An amazing success
Our Greek School, recently celebrated the amazing success of all our students who were Ellinomatheia Exams candidates and managed to pass the exam and receive the certificate with flying colors, making us all extremely proud.
Maria G. and Stella M., two of our teachers tell us more about the Greek exams that are growing in popularity. Students usually associate exams with a useless and negative experience. According to Maria and Stella, however, exams don’t have to be like that.
“All you need in order to have a positive experience with any exam is to be well-prepared,” Maria, explains. “To do that you need to find the right teacher who has some experience with this type of exam and can plan your lessons accordingly.”
What is the Certificate of Attainment in Greek a.k.a Ellinomatheia?
More and more learners of Greek decide to prepare and sit for the Ellinomatheia Exams in Greek? Why is that? While many learners just want to study Greek to communicate with their Greek family, reconnect with their roots or because they love living in the Greek summer as a local rather than a tourist, there still are a lot of people who decide to learn it because of their studies, their job or to get the residence permit.
People who learn Greek for these reasons need to take this exam, since it is the only official certificate of the Greek language for levels A1 to C2 for children and adults. Apart from the exhaustive levels that this exam includes, it is also held in exam centers around the world usually in January and May, so you do not need to worry about travelling too far to take it.
Should I take the Ellinomatheia exams?
“A lot of our students need the certificate for their studies mostly or for professional reasons,” Maria explains. “Also and when it comes to many states in the U.S., this certificate is directly linked to the Seal of Biliteracy. So, many students want to get a high school diploma that also includes the Seal of Biliteracy, which basically recognizes their ability to communicate adequately in a foreign language, like Greek,” she adds.
The Seal of Biliteracy is a qualification that is appreciated in a lot of universities in the U.S. and is also truly appreciated in the workplace. So, this might be a good reason for you to take the exam.
According to Stella, however, there are a lot of students who prepare and take the exam because the process helps with their progress in Greek.
“A lot of our students actually decide to prepare and take the exam as a way to get an official recognition of the fact that they have passed a certain level of Greek successfully.” “This is more so with adult students who might not actually need the certificate but like the idea of an exam as a goal because this helps keep them motivated and engaged in their Greek lessons.”
Is it difficult, though? What do the experts say?
“It’s all a matter of preparation, motivation and finding the right school and teacher for you. It can in fact be quite easy to deal with and get a successful result if you have a teacher with exam experience and start a proper preparation that includes a well-thought plan,” Stella M. explains.
The examination covers four different skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, so a student who wants to eventually take the exam needs to be exposed to a learning environment and a well-planned class that will help them progress in all four skills equally.
Maria G. adds that “time management is also really important. That’s why what we do in our School to help students prepare is make a plan according to their specific level of Greek, rhythm of learning and the time they have to practice at home. Exam preparation looks a lot like training and coaching for a sport. So, trust between a student and their teachers is basically the most important thing and so is practice.”
If, however, you are not ready to prepare and sit for an exam in Greek just yet, you can always take a placement test and get a clearer idea of your language level.
In the meantime, allow us to congratulate our students once again for their amazing results in the Ellinomatheia Exams of 2020. You are simply the best!
