Oxford Reading Tree or Cambridge English?

hialice

想同囡囡報英文班, 不知道OXFORD READING TREE的COURSE好? OR CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH (STARTERS)(要考試)的好呢? 我想知邊樣學英文好D? 只係想學英文, 有無CERT唔係緊要~ 唔知有無人兩樣都學過呢?

stepthemoon

Hi,

I'm a Native English Teacher. I would like to give you my opinions.

Oxford Reading Tree and Cambridge English have complete different teaching outcomes.

The Cambridge Exam mainly emphasizes on grammar & writing with a slight focus on oral and listening skills.

The exam is held by The British Council and it is an internationally recognized certificate. It helps to enhance students' grammar, preposition, spelling, word recognition, etc.

Oxford Reading Tree is a reading program that enhances students' interest in reading English books.

One focuses on writing skills where as the other focuses on reading skills. Naturally, they are both useful and helpful.

It actually depends on your daughter's interest in English and her English level. If she is not interested in English, it would be good to let her learn Oxford Reading Tree first as that is based on stories and it will be more fun. However, if she can concentrate well, I would strongly suggest her to join the Cambridge class as she will learn a combination of things instead of just reading. At the end, whether you decide to take the exam or not is entirely up to you. You can join the course for learning purposes too.

Moreover, it will be good for her to get used to doing worksheets as she will face grammar, prepositions, spelling and tense in her primary school. So if you do join the Cambridge course, you will actually be aiding your daughter in coping her  for the future workload.

Should you have any more queries, please feel free to ask me.

Cheers

719117

thanks

mark2006

I wonder whether we should consider the age of the child. Primary or kinder?

stepthemoon

原帖由 mark2006 於 11-7-14 16:11 發表
I wonder whether we should consider the age of the child. Primary or kinder?

yes that is crucial
but i assume that the writer just wanted to know the main difference between the two courses

hialice

stepthemoon : really thanks for your opinion, it really helps.  My daughter is only 4.5 years old, I think oxford reading programme is more suitable for her at the present stage.

ckyc403

Hi,
Thanks so much for your detail explanation.
I would like to know more about the difference between Cambridge and 國際文憑試(IBDP，International Baccalaureate Diploma).
Also, I found there are many centres having both courses...however, i do query about their quality...
Apart from British Council for Cambridge, any other good suggestion?
Together with IB, which centre (s) are better?
Thanks so much for your valuable advice.
CKYC

stepthemoon

Kindly let me your child's age before I can give you my advice.

The Cambridge Exam is a lot different from the IBDP.

The Cambridge Exam has 5 different levels:

1. Starters
2. Movers
3. Flyers
4. KET
5. PET

Children can start studying Starters when they are 4 years old and continue advancing to the next level.

IBDP is for older students. It is a 2 year course which consists a lot of things.

The Cambridge Exam is an English Language Exam while the IDBP is an all-round course that gets students ready for University.

stepthemoon

原帖由 hialice 於 11-7-15 22:48 發表
stepthemoon : really thanks for your opinion, it really helps.  My daughter is only 4.5 years old, I think oxford reading programme is more suitable for her at the present stage.

I'm glad I could help:)

stepthemoon

It is expensive and unnecessary to study with the British Council.

Most students study the Cambridge course in education centers or actually hire a Private NET.

Once they are full prepared, they join the exam at the British Council.

I teach the Cambridge exam in a center and privately too.

Feel free to contact me if you require any advice.

Cheers

stepthemoon

That is certainly true.

Some parents fail to realize that it is important for the child to have fun during the lesson in order to develop interest in a certain sport/language.

It's always comforting to meet parents like you :)

I hope your child falls in love with English.

ckyc403

Thanks so much Stephemoon!
My kid will be a P2 student in coming Sep. He is now learning phonetics and has strong interest in English.
That's why I'm thinking to let him engage in a more systematic English courses/exams like Cambridge or IDBP.
My son had studied in British Council when he was 4...and it is totally suck (sorry about the strong word, but it is my feeling).
So, I am simply thinking of letting him study nearby (Shatin) and then attend the exam in British Council.
Any idea on which centres in Shatin is good?
For IDBP, when is the suitable age to study then? What are they? Can u pls tell me more?

stepthemoon

Hi,

I believe your son will be up to the Movers Level of the Cambridge Exam. In fact, I'm not sure which center is good for learning Cambridge. However, if you are planning to pay $220 per lesson in a center, I would suggest you to hire a private NET and they would usually charge approximately $200 - $250 per hour.

I do work in a center but I don't suggest this center as it is not a good place for learning. They are money-oriented.

Some centers allow paid trial courses which means you can try 1 lesson but you have to pay for it. If you like it, you can join it. If you don't, then you can just walk away.

I believe you should ask other parents for their opinion.

The IDBP is for high school students. It serves like an alternative for A-level. The local schools in HK will enforce the HKAL while the international schools in HK will enforce the IDBP.

May I ask what is the objective? Is it to enhance oral skills or grammar and writing skills?

ckyc403

Thanks Stepthemoon for your valuable advice!!! It really helps!
Actually, i am too lazy to check the details of IDBP but when i surf some of the schools' websites, it did emphasize on IDBP. That's why i am wondering what IDBP is. Now, more clearer and thanks again!

stepthemoon

Haha You shouldn't be lazy!!! :)

Anyways, I hope everything turns out fine.

Let me know if I can help out.

Take Care

ckyc403

Haha, yes, cant be lazy!
Thanks again! :D

NaipNaip

Is it worthing buying the whole set of Oxford Reading Tree for my girl (1.5 year old) now?

stepthemoon

No, it is completely unnecessary.

As long as you have a library card and you have time to go to a library, you can borrow ORT from the library. They even have the Teaching Notes version.

The library is a wonderful place to spend a whole afternoon at. Some libraries have story telling sessions, too. While you're there, you can pick up a lot of English books. In fact, she can be the one to choose it. Going to the library is like an adventure. They even have a children corner.

The library has a million of English books and they are all organized and categorized for your easy finding.

Besides, ORT is just one reading approach. There are so many other books in the library that you can choose.

You can certainly purchase some of the classic books (such as Little Red Riding Hood, The Beauty & The Beast, etc) to create a mini library at home.