Ten Years of CGL Examinations in Perth

2014 marks the 10th anniversary of the Centre for the Greek Language (CGL) Examinations in Perth, Western Australia.  In 2004, St. Andrew’s Grammar signed up to be a CGL Examination Centre.  We were granted this right and, in 2005, the first candidates sat for these examinations.  Every year since then, we have had a regular stream of candidates sitting for the various levels on offer (originally four levels but now there are seven).

This year, eight candidates sat for the CGL Examinations (two for Level A1, one for Level A2, four for Level B1, and one for Level B2).  Levels A1, A2 and B1 were held on Tuesday 20 May and Level B2 was held on Wednesday 21 May, as mandated by Greece.  The examinations took place in the Harmanis Building of the School, as has been the tradition for many years.

The total of candidates who have sat for CGL Examinations in WA since 2005 is 123.  As an officially-recognised CGL Examination Centre, we have also experienced a very strong success rate, indicating that the teaching and learning of Modern Greek in this state is effective.  Candidates have varied in age and educational background, and they have also been inclusive of non-Greek persons.  The majority of candidates over the years have been students of St Andrew’s Grammar; however, more recently, many candidates are students of the Centre for Hellenic Studies, WA (the Hellenic Community’s after-hours Greek Language Program).

In the first three years of operation, the CGL Examinations in WA were run solely by Mr Pavlos Iosifidis and me.  After having proved that we could carry such a venture, a CGL Committee, totalling five people, was formed.  However, Mr Iosifidis and I remain the key persons involved, with some assistance on examination days provided by Committee members.  An entirely voluntary service, we are proud to be the annual facilitators of the CGL Examinations for Western Australian candidates.

In 2013, the CGL in Greece trialled an electronic enrolment system for candidates and we were one of only two CGL Centres world-wide to be invited to trial this new system!  This year, we launched fully into the electronic enrolment system with a glitches-free outcome.  This will also help to ease the workload in future years.

I would like to thank all of the 123 candidates over the ten years for sitting for these examinations, supporting our efforts in this way to bring an additional level of officialdom to the teaching and learning of Modern Greek in WA aside from the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE).  Successful CGL Examination candidates are issued with a Certificate of Attainment in Greek from Greece’s Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, and the CGL in Thessaloniki.  We now look forward to the results of this year’s examinations when they are announced later in the year.

Dr Angela Evangelinou-Yiannakis
Director of the CGL at St. Andrew’s Grammar   

5 June 2014