Cambridge Assessment English - Wikipedia

Cambridge Assessment English or Cambridge English develops and produces Cambridge English Qualifications and the International English Language Testing ... CambridgeAssessmentEnglish FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia Jumptonavigation Jumptosearch DepartmentoftheUniversityofCambridge Amajorcontributortothisarticleappearstohaveacloseconnectionwithitssubject.ItmayrequirecleanuptocomplywithWikipedia'scontentpolicies,particularlyneutralpointofview.Pleasediscussfurtheronthetalkpage.(March2018)(Learnhowandwhentoremovethistemplatemessage) CambridgeAssessmentEnglishEstablished1913[1]TypeForprofit,butpartofatax-exemptcharityLegalstatusAdepartmentoftheUniversityofCambridgePurposeExaminationboardHeadquartersCambridge,UKRegionservedGlobalKeypeopleFrancescaWoodward,CEOParentorganizationCambridgeUniversityPress&AssessmentSubsidiariesCaMLA,OET,ELiTWebsitewww.cambridgeenglish.orgFormerlycalledCambridgeEnglishLanguageAssessment/UniversityofCambridgeESOLExaminations(CambridgeESOL)/UniversityofCambridgeLocalExaminationsSyndicate(UCLES) CambridgeAssessmentEnglishorCambridgeEnglishdevelopsandproducesCambridgeEnglishQualificationsandtheInternationalEnglishLanguageTestingSystem(IELTS).TheorganisationcontributedtothedevelopmentoftheCommonEuropeanFrameworkofReferenceforLanguages(CEFR),thestandardusedaroundtheworldtobenchmarklanguageskills,[2]anditsqualificationsandtestsarealignedwithCEFRlevels.[3] CambridgeAssessmentEnglishispartofCambridgeAssessment,anon-teachingdepartmentoftheUniversityofCambridge[4]whichmergedwithCambridgeUniversityPresstoformCambridgeUniversityPress&AssessmentinAugust2021.[5] Contents 1CurrentCambridgeEnglishqualifications/exams 1.1Schools 1.2Generalandhighereducation 1.3Business 1.4Multileveltests 1.5Teaching 2Discontinuedexams 3Partnershipsandacquisitions 4AlignmentwiththeCommonEuropeanFrameworkofReferenceforLanguages(CEFR) 5Research 6Awards 7Qualificationdevelopment 7.1CambridgeUniversity’sexaminationboard(UCLES) 7.2ThefirstCambridgeEnglishexam 7.3Examquestionsin1913 7.4Revisionstothe1913exam 7.5WorldWarII 7.6Post-war 7.7Qualificationatdifferentlevels 7.8IELTS 7.9RSAandteachingqualifications 7.10ChinaandbusinessEnglish 7.11Younglearners 7.12Candidates 7.13TheCambridgeEnglishScale 8Timeline1209–2021 9Seealso 10References 11Externallinks CurrentCambridgeEnglishqualifications/exams[edit] EachCambridgeEnglishQualificationsfocusesonaleveloftheCommonEuropeanFrameworkofReference(CEFR).[6] Schools[edit] TheseEnglishqualificationsaretohelpschool-agechildrenandyoungpeopleimprovetheirEnglishlanguageskills.[7] Exams[8][9] PreA1Starters A1Movers A2Flyers A2KeyforSchools B1PreliminaryforSchools B2FirstforSchools C1Advanced C2Proficiency Generalandhighereducation[edit] Thesequalificationsaredesignedforadultlearners.[10]A2Key,B1PreliminaryandB2Firsthavethesameexamformat(e.g.numberofpapers,numberofquestions,timeallowance)astheschools'versionsofthesequalifications,butusedifferenttopicsandcontentsuitedtoadultlearners.[citationneeded] Exams[11][12] A2Key B1Preliminary B2First C1Advanced C2Proficiency Business[edit] ThesequalificationsaredesignedforadultlearnerslearningEnglishforuseinabusinesscontext.