Recently, the IELTS official released the 2023 Global IELTS Score Report. The data shows that in 2023, the average total score of mainland Chinese candidates for IELTS Academic is 5.9. The overall proportion of the 7.0 points takes up 9.7%, and candidates who achieved 7.5 or above is less than 1%.

In contrast, the students of China (Hong Kong) English School (CHES) have achieved quite excellent results again. For example, two students, Lam Ho Sam (now in senior one) from junior three and Mok Lillian (now in senior two) from senior one, both scored 8.0. There are also many students such as Zheng Shiyu, Kee Kai Ming, and Gao Yueming who have scored above 7.0. For the top 100 famous universities abroad, the general requirement for IELTS is 6.5 points (some top-ranked famous schools require more than 7.0).

Ms Dai, the director of the English department of the school, introduced that the IELTS test (International English Language Testing System) is the world's first English test that assesses the candidates' English proficiency in four aspects: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. It is also an important "stepping stone" to the world's top universities. "These students who get high scores in the IELTS test can devote their energy to learning other professional subjects. For example, among the students who got high scores this time, Kee Kai Ming and Mok Lillian both got all A* in the their three subjects of the Cambridge IG test. Zheng Shiyu got A*AAAA in the Cambridge AS test, and Gao Yueming got all A in five subjects."

Mok Lillian: With good English grades, one can have more energy to learn professional courses

16-year-old Mok Lillian used to study at a well-known middle school in Hong Kong. As there was no boarding department, she has always lived under the protection of her parents. Two years ago, in order to train her independence and ability to interact with classmates, after visiting the school and seeing the campus by themselves, her parents sent her to Zhongshan City and she became a boarding student at CHES.

"When I first came here, I was in junior three. After these two years, my ability to take care of myself in life and get along with classmates has greatly improved. The classmates here are also very interesting and enthusiastic." The good campus atmosphere made Mok Lillian quickly integrate into the class, and her academic performance has improved rapidly. She got 8.0 points in the IELTS test, surpassing nearly 99% of candidates in mainland China. The advantage of getting a high score in IELTS is that she can devote more energy to learning other subjects. She took three subjects in the Cambridge IG test, and all her grades are A*.

At present, Mok Lillian is in the business class of senior two. Her dream is to enter the University of Hong Kong and undertake the business-related majors.

Kee Kai Ming: Try to create an immersive English environment for oneself

Born in Malaysia, Kee Kai Ming is also a senior 2 student, but he studied science courses. Growing up and living in Zhongshan with his family, he has been studying at CHES since grade one and receiving bilingual teaching. In junior high school, foreign teachers provided listening and speaking training specifically for the IELTS test. Therefore, like his classmates, he has laid a solid language foundation.

For domestic non-English schools, many college graduates find it difficult to even achieve 6.5 in IELTS. In order to smoothly pass the language barrier, Kee Kai Ming's secret is to place himself in an English language environment as much as possible. "For example, my mobile phone system is set to be all in English. Whether it's news apps or music apps, they are all in English. Moreover, when I chat with classmates in class, I also try to use English as much as possible. In addition, I also like to exercise my English listening and speaking abilities through film and television programs. I am relatively fond of watching funny movies and American TV dramas."