The Society of Testing English Proficiency (STEP) awarded Takuya Kawamoto with the Commendation by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for an excellent score he earned in EIKEN Grade 1 for Fall Session 2011. Mr. Kawamoto is a sophomore in the Faculty of Liberal Arts.
STEP has a system of giving awards in recognition of high test scores of an individual or organization once a year. But the MEXT Commendation given to Mr. Kawamoto is the award that honors only the most exceptional examinees in each grade above Grade 3.
The award ceremony was held on March 28 at Tokyo Big Site in Koto-ku. He accepted the certificate and trophy on behalf of other award recipients.
The first stage of EIKEN Grade 1 consists of 100-minutes writing test including essay and 30-minutes listening test. The second stage is an interview of roughly 10 minutes. The examinees can choose one of the five topics and will have 1 minute to organize their ideas and 2 minutes to give their speech. The score will be based on what is being said and how it is being said with attention to the correctness of grammar and pronunciation.
Mr. Kawamoto has never lived abroad, but he is a graduate of Nagoya International School. He is currently playing an active role in “Team J-Habi,” a circle of students working together to build homes for people in the most vulnerable areas of the world.
