Report: English Proficiency Improving in Many Countries
2020-11-25
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1A new report says English proficiency is improving in many parts of the world.
2The report, the 2020 English Proficiency Index (EPI), is a yearly look at English levels around the world.
3This year, the study was based on data from more than 2.2 million test-takers in 100 countries.
4Education First (EF), a private company, led the research and reported the findings.
5The study found that proficiency test results from 26 countries improved by a significant, or large, amount, while only seven countries had large drops.
6The Netherlands had the highest level of English proficiency, while Tajikistan had the lowest.
7Europe had the highest proficiency scores of any region.
8Within the continent, northern European countries had the best ratings, with the Netherlands, Denmark, and Finland at the top.
9The report notes that schools in northern Europe have high levels of English proficiency for several reasons.
10They include early attention to communication skills, daily speaking and listening in English, and career-targeted language teaching.
11The report notes that not all countries have the same proficiency levels.
12France, Spain, and Italy still fall behind most other European Union states.
13However, English proficiency levels in France have improved over the past three years.
14In Turkey, proficiency levels improved a little compared to one year earlier, although they have dropped from five years ago.
15The report suggests that Turkish schools spend too much time on English grammar and translation rather than useful communication skills.
16Asia had the second-highest regional score, behind Europe.
17But the EPI report notes that Asia has room for improvement.
18"Despite major investments in English education, the average English proficiency score in Asia has remained stable for the past five years," the report said.
19Asia has the widest differences in English proficiency levels.
20Singapore had the highest score among Asian countries, coming in at number 10 in the world.
21Yet several Central Asian countries were toward the bottom of the list.
22Their low rating, the report suggests, is partly because Russian is the second language that is most commonly taught in schools.
23Africa came in third in regional scores, with South Africa in the lead.
24The report notes that proficiency test results across Africa were uneven.
25Kenya and Nigeria were also in the upper part of the EPI list, while other African countries were much lower.
26One limitation is that EF only had enough data to include just 13 African countries.
27"There may, in fact, be a wide gap between high and low proficiency countries," the writers of the report said.
28But they add that there could also be less of a difference in skill levels than the data suggests.
29The new report noted the success of English teaching programs in Latin America.
30"Investment brings results," the report said.
31Argentina had the top score in the region.
32Most of the Latin American countries listed in the study improved their adult English proficiency levels.
33Twelve of 19 countries noted improvement, and four had significant improvements.
34The report suggests that the Latin American business community has increased its demand for English speakers.
35In return, many of the countries have made improvements to English teaching programs.
36However, the report says that it is too early to judge these reforms based only on adult proficiency levels.
37Overall, the Middle East had the lowest English proficiency of any area.
38Iran had the top score in the Middle East, while Iraq had the lowest.
39The report notes that "in some countries, the problem appears to be uneven access to English education resources."
40But in other countries, the arrival of large numbers of refugees has resulted in resources being moved toward basic services.
41The new EF EPI is based on data from test-takers who took the EF Standard English Test (EF SET) or one of EF's English placement tests in 2019.
42The EF SET is free and online.
43Most of the test takers were working adults or young adults finishing their studies.
44Only cities and countries that had at least 400 test takers were included in the EPI.
45The report notes that there are some limitations to the study.
46Since the testing was online, people without internet could not take the tests.
47It is likely only those who want to learn English were tested.
48Their English proficiency scores could be lower or higher than those of the general population.
49I'm John Russell.
1A new report says English proficiency is improving in many parts of the world. 2The report, the 2020 English Proficiency Index (EPI), is a yearly look at English levels around the world. This year, the study was based on data from more than 2.2 million test-takers in 100 countries. Education First (EF), a private company, led the research and reported the findings. 3The study found that proficiency test results from 26 countries improved by a significant, or large, amount, while only seven countries had large drops. 4The Netherlands had the highest level of English proficiency, while Tajikistan had the lowest. 5Europe 6Europe had the highest proficiency scores of any region. Within the continent, northern European countries had the best ratings, with the Netherlands, Denmark, and Finland at the top. The report notes that schools in northern Europe have high levels of English proficiency for several reasons. They include early attention to communication skills, daily speaking and listening in English, and career-targeted language teaching. 7The report notes that not all countries have the same proficiency levels. France, Spain, and Italy still fall behind most other European Union states. However, English proficiency levels in France have improved over the past three years. 8In Turkey, proficiency levels improved a little compared to one year earlier, although they have dropped from five years ago. The report suggests that Turkish schools spend too much time on English grammar and translation rather than useful communication skills. 9Asia 10Asia had the second-highest regional score, behind Europe. But the EPI report notes that Asia has room for improvement. 11"Despite major investments in English education, the average English proficiency score in Asia has remained stable for the past five years," the report said. 12Asia has the widest differences in English proficiency levels. Singapore had the highest score among Asian countries, coming in at number 10 in the world. Yet several Central Asian countries were toward the bottom of the list. Their low rating, the report suggests, is partly because Russian is the second language that is most commonly taught in schools. 13Africa 14Africa came in third in regional scores, with South Africa in the lead. The report notes that proficiency test results across Africa were uneven. Kenya and Nigeria were also in the upper part of the EPI list, while other African countries were much lower. 15One limitation is that EF only had enough data to include just 13 African countries. "There may, in fact, be a wide gap between high and low proficiency countries," the writers of the report said. But they add that there could also be less of a difference in skill levels than the data suggests. 16Latin America 17The new report noted the success of English teaching programs in Latin America. "Investment brings results," the report said. 18Argentina had the top score in the region. Most of the Latin American countries listed in the study improved their adult English proficiency levels. Twelve of 19 countries noted improvement, and four had significant improvements. 19The report suggests that the Latin American business community has increased its demand for English speakers. In return, many of the countries have made improvements to English teaching programs. However, the report says that it is too early to judge these reforms based only on adult proficiency levels. 20Middle East 21Overall, the Middle East had the lowest English proficiency of any area. Iran had the top score in the Middle East, while Iraq had the lowest. 22The report notes that "in some countries, the problem appears to be uneven access to English education resources." But in other countries, the arrival of large numbers of refugees has resulted in resources being moved toward basic services. 23Methodology and limits 24The new EF EPI is based on data from test-takers who took the EF Standard English Test (EF SET) or one of EF's English placement tests in 2019. 25The EF SET is free and online. Most of the test takers were working adults or young adults finishing their studies. 26Only cities and countries that had at least 400 test takers were included in the EPI. 27The report notes that there are some limitations to the study. Since the testing was online, people without internet could not take the tests. It is likely only those who want to learn English were tested. Their English proficiency scores could be lower or higher than those of the general population. 28I'm John Russell. 29John Russell reported on this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 30_______________________________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32proficiency - n. a high level of skill; good at doing something 33data - n. facts and numbers collected for future use 34region - n. a part of a country, or the world, that is different or separate from other parts in some way 35grammar - n. the set of rules that explain how words are used in a language 36translation - n. the act or process of expressing words or saying in another language 37stable - adj. in a similar state or condition 38gap - n. a space between two people or things 39access - n. a way of being able to use or get something 40resource - n. a supply of money, materials and other things that can be used to help a person or organization operate effectively 41basic - adj. necessary or main