ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXAMS

IELTS

IELTS is an assessment that tests the skills of candidates that will be used when they apply to study or train in special areas where the medium of instruction is English. It is widely accepted in most Canadian, British, Australian, and New Zealand institutions. IELTS is usually a pre-requisite of entry into institutions and work placements situated within the countries listed above.

TOEFL

TOEFL is a test to measure the English language proficiency of nonnative speakers of English specifically going to the US. It is widely accepted by most North American colleges, universities and institutions. Exams are conducted worldwide and are usually computer-based.

TOEIC

TOEIC assesses nonnative speakers of English in a working environment. It is accepted by most multinational corporations as an English language standard for job seekers. TOEIC is currently the world's leading test for English proficiency in terms of the commercial world.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE SCHOOLS

ELS Language Centres are well known for their English training courses catering to all types of people ranging from children to working adults. Established in 1990, ELS Malaysia has 6 centres situated around Malaysia. There are around 100 ELS centres in the world, some having more than 40 years of experience in language training. ELS Malaysia develops its students' confidence by improving their English language proficiency and helps teach English to the world.

STUDYING ENGLISH IN MALAYSIA

LANGUAGE

Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) is the national language and it is understood by most of the population, but each ethnic group has its own language or dialect. Due to the colonial past, English is still widely used, especially in commerce.

MAJOR CITIES / TOWNS

Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia and is situated in the Klang Valley, together with other major towns like Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang. These towns are well connected by highways and rail.

Other major cities in the north are Georgetown, and Ipoh whereas Johor Bahru, the "Southern Gate" is very near to Singapore. All major towns have airports and well constructed highways.

East Malaysia comprises of two states, that is Sarawak and Sabah. Major towns in Sarawak are Kuching, which is the capital, Miri, near Brunei and Sibu. The major towns in Sabah are Kota Kinabalu (capital), Sandakan, and Tawau. All the mentioned towns have airports. Road transport however, is not as fully developed compared to Peninsular Malaysia.

CLIMATE

There are no distinct seasons, and temperatures vary little the year round. The daytime temperature ranges between 32°-35° C (90°-98°F). At night the temperature drops to between 21° and 23° C. The humidity is high all year round. The average annual rainfall varies from 2,000 to 2,500 mm (80-100 ins.)

November to February is the rainy season for the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, the north-eastern part of Sabah and the western part of Sarawak. During the months of April, May and October, the west coast of the peninsula experiences occasional thunderstorms in the afternoons. Showers are heavy but they clear up as quickly as they come.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

All major towns and cities have scheduled bus services. Bus fares are inexpensive - about RM1 (around US$0.30) per inner-city trip. Taxis are also available, but beware, they will not always use the meter or may ask for a surcharge at peak times. Check before getting in. Long distance buses connect most of the cities and large towns. Almost all state capitals have an airport, so flying around the country is quite easy.

The Light Rail Transit (LRT) is the latest addition and is fast gaining popularity. This service is only found in the Klang Valley and the coaches are fully air-conditioned.

CLOTHING

Western style clothing can be found in Malaysia, but as most Malaysians are considerably smaller than Westerners it is not always easy to find large and extra large sizes. You will be able to find clothes with large and extra large labels, but these are Asian large and extra large. It is possible to have clothes made at reasonable cost.

FOOD

Food, glorious food! Yes it's all here. Malay, Chinese and Indian are the main kinds of food available. American food chains such as McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Swensons, Baskin Robins and Pizza Hut are in most large towns. There are also Japanese and Korean restaurants. KL and PJ have the widest selection of "foreign" restaurants. Nearly every international hotel has an Italian restaurant, though not very authentic. A local meal at a food centre or open air coffee shop costs around RM3 to RM4 (US$1.30 - 1.60) per meal. A meal at McDonald's is around RM5.20 (US$2.80). You can expect to pay between US$10-15 for a meal at international hotels.

Supermarkets vary considerably from city to city; some will be stocked with lots of Western and Japanese food, while others will only have local produce. PJ, KL, and JB have perhaps the best selection of foreign food as they have the largest expatriate communities.

Tap water is drinkable, but most people choose to drink bottled water which is readily available at stores.

LEISURE ACTIVITIES

All cities have movie theatres that show local and foreign movies. The theatre scene is beginning to grow in KL, but in the outer regions it is almost non-existent. From time to time it is possible to see international performers in KL. People in JB have access to a very wide variety of international performances in Singapore.

Six Malaysian television channels broadcast in Malay, Chinese, Tamil and English. Many western produced programmes are shown. Satellite television has recently been introduced, and it is rapidly gaining popularity.

All large towns have sporting facilities. Golf is popular in Malaysia, but relatively expensive. Health clubs and "country clubs" abound, prices vary considerably depending on the status of the establishment.

Most shopping centres have bookstores selling English books. There are several local English Language newspapers. International newspapers are rather scarce, but one can subscribe to them. Most international news-magazines, such as Time, Newsweek, Economist, etc., are readily available. Subscription rates are often ½ the newsstand price.

RELIGIOUS SERVICES

Islam is the official religion of the country. But freedom of worship is enjoyed and so it is not uncommon to see mosques, temples and churches sharing a common neighbourhood. Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Christianity are among the other religions practised in Malaysia. Most churches conduct at least one of their services in English.