A nine-year-old has become the first young English learner in South-East Asia to
get top marks in his University of Cambridge ESOL exam and claim a free opportunity to take on the next level.
Kaung Thiha was awarded the full 15 shields in each of the three levels of YLE (Young Learners English Tests) - Starters, Movers and Flyers. Kaung will now sit for the intermediate level PET (Preliminary English Test) for free at his local British Council exam centre in Rangoon in Burma.
Kaung, who first started learning English four years’ ago at the International Language and Business Centre and is now at Yangon International EduCare, believes it was luck as much as his preparation that helped him through.
‘I read almost every book in my house about English and ‘Calming your nerves’ and stuff,’ he said.
‘Afterwards, I joined the British Council Library, which was a gigantic step in my education. The Flyers level was quite difficult, but I caught up with it. My satellite and weekend tuition classes also helped me. I will have to study very hard, read a large quantity of books and have proper rest and exercise for the PET. I have high hopes.’