On the 18th of October, the British Council welcomed its Advantage-members community to a special evening of celebration, information and networking at the elegant setting of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Athens. The gathering marked a long-standing and highly successful collaboration between the British Council and its Advantage membership for 2025, recognising the contributions of members and also offering a valuable update on examination performance and trends.
Event Highlights
The evening opened with a welcoming address summarising the partnership’s achievements: the growth in member engagement, enhanced professional development opportunities offered to centres, and the range of advantages available under the Advantage membership.
The keynote presentation was delivered by Colin Williams, Manager at Cambridge Assessment English. Colin provided an in-depth review of the performance of Greek candidates across the Cambridge suite of English language examinations (from the lower levels up to C1/C2), placing the Greek context within global and European benchmarks.
Following the presentation, an awards ceremony honoured Advantage-members who had achieved exceptional results—whether through large numbers of candidate registrations, high achievement rates, innovative preparation strategies, or excellence in supporting candidates.
The evening concluded with a reception in a relaxed atmosphere which offered networking opportunities, enabling attendees (centre managers, academic directors, exam-preparation staff) to exchange insights and best practices.
Performance of Greek Candidates in Cambridge Exams
Colin’s presentation drew on available global statistics from Cambridge Assessment and placed Greece in context.
Some of the key observations made:
Greek candidates tend to perform solidly at the “C” grade level (especially in advanced/very advanced exams), with a smaller proportion achieving the top grades. Colin emphasised that this is consistent with a mature but competitive market, and that continued focus on higher band achievement is a key area of potential growth.
Colin also pointed out that Greece remains among the countries with high participation rates in Southern Europe for the Cambridge suite.
In his remarks, Colin highlighted specific strengths and opportunities for Greek candidates:
Strength: Broad access and strong volume of candidates across levels (which gives good preparation infrastructure).
Opportunity: Raising the percentage of candidates achieving the top grades (A/B) through targeted teaching, especially in Use of English and Writing preparedness.
Recognising the partnership with the British Council and local preparation centres, Colin underscored that the consistent implementation of Cambridge’s guidelines and alignment with international benchmarks remain key to improving outcomes.
Concluding Remarks
The evening was a fine exemplar of partnership in action: combining celebration of achievement with the sharing of concrete performance data and strategic next-steps. For the Advantage-member centres present, the combination of information, recognition and networking constituted a strong boost going into the next academic cycle.
