21/01/2022
The Board of Education in Kutchan town, Hokkaido, home to the Niseko international ski resort, is using Cambridge English’s Pre-A1 Starters. All final-year pupils in the town’s elementary schools took the test as they reached the end of the first stage of the town’s program to develop effective communication skills in English.
Kutchan Town decided to implement a specially developed English language programme in response to the ‘New Course of Study’, issued by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in 2017. Preparation classes are delivered by specialist teachers who hold international qualifications and are supported by an authorised Cambridge English Examination Centre.
A spokesperson for Kutchan Town Board of Education said:
‘To help children learn and use practical English, we introduced a dedicated English teaching system in 2018, with English classes conducted in English. Practical English skills are a priority for stakeholders in an international tourism town. We decided to implement Pre-A1 Starters, as it is aligned to the Common European Framework. We believe it will motivate our learners as they continue their progress at junior high school.’
Tomoe Aoyama, Country Head Japan, Cambridge English explained:
‘Pre-A1 Starters is used in around 90 countries around the world. It is designed to be a motivating and enjoyable experience for pupils, and like all Cambridge English Qualifications, it includes face-to-face speaking test with a trained examiner, which helps to develop pupils’ confidence in speaking English. Pre-A1 Starters also shares common features with the new Japanese Course of Study, and test involves similar tasks to regular lessons, limiting preparation to task familiarisation and minimising learners’ anxiety. This is a good example of Integrated Learning & Assessment, applying feedback on what learners can already do and identifying individual strengths and weaknesses to further support learners.’
Kutchan Town Board of Education is the first in Japan to use Cambridge examinations at primary English education to integrate instruction and assessment at a local level.