ETS and Topeak Sign Multimillion Dollar Partnership to Offer English Tests in China.

Business Editors

Educational Testing Service and Beijing Topeak International Education Investment Co. Ltd. signed a partnership today for the creation and use of a test of practical English throughout China.

China's State Economic and Trade Commission (SETC) will embrace the newly designed test as a standard for English language as part of a broad training initiative. This will be the first standardized test of practical English in China designed especially for Chinese businesses.

The test will include components for listening, speaking, reading and writing. It is being carefully designed to be representative of global measurement standards on the one hand and to be appropriate for the majority of Chinese business professionals on the other. Officials expect to administer it several times a year or on demand.

ETS will retain the copyright on the test and Topeak will serve as its exclusive distributor for China.

The test will be implemented in two stages: It will be promoted and used in Chinese business circles in the first stage and will be used in economic management academies and training centers in the second stage.

"With China's entry into the World Trade Organization, and the 2008 Olympics on the horizon, the Chinese government has challenged millions of key industry managers and workers to become proficient in English," explains ETS President and CEO Kurt Landgraf. "The SETC is one of the largest and most powerful ministries shaping the Chinese economy and they, along with Beijing Topeak International Education Investment Co., selected ETS because of its reputation among Chinese companies as a global provider of high-quality assessments."

"Since China's WTO entry, competition for talent will intensify, and the Chinese government and enterprises will emphasize vocational training, particularly English language training," said Wu Yongke, director-general, training department of China's State Economic and Trade Commission (SETC). "As the ministry that is managing enterprise training nationwide, SETC hopes to improve the English language proficiency through such training programs, especially in practical English of the staff and managers. We therefore need to have a high-standard English language proficiency test that will fit the Chinese civil servants and company managers. The newly created standard shall be authoritative, internationally recognized, and more efficient in helping Chinese professionals improve their ability to communicate in English. These conditions are vital for success. This is why we greatly support the collaboration between Topeak and ETS in practical English testing, and I hope this project will help China's business to be more exposed to the world economy."

About Topeak

Beijing Topeak Education Investment Management Co. Ltd. was founded on October 31, 2001, as a subsidiary of Beijing Topeak Group, which is dedicated to the promotion of international education cooperation and exchange.

Beijing Topeak Education Investment Management Co. Ltd. has established firm and long-term cooperative commercial partnerships with many global educational agencies, universities, and colleges.

The company currently provides programs pertaining to education, with a focus on investment in the education industry, education cooperation and exchange, and the organization of professional conferences and exhibitions. For more information, access their website at www.topeakedu.com.cn.

About ETS

With estimated consolidated revenues of $700 million for FY2002, Educational Testing Service (ETS) is the world's largest private, nonprofit educational testing and measurement organization and a leader in education research. The company is dedicated to serving the needs of individuals, educational institutions, and government bodies in nearly 200 countries.

ETS develops and administers more than 12 million tests worldwide. For more information, access the ETS Web site at www.ets.org.

ETS also operates two subsidiaries: Chauncey Group International, www.chauncey.com, the leading provider of certification and licensing examinations for professionals, businesses and government agencies; and ETS Technologies, www.etstechnologies.com, which identifies, develops and deploys innovative technologies in support of online learning and assessment applications.