• The UK's international organisation for educational and cultural opportunities announces the East Asian winners of its prestigious IELTS Prize
• 27 talented students from across East Asia will receive a share of GBP 72,000 prize fund helping them to realise international study ambitions
• Winners of the 2022 British Council IELTS Prize in Singapore will pursue their study in the UK.
• IELTS Top Tips Sharing with the IELTS Prize winners will be held on Thursday 13 October 2022 to celebrate all winners in the presence of their family, friends, and the next potential winners.

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 30 September 2022 - The British Council, the UK's international organisation for educational and cultural opportunities, has announced the winners of the 2022 IELTS Prize. In its tenth year, the IELTS Prize has supported more than 330 students in East Asia to date; helping them pursue their dreams of studying abroad. This year, 27 prize winners in East Asia are added to the list, including three outstanding IELTS test takers in Singapore who have been awarded the IELTS Prize local prizes.

The British Council received over 1,600 applications and interviewed over 70 high flying individuals, who not only excelled at their IELTS test, but explained their intentions to contribute to the society locally or abroad after study.

Local IELTS Prizes are awarded to three outstanding test takers in Singapore

The winners are Claudia Long, Melody Lio and Anukriti Banerjee.

First Prize winner Claudia Long feels that the IELTS Prize encourages aspiring students from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds to apply. She says, "unlike most scholarships, the IELTS Prize provides great flexibility to its recipients, no restrictions on the type of course being undertaken ? which gives students from every discipline the equal chance to pursue their dream".

Millions of students had to readjust their study plans due to the continued disruption of the pandemic. IELTS, the world's popular high-stakes English proficiency test, has been a crucial part of students' entry requirements, especially for East Asia which is one of the largest markets for students wishing to study in the United Kingdom, the US, Canada and Australia.

Heather Forbes, Regional Exams Director, British Council East Asia said, "The IELTS Prize recognises those high performing students that demonstrate the academic excellence and commitment to the communities they belong to. More importantly, the winners show the determination to take what they learnt during their time abroad and utilise their knowledge and specialties to benefit their home countries once they return. It is our privilege to assist these ambitious and intelligent individuals in their professional and academic journeys. We believe that promoting international studies is key to helping students thrive in the future."

The British Council in East Asia also invites all students planning to study abroad and interested in taking IELTS tests to the 2022 IELTS Top Tips Sharing with the IELTS Prize winners which will be live-streamed on British Council IELTS Facebook pages across East Asia on Thursday 13 October. The online event is open to anyone, and it will be great opportunity to learn from the IELTS Prize winners' on how to ace IELTS test and how their lives have and will change as they embark on their new study journey.

For more information about IELTS prize, visit https://www.ieltsasia.org/ieltsprize

Notes to Editors:

About IELTS Prize
Since 2011, the British Council IELTS Prize (East Asia) has enabled more than 330 IELTS test takers to pursue their studies around the world, including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and more.

The IELTS Prize is awarded to high-calibre individuals with the motivation to develop their career, to pursue an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in any chosen discipline in a higher education institution that accepts IELTS as part of its admission requirements around the world. While the IELTS Prize is not aimed at students in any one particular discipline, the British Council is eager to support test takers who demonstrate the potential to contribute to society with what they have gained from their undergraduate or postgraduate study experience.

More information can be found at https://www.ieltsasia.org/ieltsprize.

2022 IELTS Prize winner list

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About the British Council

The British Council is the UK's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. Last year we reached over 75 million people directly and 758 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive a 14.5 per cent core funding grant from the UK government.www.britishcouncil.org

About International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

IELTS is the International English Language Testing System, the world's most popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration, with millions of tests taken in the last year. More than 11,000 organizations trust and accept IELTS as a secure, valid and reliable indicator of true-to-life ability to communicate in English for education, immigration and professional accreditation. IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English.

Test takers are measured in listening, reading, writing and speaking. All tests are scored on a banded system from 1 (the lowest) through to 9 (the highest band).