlain College; Liverpool Adult Learning Service; Sandwell College and Stanmore College.

    Our Speech centres who have elected adapted assessments include Bricklehurst Manor School; Ellowes Hall Sports College, Elms Studio; Queen’s Gate School, Weston College, Wilmslow Prep School, Maidstone Grammar for Girls, The Oratory Prep and private tutors David Purveur and Sally Arnold.

    Looking forward to a great set of results from you all!

  • Online learning resources pilot for Entry Level Writing

    ESB International is delighted to release a range of online resources for its ESOL Skills for Life learners to help them to prepare for their Writing assessment.

    ESB International has released pilot versions of online resources for the following qualifications:

    • ESB Entry Level Award in ESOL Skills for Life (Writing) (Entry 1)
    • ESB Entry Level Award in ESOL Skills for Life (Writing) (Entry 2)
    • ESB Entry Level Award in ESOL Skills for Life (Writing) (Entry 3)

    Pilot versions of resources for the following qualifications are in development and will be released shortly:

    • ESB Level 1 Award in ESOL Skills for Life (Writing)
    • ESB Level 2 Award in ESOL Skills for Life (Writing)

    These online resources have been designed as self-tuition and self-assessment tools for your learners to improve their English language writing skills in carefully levelled exercises that have been designed and tested by ESB experts.

    To access these resources, all you need to do is log in to your ‘My ESB’ hub and click on the ‘Online Resources’ tab on the left-hand side:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    From there, you are free to share the URL with your learners as these resources will offer assessment preparation that your learners can do from home. These resources cover a range of tasks that are included in the Entry Level Writing Mode, including:

    • spelling
    • form filling
    • punctuation
    • planning
    • sequencing

    These resources are still in the pilot stage, and we are planning further improvements to be released as soon as possible. There is a survey on our website that we invite both you as centre organisers and your learners to return to us with your suggestions for improvement.