[13] Exams[14] B1BusinessPreliminary B2BusinessVantage C1BusinessHigher Multileveltests[edit] MultileveltestsareusedtofindoutwhichEnglishlearningprogrammeorexamisrightforastudent.ThesecovermultiplelevelsoftheCEFRinonetest. Tests CEFRlevel CambridgeEnglishPlacementTest[15] A1-C2 CambridgeEnglishPlacementTestforYoungLearners PreA1-A2 Linguaskill[16] A1-C2 IELTS A1-C2 CambridgeExamsPublishing,ajointventurewithCambridgeUniversityPress,producesCambridge-brandedIELTSresourcesandmaterialstohelplearnersprepareandpracticefortheirtests. Teaching[edit] Qualificationsandcoursesforteachersofalllevelsofexperience. Exams[17] TeachinglevelontheCambridgeEnglishTeachingFramework Coursedelivery CELTA(CertificateinTeachingEnglishtoSpeakersofOtherLanguages)[18] Foundation/Developing Full-time/part-time.Face-to-facecourseoronlinecoursewithface-to-faceteachingpractice. CELT-P(CertificateinEnglishLanguageTeaching–Primary)[19] Foundation/Developing Onlinemodularcoursewithoptionalface-to-faceelements.Assessedthroughanexamandteachingpractice. CELT-S(CertificateinEnglishLanguageTeaching–Secondary)[20] Foundation/Developing Onlinemodularcoursewithoptionalface-to-faceelements.Assessedthroughanexamandteachingpractice. LanguageforTeaching[21] Foundation/Developing/Proficient Onlinelearningwithoptionalface-to-faceelements. TKT(TeachingKnowledgeTest)[22] Foundation/Developing Examswithaflexiblemodularformat. ICELT(In-serviceCertificateinEnglishLanguageTeaching)[23] Developing/Proficient Part-timeface-to-facecoursewithteachingpracticeanddistancelearningsupport. Delta(DiplomainTeachingEnglishtoSpeakersofOtherLanguages)[24] Proficient/Expert Flexiblemodularformatcombiningcourseworkandexams.Distancelearningsupport,localtutoringandassessedteachingpractice. CertificateinEMISkills(EnglishasamediumofinstructioninHigherEducation)[25] Proficient/Expert Onlinelearningwithoptionalface-to-facesessions. TraintheTrainer[26] Proficient/Expert Part-timeface-to-facecourse. Discontinuedexams[edit] Inalphabeticalorder: BULATSdiscontinuedon6December2019.[27] CambridgeEnglish:Financial(ICFE)discontinuedinDecember2016.[28] CambridgeEnglish:Legal(ILEC)discontinuedinDecember2016.[29] CELS(CertificatesinEnglishLanguageSkills):modularqualificationsforEnglishlanguagelearners. CertificatesinESOLSkillsforLife(SfL)(UKonly)discontinuedinJune2017.[30] DTE(E)LLS(DiplomainTeachingEnglish(ESOL)intheLifelongLearningSector)andADTE(E)LLS(AdditionalDiplomainTeachingEnglish(ESOL)intheLifelongLearningSector):thesequalificationsforEnglishlanguageteachersintheUKwerediscontinuedinSeptember2012.CELTAisarecommendedalternativeforthosewantinganEnglishteachingqualificationforteachingintheUK. IDLTM(InternationalDiplomainLanguageTeachingManagement)discontinuedinJune2016.[31] PTLLS(PreparingtoTeachintheLifelongLearningSector):discontinuedinNovember2012.[32] YoungLearner(YL)ExtensiontoCELTAdiscontinuedinDecember2016. TKT:KALandTKT:PracticaldiscontinuedinDecember2016.[33] Partnershipsandacquisitions[edit] Inthe1980sCambridgeAssessmentEnglish,theBritishCouncilandIDPEducationformedtheinternationalIELTSpartnershipwhichdeliverstheIELTStests.[34][35] In2010CambridgeAssessmentEnglishandtheEnglishLanguageInstituteTestingandCertificateDivisionoftheUniversityofMichiganagreedtoformanot-for-profitcollaborationknownasCaMLA(CambridgeMichiganLanguageAssessments).CambridgeAssessmentEnglishowns65%oftheventure.[36] Since2011CambridgeExamsPublishing,apartnershipbetweenCambridgeAssessmentEnglishandtheEnglishLanguageTeaching(ELT)businessofCambridgeUniversityPress,developsofficialCambridgepreparationmaterialsforCambridgeEnglishandIELTSexams.[37] In2013CambridgeAssessmentEnglishformedajointventurewiththeBoxHillInstitutetodelivertheOccupationalEnglishTest,knownasOET.[38] In2019CambridgeAssessmentEnglishacquiredEnglishLanguageiTutoring(ELiT),anartificialintelligencedevelopedofftechnologyfromtheUniversityofCambridge,tosupportnewEnglishlanguageassessmentproducts.