“Look at the following pictures. I would like you to describe them for me please,” I asked as I handed the candidate the photos. As he spoke, I couldn’t help but wonder what I would have said if our positions were reversed. Some pictures are so vague, I actually feel sorry for the test takers. How long and to what extent can you describe a red balloon...
In 1939, Cambridge University introduced the “Lower Certificate in English”. This certificate has become the inspiration for what is known as B2 level in language learning (CEFR, 2001), reflecting the language skills an independent user in any foreign language is supposed to possess. 82 years after its introduction from Cambridge University, and 20 years...
Due to the ongoing increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, and in accordance with current government-mandated quarantines, curfews, and travel restrictions, Michigan Language Assessment has made the difficult decision to postpone the ECCE and ECPE exams that were due to take place in Greece on 12/13 December 2020.
The postponed December 2020 ECCE and...
To answer this question, it is important to remember that FL learning is not meant to be merely a school subject for learners with no specific use later on in their lives. In Greece learners aspire to make good use of a foreign language and the accompanied certification at a later stage in their professional life. In this sense, Greek society is...
Once upon a time in the past, when yours truly was a teenager attending English as a Foreign language at an established Foreign Languages private institution, he first heard the magic word "LOWER". In that immemorial era, the word and its ramifications had an enormous impact on the foreign language learner's mind, psyche, personal and even professional...
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has announced that foreign language skills will be assessed as an optional component of the international PISA evaluation of education systems, beginning in 2025 with a comparison of English language levels in schools worldwide. Tests will be developed by Cambridge Assessment English, a...
Every new test at ETS is created through a careful design and development process. The newest addition to the TOEFL® Family of Assessments, the TOEFL® Essentials™ test, is no exception. As detailed in the Design Framework for the TOEFL® Essentials™ Test 2021, the TOEFL Essentials test is a digitally delivered English-proficiency assessment that seeks to...
One factor that greatly differentiates exam classes from general English classes centres on learner purpose. Since learners in exam classes generally have the same aim (that of passing the exam, they are more willing to work to achieve their goal. They tend to be highly motivated – at least at the beginning of a course. At the start of the academic year...
“Test providers should carefully research the types of tasks students need to perform and replicate such tasks as accurately as possible.”
English-language classrooms around the world all look and function differently, writes Spiros Papageorgiou of ETS. But one common thread among them is that teachers of English consistently look for reliable...
Starting in 2021, PeopleCert will provide English language exams to individuals wanting to obtain a Private Hire Driver’s License with Transport for London.
London, United Kingdom: PeopleCert, a global leader in the development and delivery of examinations, is delighted to announce the signing of an exclusive, multi-year contract with Transport for...
