News

Spanish region leads the way in bilingual education

24 May 2010

A new agreement between the education authorities in the autonomous region of Murcia in south-eastern Spain and a department of Cambridge University is set to benefit thousands of students each year studying in 39 bilingual schools across the region.

From this month, authorities will begin offering internationally recognised English language exams from Cambridge ESOL to more than 6,000 students in bilingual schools in Murcia. This follows a global trend where schools all over the world are integrating English language exams into their curriculum - part of what Cambridge ESOL says is a fundamental change with the way English language is taught in schools in the majority of countries around the world. Chief Executive of Cambridge ESOL, Dr Mike Milanovic comments:

“Primary schools in countries across the world are now seeking to develop bilingual populations in English and their own language in order to develop their population's skill-set. This latest agreement will be a huge benefit to ambitious young people in Murcia preparing to make their mark in the global arena”.

Students at the 39 participating schools will be able to take exams at levels A1-B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) at the end of their compulsory education. Exams will be available from Cambridge ESOL as well as the Alliance Française and Goethe Institut - all partners in the European group of language assessment NGO ALTE.

Last year, figures issued from Cambridge ESOL showed that for the intermediate English exams - at level B2 of the CEFR - students in Murcia gained very high scores fifth place in the country just behind Aragón, Cantabria, Asturias and Castilla-La Mancha.