More Arabs take Cambridge English exams

More people in the region are interested in improving their English language skills.

Cambridge Assessment English, a part of the University of Cambridge, has reported that more than 7 million Cambridge English exams were conducted last year around the world. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt have seen an exponential growth in the past year as more and more people in the region are interested in learning and improving their English skills in schools and at work.
Nassim Abu-Ershaed, regional commercial head at Cambridge Assessment English, said: “We’re seeing huge growth in the demand for English language exams right across the Middle East from primary school students to ambitious professionals working in English-speaking environments. We are particularly excited about the number of companies which are taking English language seriously, and our Linguaskill tests are proving enormously successful in this context.
“Cambridge Assessment English runs its work in the Middle East and Africa from a dedicated office in Dubai, staffed by experts in language assessment as well as business specialists and in the past one year our business has taken an exponential growth path, due to enormous interest in learning English and improving such skills in the Arab countries.”
The Cambridge English exams are developed by Cambridge Assessment English — a department of Cambridge University. The exams include Cambridge English Qualifications such as B2 First and C1 Advanced, as well as IELTS, and a range of tests for young learners, teachers and the workplace.
Francesca Woodward, chief executive of Cambridge Assessment English, said: “Demand is growing because people know they are getting the skills they need for the real world and a valuable certificate from a department of Cambridge University.”
At the end of last year, it was announced that a record-breaking 25,000 organizations accept Cambridge English exams as proof of English language ability, including King Abdul Aziz University in Saudi Arabia, Zayed University, American University of Dubai, American University of Sharjah and others.
They are also used for recruitment by top international companies such as Air France, Adidas, BP, Ernst & Young, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft and at local level by companies such as Etisalat, Sanofi Pharmaceuticals and National Bank of Egypt.