“Learning a language is something that takes a lot of time, and probably forever to master,” claimed Ryan Khoo Sheng Xian at Ipoh Learning & Training Institute’s (ILTI) 16th Cambridge Certificate Presentation Ceremony held at Syeun Hotel Ipoh on Sunday, June 4.
Acknowledged as the best student of ILTI, the 18-year-old passed the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) examination with flying colours. He attributed his success to his parents and teachers at ILTI.
According to Ryan, he first attended ILTI in 2015. As English was commonly spoken at home, he initially thought that it was a waste of time. However, he soon realised that he still had much to learn.
“The most challenging part of my journey was picking up new vocabulary. I had to refer to the dictionary a little too often,” he revealed.
Ryan’s advice for those wishing to improve their English proficiency is to read a lot and watch English shows without the help of subtitles.
“English isn’t just a language of opportunity; it’s the language of science, mathematics, medicine, engineering, trade, commerce, etc. Undeniably, English has become the most widely used lingua franca in the world,” said Ryan who will be taking up a Foundation in Law programme at Multimedia University in Malacca. He hopes to be able to pursue a double degree in law and accounting in the near future.
Ryan along with 205 students, who sat for the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations end of last year, received their certificates at the presentation ceremony. Among those present were Thomas Kok, ILTI Principal; Dato’ Richard Small, founder and academic advisor of ILTI; and Hajjah Rahimah bt Mohamed, Head of Academic Sector at the State Education Department.
According to Hajjah Rahimah, the Ministry of Education has introduced the Dual Language Programme to enhance English proficiency among government school students.
Thomas’ book entitled, ‘Newspaper Articles for English Practice: Book 4’, was also launched during the presentation ceremony.
Leanne Tan
