This Monday, 160 middle and high school students from different establishments gathered at Sainte-Marie College in Chartres, with one goal: to obtain their English diploma from Cambridge.
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Agnieszka Vignol, at the origin of the initiative and English teacher at Sainte-Marie explains:
“For two days, the students, who have followed meticulous preparation for nearly a year, will have to validate their level. Examination sessions have been held in our premises for just ten years. “
Agnieszka Vignol (English teacher)
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How is the competition going?
Four major events await the participants:
- two comprehension tests, written and oral,
- two expression tests, also written and oral.
“To obtain their diploma, students from the 4th year on must have just 70% of the answers,” says Agnieszka Vignol. For younger people, validation is more affordable. They are evaluated in relation to a number of stars obtained. “
IND students in Chartres participate in a competition organized by the American universities of Yale and Harvard
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What are the benefits for the pupils?
For the professor, who is part of the team preparing young students, obtaining this diploma can make the difference in a student’s course:
“Today, to enter an engineering school, you must have at least level B1 *. This exam is an additional line in their Parcoursup profile, because external certification is taken into account more than the marks obtained in the baccalaureate. “
Agnieszka Vignol (English teacher)
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In the waiting room, or rather the “Candidate’s waiting room”, some are more stressed than others. This is the case of Laurine, 13: “I’m trying to evacuate. Even though my parents pushed for me to enroll in the preparation, I know that this degree can be important for my future. In front, Paul and Clément, who plan to become respectively veterinarian and auctioneer, are more relaxed. “We decided to go for talent,” agree the two second students.
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In front of them, in the next room, two British professors from the AECALE association – an examination center approved by the Department of the University of Cambridge – are waiting for them.
Alison Mella, AECALE Examiner, says:
“It’s one of the most respected exams in the world. It’s not a test like the Toeic [Test of English for International Communication]. The correctors are professors practicing at the University of Cambridge. “
Alison Mella (examinatrice)
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In front of the teachers, the students have ten minutes to convince.
A recognized examination, therefore, for growing success. “The first year, there were only twenty students registered for the preparation, underlines the professor of the college, Agnieszka Vignol. Today, ten years later, more than 160 of them want to validate their English diploma. ”
*: level B1 is the third at European level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). At this level, the person is called “Independent user of the language”.
Jéraud Mouchet
[email protected]
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