The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7255 p879
28 June 2003

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Overseas English test is too hard

Overseas pharmacists wishing to register with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society have to reach a standard of English that is unfairly demanding.

Gareth Davies, course manager for English for academic and professional purposes at London's Westminster Adult Education Service, said that recent research, as yet unpublished, indicates that a majority of highly educated first-language English-speakers fail to achieve the standard required of overseas health professionals seeking registration in the United Kingdom. The research tested practising doctors and dentists and was carried out by Mr Davies' colleague Karl Hughes.

To achieve registration through the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Adjudicating Committee procedure, non-European overseas pharmacists must gain a minimum score of 7 in each test parameter of the International English Language Testing System (listening, reading, writing and speaking). European pharmacists seeking registration by the Society do not need to show proficiency in English.

The British Council, which oversees the tests, says that a score of 7 demonstrates "good use" with "operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstanding in some situations; generally having complex language skills and understanding detailed reasoning."

Mr Davies said: "Getting straight sevens is extremely difficult; it is very easy to drop half a point in the test. Getting a seven in the reading test is particularly problematic."