‘The British Council has become a valuable and highly respected institution in Amman, performing innumerable services in the fields of culture and education.’
Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan.
© Christine Osborne Pictures / Alamy Stock Photo
1980s
‘The British Council has become a valuable and highly respected institution in Amman, performing innumerable services in the fields of culture and education.’
Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan.
© Christine Osborne Pictures / Alamy Stock Photo
1982
The Falklands/Las Malvinas conflict forces us to close our office in Argentina.
We are able to reopen in 1991 and, some 40 years after the conflict, we support Argentinian director Lola Arias’s production of Minefield. The play brings together six Argentine and British veterans to explore their memories of the conflict through theatre, film and live rock music.
1982
We become the recognising body for all UK English language teaching services in the UK.
The scheme is rebranded in 2006 as Accreditation UK. It is run in partnership with English UK. In 2023, 400,000 students come to over 360 accredited language centres.
1984
The Royal Mail issues a set of commemorative stamps to mark our 50th anniversary.
1984
The Royal Mail issues a set of commemorative stamps to mark our 50th anniversary.
1985
Dr Boping Yuan is awarded a postgraduate scholarship to study in the UK.
As a young man he had to work as a carpenter to support himself. Today he leads the teaching of Modern Chinese at the University of Cambridge.
1986
We hold our first Literature Seminar in Cologne, Germany, with Sir Malcolm Bradbury as chair.
The seminar brings together UK writers whose work represents different aspects of contemporary literature to publishing, academic and translation professionals in Europe and beyond. It is recognised as a platform for new talent.
In the following years, the seminar is chaired by leading names in UK literature, including Caryl Phillips, AS Byatt, Andrew Motion, Ali Smith and Bernardine Evaristo. Seminar alumni include numerous Nobel and Booker Prize winners.
1986
The Britain in Vienna festival marks the beginning of our work with UK designers. The event is chaired by His Majesty King Charles III, the then Prince of Wales and our Vice Patron.
The festival, which coincides with our 40th anniversary in Austria, also includes film, music, theatre and visual arts.
1989
We support 12,000 overseas students in the UK through our Technical Co-operation Training Programme.
This is boosted by specific scholarships such as Chevening, Commonwealth and Marshall.
1989
English language test IELTS launches in China.
From just a couple of hundred tests annually, IELTS has now supported millions of Chinese people to pursue their ambitions to study, work and travel.
Test takers from China share their IELTS success stories
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