[39] AlignmentwiththeCommonEuropeanFrameworkofReferenceforLanguages(CEFR)[edit] CambridgeAssessmentEnglishwasinvolvedintheearlydevelopmentoftheCommonEuropeanFrameworkofReferenceforLanguages(CEFR)andallCambridgeEnglishqualificationsandtestsarealignedwiththelevelsdescribedbytheCEFR.[40][41]EachCambridgeEnglishQualificationtargetsspecificCEFRlevelsbuttheexamalsocontainstestmaterialattheadjacentlevels.Forexample,B2FirstisaimedatB2,buttherearealsotestitemsthatcoverB1andC1.Thisallowsforinferencestobedrawnaboutcandidates’abilitiesiftheyarealevelbeloworabovetheonetargeted.Candidatesareencouragedtotaketheexammostsuitabletotheirneedsandlevelofability.[42] Research[edit] TheCambridgeEnglishEFLEvaluationUnitwasestablishedin1989andwasthefirstdedicatedresearchunitofitskind.[43]ThisunitisnowcalledtheResearchandValidationGroupandisthelargestdedicatedresearchteamofanyEnglishlanguageassessmentbody.[44]ResearchispublishedintheStudiesinLanguageTesting(SiLT)series. Awards[edit] In2015,CambridgeAssessmentEnglishwasawardedtheQueen’sAwardforEnterpriseinthe'internationaltrade'category.[45][46] Qualificationdevelopment[edit] CambridgeUniversity’sexaminationboard(UCLES)[edit] Seealso:UniversityofCambridgeLocalExaminationsSyndicate ThefirstCambridgeEnglishexamwasproducedin1913byUCLES(UniversityofCambridgeLocalExaminationsSyndicate).[43]UCLEShadbeensetupin1858toprovideexamstostudentswhowerenotmembersofauniversity. TherewasagrowingconcerninBritainwithstandardsofschooleducationandthetransitionfromsecondarytotertiary-leveleducation.Anumberofschools"petitionedtheUniversitiesofOxfordandCambridge[toprovide]meansofcomparingachievementsofpupilsacrossschools."[47]Thesecondaryeducationsectorwasstillvoluntaryinnature.Withoutsupportfromthestate,itwaslogicaltoseekhelpfromuniversitiesthatwerelongestablishedandwidelyadmired.TheUniversityofOxfordandUniversityofCambridge,inparticular,were“regardedasviablesourcesofsupervision.”[48] UCLESwasinvitedtosetexamsandinspectschoolswiththeaimofraisingeducationalstandards.TheUniversityofOxfordalsocreateditsownexaminationboard:theUniversityofOxfordDelegacyofLocalExaminations(UODLE).UODLEanditspartner,theAssociationofRecognisedEnglishLanguageSchools,mergedwithUCLESin1995.[49] ThefirstUCLESexaminationstookplaceon14December1858.Theexamsweredesignedtotestforuniversityselectionandweretakenby370candidatesinBritishschools,churchesandvillagehalls.Candidateswererequiredto"satisfytheexaminers"intheanalysisandparsingofaShakespearetext;readingaloud;dictation;andcomposition(oneithertherecentlydeceasedDukeofWellington;awell-knownbookoraletterofapplication).[50] FemalecandidateswereacceptedbyUCLESonatrialbasisin1864andonapermanentbasisfrom1867.CambridgeUniversityitselfdidnotexaminefemalestudentsuntil1882anditwasnotuntil1948thatwomenwereallowedtograduateasfullmembersoftheuniversity.[51] Inthemidtolate19thcentury,UCLESexamsweretakenbycandidatesbasedoverseas–inTrinidadandTobago(from1863),SouthAfrica(from1869),GuyanaandNewZealand(from1874),Jamaica(from1882)andMalaysia(from1891).ManyofthesecandidateswerechildrenofofficersoftheBritishcolonialserviceandexamswerenotyetdesignedfornon-nativespeakersofEnglish.[52] ThefirstCambridgeEnglishexam[edit] In1913UCLEScreatedthefirstexamfornon-nativespeakersofEnglish–theCertificateofProficiencyinEnglish(CPE–nowknownasC2Proficiency).ThismayhavebeenpromptedbythedevelopmentofEnglishexams"forforeigners"byotheruniversities.[53] CPEwasoriginallyaqualificationforteachers:"theCertificateofProficiencyinEnglishisdesignedforForeignStudentswhodesiresatisfactoryproofoftheirknowledgeofthelanguagewithaviewtoteachingitinforeignschools."Theexamwasonlyavailableforcandidatesaged20orover.