The kids in Mr Mike Brennan’s English class study the language at IMS’s highest level, improving their skills in writing, reading comprehension, listening and, of course, speaking.
The aim of the course – which is taken from year 4 to year 6 – is to help the children advance as much as possible, and this year the students again took a final test to assess their progress.
In a wonderful result, all of the sixth graders got a top A grade, equivalent to B1 level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
To put the mark into context, a B1 level or higher is required for many college or university courses in the UK, or to apply for jobs at various international companies. (The kids were quite impressed when they heard this, but don’t plan to leave school and start a career just yet :-).
These fantastic efforts continue the IMS track record of excellence in English: over the last five years, 98% of sixth graders graduating from this class have achieved an A in their final test.
About the assessment:
In this class, we use the highly-regarded Cambridge University system to check levels. In previous years, many children sat an official exam in Berlin, but this was interrupted during Covid. Since then, we have used an equivalent test in school, which is marked in exactly the same way.
For the kids, the test is taken like any other class test, but lasts a little longer because it consists of three parts: Reading and writing; Listening and Speaking.