Final-year students of University Grants Committee-funded undergraduate degree programmes in the 2005-06 academic year can register for the Common English Proficiency Assessment Scheme from today to October 22.

The committee said with the institutions' assistance, testing sessions will be arranged from July to May 2006 for all final-year undergraduates.

Offering summer testing sessions from July to October is a new initiative to facilitate both students and employers, as major employers like to have students' test results in their annual recruitment cycle around October/November each year.

The committee believes both job-seekers and employers will benefit from having more options.

To cope with the summer testing sessions and offer more convenience to students, the registration period has been advanced and extended, from April 29 to October 22. Students who wish to sit for the July-to-October testing sessions should submit their applications before June 9.

As in the past three years, candidates are eligible for reimbursement of the test fee once if they agree to have a statement printed on their transcript indicating their participation. The statement will not contain the actual score.

For more details and download of application forms, visit the scheme's website, call the International English Language Testing System hotline, 2620 0321, or contact the Registrar's Offices of the eight UGC-funded institutions. Applications should be submitted through the schools.

Through the assessment, the committee aims to benchmark the English proficiency of local tertiary students against a reliable, internationally validated instrument that will serve as a useful reference for students entering the workforce or pursuing future studies.

Equivalent to Gov't recruitment exam

Despite its voluntary nature, about 8,700 final-year students participated in the scheme last year.

The committee will encourage all eligible students to take part, and continue to promote it to employers, students and the wider community.

Adopted as the testing instrument for the scheme since July 2002, the International English Language Testing System is an internationally validated English testing instrument covering listening, reading, writing and speaking. Its results are reported on a band scale from 0 to 9. More than 475,000 candidates take the test each year around the world.

An overall band of 6.5 or above with no subject score below band 6 obtained in one sitting is accepted as equivalent to a pass in the Use of English paper of the Hong Kong Government's Common Recruitment Examination, within two years from the date of test.