Taiwan made progress in an international English proficiency test for non-native speakers last year, but its average score still fell below the world average, according to Chun Shin Ltd, the test’s representative in Taiwan.
More alarming was that Taiwan’s progress was also slower than the global average, as evidenced by the widening gap since 2008, said Benjamin Wang (王星威), president of Chun Shin Ltd.
Taiwanese scored an average of 539 in last year’s Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), an increase of 6 points over the 2008 figure. However, this was still 27 points behind the world average, a growth of 7 points from 2008’s deficit of 20 points, Wang said.
Among Asian countries, Taiwan ranked sixth in TOEIC scores last year, trailing India, the Philippines, China, Turkey and South Korea, but nevertheless ahead of Japan (7th), Thailand (8th) and Hong Kong (9th).
China made the most significant progress in the English -proficiency test, scoring 710 points last year, representing a year-on-year gain of 74 points. China’s ranking has advanced to third from sixth in 2008.
“According to our research, China’s social elites have made remarkable progress in English language ability in recent years. Local professionals intending to pursue a career in China should not ignore this trend,” Wang said.
One encouraging finding was that the average score of local test takers aged under 20 was 14 points higher than the world average for this age group, indicating that the government’s ongooing efforts to promote English education is gradually paying off, Wang said.
By profession, those in travel, hospitality, medical and healthcare services were among the poorest performers, Wang said, adding that the government should work to improve the English proficiency of workers in these sectors to facilitate its goal of promoting the tourism and biomedical industries.
China might accelerate its strategic actions toward Taiwan, the South China Sea and across the first island chain, after the US officially entered a military conflict with Iran, as Beijing would perceive Washington as incapable of fighting a two-front war, a military expert said yesterday. The US’ ongoing conflict with Iran is not merely an act of retaliation or a “delaying tactic,” but a strategic military campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and reshaping the regional order in the Middle East, said National Defense University distinguished adjunct lecturer Holmes Liao (廖宏祥), former McDonnell Douglas Aerospace representative in Taiwan. If
TO BE APPEALED: The environment ministry said coal reduction goals had to be reached within two months, which was against the principle of legitimate expectation The Taipei High Administrative Court on Thursday ruled in favor of the Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau in its administrative litigation against the Ministry of Environment for the rescission of a NT$18 million fine (US$609,570) imposed by the bureau on the Taichung Power Plant in 2019 for alleged excess coal power generation. The bureau in November 2019 revised what it said was a “slip of the pen” in the text of the operating permit granted to the plant — which is run by Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) — in October 2017. The permit originally read: “reduce coal use by 40 percent from Jan.
‘SPEY’ REACTION: Beijing said its Eastern Theater Command ‘organized troops to monitor and guard the entire process’ of a Taiwan Strait transit China sent 74 warplanes toward Taiwan between late Thursday and early yesterday, 61 of which crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait. It was not clear why so many planes were scrambled, said the Ministry of National Defense, which tabulated the flights. The aircraft were sent in two separate tranches, the ministry said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday “confirmed and welcomed” a transit by the British Royal Navy’s HMS Spey, a River-class offshore patrol vessel, through the Taiwan Strait a day earlier. The ship’s transit “once again [reaffirmed the Strait’s] status as international waters,” the foreign ministry said. “Such transits by
Taiwan is doing everything it can to prevent a military conflict with China, including building up asymmetric defense capabilities and fortifying public resilience, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said in a recent interview. “Everything we are doing is to prevent a conflict from happening, whether it is 2027 or before that or beyond that,” Hsiao told American podcaster Shawn Ryan of the Shawn Ryan Show. She was referring to a timeline cited by several US military and intelligence officials, who said Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had instructed the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to be ready to take military action against Taiwan
RSS