12/11/2015
Girls outperform boys in English language proficiency, but the difference may be negligible, according to a new study from Cambridge Assessment English. The research looked at thousands of 16–19 year olds from 35 countries taking IELTS for entrance onto higher education courses between January 2014 and January 2015.
Dr Agnieszka Walczak, from Cambridge Assessment English, said:
‘What is important in understanding how learners differ is access to appropriate performance data combined with other information about the societal context. Our figures clearly show there is little difference between the performance of girls and boys taking the test in most countries.
While girls do outperform boys slightly, particularly in speaking and writing, the difference is negligible. What ultimately matters is the ability to use English for communication in society. In other words it is now a basic skill that goes beyond school-based learning and this impacts how learners go about learning. It clearly influences the outcomes of their studies as well. By preparing for and taking IELTS and other Cambridge English exams, students are getting more opportunities in the workplace and higher education. In many other areas of education, girls significantly outperform boys in most countries. This perhaps makes English proficiency a unique case as the differences are much less clear cut and more nuanced.’
Dr Walczak was joined by fellow Cambridge English researchers Dr Ardeshir Geranpayeh and Dr Nick Saville. They presented their findings at Cambridge Assessment’s Conference on Gender Differences in Education.
Over 600 education experts and professionals took part in the event from over 30 countries around the world. The full highlights, videos and resources can be found on the Cambridge Assessment website.