[54] In1913theexamcouldbetakeninCambridgeorLondon,forafeeof£3(approximately£293in2012prices[55]).Theexamlasted12hoursandincluded: TranslationfromEnglishintoFrenchorGerman:2hours TranslationfromFrenchorGermanintoEnglish,andEnglishGrammar:2.5hours EnglishEssay:2hours EnglishLiterature:3hours EnglishPhonetics:1.5hours Oraltest:dictation(30minutes);readingaloudandconversation(30minutes)[56] Themaininfluencebehindthedesignoftheexamwasthegrammar-translationteachingapproach,whichaimstoestablishreadingknowledge(ratherthantheabilitytocommunicateinthelanguage).In1913,thefirstrequirementforCPEcandidateswastotranslatetexts.Translationremainedprominentinforeignlanguageteachingupuntilthe1960s.ItwasacorepartofCPEuntil1975andanoptionalpartuntil1989.[57] However,CPEwasalsoinfluencedbyHenrySweetandhisbookpublishedin1900:APracticalStudyofLanguages:AGuideforTeachersandLearners,whicharguedthat"themostnaturalmethodofteachinglanguageswasthroughconversation."Duetothisinfluence,speakingaspartofCambridgeEnglishexamsfromtheverybeginning.[58] Examquestionsin1913[edit] CandidateswererequiredtotranslatefromEnglishintoFrench/GermanandtranslatefromFrench/GermanintoEnglish.HereisashortsegmentfromoneofthepassagescandidateswereaskedtotranslatefromEnglishintoGerman: ThesentimentswhichanimatedSchiller’spoetrywereconvertedintoprinciplesofconduct;hisactionswereasblamelessashiswritingswerepure.Withhissimpleandhighpredilections,withhisstrongdevotednesstoanoblecause,hecontrivedtosteerthroughlife,unsulliedbyitsmeanness,unsubduedbyanyofitsdifficultiesorallurements… IntheEnglishEssaypaper,candidateswereaskedtowriteanessayfortwohours,ononeofthefollowingsubjects:theeffectofpoliticalmovementsuponnineteenth-centuryliteratureinEngland;EnglishPre-Raphaelitism;Elizabethantravelanddiscovery;theIndianMutiny;thedevelopmentoflocalself-government;orMatthewArnold.Theexamboardprovidedlittleornoformalstructure.Conceptssuchasaudienceandpurpose,andthelengthoftheessay,wereleftforthecandidatetodecide. ThequestionsintheEnglishLiteraturesectionwereborrowedfromtheuniversity’sLanguageandLiteraturematriculationexamsfornativespeakersandincludedquestionsonShakespeare’sCoriolanusandMilton’sParadiseLost.Hereisanexamplequestion:explainfullyandcommentonthefollowingpassages,statingtheconnexionsinwhichtheyoccurandanydifficultiesofreading,phraseologyorallusion:"WertthoutheHector,Thatwasthewhipofyourbragg’dprogency,Thoushould’stnot‘scrapemehere."Itwasnotuntil1930thataLiteraturepaperwasdesignedspecificallyforCPEcandidates. Thegrammarsectioncontainedquestionsaboutgrammarandlexis,e.g.givethepasttenseandpastparticipleofeachofthefollowingverbs,dividingthemintostrongandweak…,andquestionsaboutgrammarandlexisusage,e.g.embodyeachofthefollowingwordsintoasentenceinsuchawayastoshowthatyouclearlyapprehenditsmeaning:commence,comment,commend…Atthetime,thismirroredtheapproachtolearninggrammarinLatinandGreek(aswellasmodernlanguages). Finally,aPhoneticspaperwasincludedasitwasthoughttobeusefulintheteachingofpronunciation.Thepaperrequiredcandidatestomakephonetictranscriptionsoflongpiecesofcontinuoustext;describethearticulationofparticularsounds;explainphoneticterms,andsuggestwaysofteachingcertainsounds.Herearetwoexamplequestions:explaintheterms:“glide”,“narrowvowel”,“semi-vowel”andgivetwoexamplesofeachinbothphoneticandordinaryspellingandhowwouldyouteachapupilthecorrectpronunciationofthevowelsoundsin:fare,fate,fat,fall,far? Revisionstothe1913exam[edit] The1913CPEexamwastakenbyjustthreecandidates.Thecandidates"wereabletoconversefluently,expressingthemselvesonthewhole,withremarkableeaseandaccuracy."However,allthreecandidatesfailedtheexamandnoneofthemwasawardedaCPEcertificate.