| Winterthur, Switzerland, April 2006 | | | | generally gain a lot more confidence to tackle the |
| The language school wds in Winterthur, Switzerland | | | | forthcoming exam." |
| has recently launched the PC program "Pass First | | | | Practical Help Without the Exam |
| Certificate", an educational program used as | | | | The program can also be used advantageously by |
| preparation for the most popular and most recognized | | | | people not wishing to take the exam. For all those who |
| English language examination "University of Cambridge | | | | just want to brush up their skills in English, Pass First is |
| First Certificate in English, which is taken by over | | | | the ideal companion. |
| 270,000 students of English each year. | | | | Swiss Made by a Brit, For the Whole World |
| The program, which runs on the Windows platform, | | | | The product was developed at the wds Language |
| consists of over 500 exercises in grammar and | | | | School in Winterthur, Switzerland. Together with a |
| vocabulary. A built-in 'grammar booklet' offers help and | | | | team of professional programmers, experienced |
| explanations at the click of a button. All parts of the | | | | language teachers and the award-winning design |
| examination are practiced realistically and 5 actual | | | | company Meyer-Hayoz Design Engineering, the |
| exams can be taken, the results of which are then | | | | project lasted around 5 years. Project leader William |
| evaluated. In addition, there is a dictionary of 5,000 | | | | Dobbs is delighted with the reactions already received, |
| recorded words, with explanations and translations | | | | the most important bookshop chains in the country, |
| currently in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese | | | | various language schools, companies (including the |
| and Greek, | | | | most recent partner Media Markt) and individuals have |
| It Will Not Replace the Teacher | | | | already placed orders for the product. Pass First is the |
| When asked if this program could replace standard | | | | first wds software product to be developed for the |
| teaching, the author William Dobbs replied that this | | | | general public. Previously, the company developed |
| would never be the case. "We see the program as | | | | tailor-made language learning programs for |
| the ideal complement to classroom teaching and | | | | organizations such as Swiss Telecom and the Swiss |
| learning. It can never replace the group dynamics and | | | | Post. |
| inter-personal contact found in the classroom. What is | | | | More Information |
| does, though, is provide learners with a multitude of | | | | Further information and demo versions can be |
| additional practice materials. Our target users all have | | | | obtained from:wds / pass-english-exams |
| the same aim, to pass the First Certificate exam, and | | | | PO Box 2217 |
| they usually know very well where their weaknesses | | | | CH-8401 Winterthur, Switzerland |
| lie. Often the teacher does not have enough time to | | | | E-Mail # # #wds is a private language school based in |
| concentrate on individual needs. The solution is Pass | | | | Winterthur, Switzerland. Its owner is the author and |
| First. Users can look up any points they are not sure | | | | project leader of pass-english-exams, the suite of |
| of , can do more exercises on various topics, they can | | | | multimedia programs for ESOL (English for Speakers |
| refer to additional explanations, test themselves and | | | | of Other Languages) examinations. |