Balancing Act: SPM and Pearson Test of English (PTE) Finals

Today marked a major milestone for Cass, as her SPM journey commenced with the Chinese oral test. As part of the first group, she was out of the house by 6:45 a.m. and back home before 9 a.m. While her classmates will be taking their turns throughout the rest of the week, the main written exams are still a few months away, beginning in early November.

But her day was far from over. In the evening, she spent nearly three hours on her laptop, not on homework, but competing in the Pearson Test of English (PTE) Champions 2.0 online English competition. This is an incredible feat in itself. A total of 40 students aged 16 and above from all across Malaysia made it to the finals, and Cass is one of them. What makes it even more impressive is that she is one of only six students from her entire school to qualify.

Organized by AUG Student Services in association with Pearson Test of English (PTE), this competition is an excellent opportunity for students to test their English skills using advanced AI-powered language tests. The PTE Academic exam is a globally recognized, computer-based English test for students aiming to study at universities in Australia, the UK, the USA, New Zealand, and Canada.  Cass told me that the results will only be out in early September.

Cass told me the competition was incredibly tough. One particularly challenging part required her to listen to an AI-powered Caucasian speaker speaking at a very high speed. She then had only 10 seconds to gather the information and verbally summarize it. She felt she didn’t perform her best, but I reminded her that the experience itself is a huge win, especially since she was chosen to represent her school. The prize is a great incentive—if she wins, both she and her school will get a laptop—but her place among the top 40 best students in Malaysia is a remarkable achievement. I couldn’t be prouder.

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