Jaakko MÄKI FIPLV Award 2025 nominee

SUKOL

Jaakko MÄKI

It is with great pleasure that The Federation of Foreign Language Teachers in Finland SUKOL nominates Mr. Jaakko MÄKI for the FIPLV Award 2025 in recognition of his exceptional and long-standing contributions to language education, particularly in the field of English language
teaching and assessment in Finland.

For several decades, Jaakko has been actively involved in the development of upper secondary school English education. His work has been especially significant in connection with the Finnish Matriculation Examination, and in particular the assessment of the English examinations. The Matriculation Examination—and especially the advanced English test—plays a central role both as a national indicator of language proficiency and as a key component in access to higher education.
Ensuring reliability and pedagogical soundness in its assessment is therefore of great importance.

Jaakko has made a substantial contribution to this work through his long-term involvement in developing national scoring guidelines for the English Matriculation Examination. These guidelines
provided essential support for teachers engaged in assessment and promoted consistency and equity in grading practices across the country.

Jaakko has been an active and committed member of the Association of Teachers of English in Finland, contributing in many ways to the professional community and the development of English language teaching in Finland.

Jaakko has also rendered outstanding service within SUKOL. He has distinguished himself in particular as a long-serving Chair of the General Assembly, a role in which he has led the organisation through numerous election processes, as well as major organisational milestones. His leadership during both routine and exceptional circumstances has been marked by professionalism, clarity, and fairness.
Jaakko’s decades-long dedication to language education, national assessment development, teacher support, and organisational leadership make him an exemplary candidate for the FIPLV Award. His work has had a lasting and meaningful impact on language education in Finland.