Registration on for Trinity exams in English, The Hindu, Chennai 8-Jul-06

Objective of exams is to upgrade language skills of students

CHENNAI: Although the Trinity Examinations in English have been offered in India for only two years now, parents from small towns and semi-urban areas are showing great interest in it.

This is connected to the IT boom and the requirement for people with good communication skills, said Joe Tun Sein of Orient Longman Private Ltd., national manager for Trinity College, London, in India.

He says there is an increasing awareness about the importance of English proficiency for employability.

Clinton Rae, director of Languages Examinations, Trinity College, London, was in the city to talk to teachers about the Integrated Skills in English Examinations (ISE), a four-skill examination, and the Graded Examination in Spoken English (GESE).

Eligibility

The examinations are open to anyone seven years and above, and can be taken in about 40 centres across the country.

Mr. Rae said the objective of these exams is to upgrade the English speaking skills and standards of the language in schools. But, the examinations were also gradually being accepted as a test of proficiency in the language in universities in Europe, Central and Southern America, and China.

They examine half-a-million people every year. A UK-based examiner conducts each exam.

In India, the exams are conducted three times a year in February, September and November. Unlike IELTS and TOEFL, which are scores that need constant updating, the Trinity Exam results are not time-bound.

Orient Longman is concentrating on schools as, in India, the language isn't really taught in colleges.

Registration is currently open in Chennai for the examinations. The last date for the receipt of applications is September 10 for the GESE exam, which can be taken from November 8 to 11, and the ISE exam on October 18.

For more details, call Orient Longman Pvt. Ltd. at 044 - 28523346.