[59] Initssecondyear(1914),CPEgainedinpopularity,with18candidatesandfourpassing.However,forthenext15yearscandidatureremainedstatic.[52]ItalianandSpanishwereaddedaslanguagesforthetranslationpaperin1926. In1928,CPEhadonly14candidatesandby1929itwasindangerofbeingdiscontinued.[60]JackRoach,AssistantSecretarytotheSyndicatefrom1925to1945,decidedto"saveitfromthescrapheap"andintroducedanumberofchanges.[60]ThePhoneticspaperwasdroppedandtheessayquestionsbecamemoreatestofwritingproficiencyratherthanatestofknowledgeaboutBritishculture.Questionssuchas"Thebestmonthoftheyear"werepreferredtothemoreculture-boundtopicssetin1913,suchas"Elizabethantravelanddiscovery."[53]Thetargetcandidaturewasbroadenedbeyondteachers,to"allforeignstudentswhodesiretoobtainevidenceoftheirpracticalknowledgeofthelanguages,bothwrittenandspoken,asoftheirabilitytoreadwithcomprehensionstandardworksofEnglishliterature." In1932itwasdecidedtoestablishoverseasexamcentres.ThefirstoverseascentresweresetupinHamburg,ParisandSanRemo(1933),followedbyfurthercentresinItaly(RomeandNaples),theNetherlands,SwedenandSwitzerland.LatinAmericaalsobecameanexamareainthe1930s,withcentresinArgentinaandUruguay. In1935CPEstartedprovidingalternativestotheLiteraturepaper,withanEconomicandCommercialKnowledgepaper–anearlyforerunnerofEnglishforSpecificPurposes. Then,in1937–38,theUniversityofCambridgeandUniversityofOxforddecidedtoacceptCPEasrepresentingthestandardinEnglishrequiredofallstudents,Britishorforeign,beforetheentrancetotheiruniversity.Tothisday,CPEstillservesasaqualificationforentrytohighereducation.FollowingthesechangesCPEcandidatenumbersinstantlybegantorise,reaching752bytheoutbreakofWorldWarII.[58] WorldWarII[edit] From1939onwards,thousandsofrefugeesfromtheSpanishCivilWarandoccupiedEuropestartedarrivingintheUKandbegantakingUCLESexamswhilestationedintheUK. UCLESlaunchedtheLowerCertificateinEnglish(LCE)tomeetthedemandforcertificationatalowerlevelthanCPE.APreliminaryexam,atalowerlevelthanLCE,wasalsoofferedin1944asaspecialtesttomeetthecontingenciesofwar.Thesewerethefirststepstowarddevelopinglanguageassessmentsatdifferentlevels. Polishservicemenandwomenmadeupalargeproportionofthecandidature.In1943,overathirdofallLCECertificateswereawardedtocandidatesfromthePolisharmyandairforce.Thispatterncontinuedthroughoutthewarandintothepost-warperiod.Ononesingledayin1948,nofewerthan2,500PolishmenandwomenofthePolishResettlementCorpstooktheLCE. UCLEStestsweremadeavailableforprisonersofwarinBritainandinGermany.InBritain,1,500prisonersofwartooktheexams,almost900ofthemItalians.InGermany,theWarOrganisationoftheBritishRedCrossandOrderofStJohnofJerusalemmadearrangementsforUCLESexaminationstobeofferedatprisoner-of-warcampswithmanyIndianprisonersofwar,inparticular,takingLCEorSchoolCertificateexams. Examinerswereaskedtoreporton"disturbance,lossofsleep,etc.,causedbyairraids,andonanyexceptionaldifficulties…duringtheexaminationperiod."Onereportnotedthatthecandidateshadbeenspending"mostofeachdayintheair-raidshelter";thatcandidate5224,aprobationernurse,hadbeenshowingstraincausedbyhelpingwith"rescuework";andthatthehouseofcandidate5222hadbeenbombed,whilstshewasatschool,withfatalities.Suchwerethecircumstancesofwartimeexamtakersandadministrators. ExamswerealsomaintainedclandestinelyincontinentalEuropeanexamcentres,whichfrequentlymeantunusualmeasures,includingactsofdeterminationandcourage.However,UCLESwasunabletofundandsupportthegrowinginternationalnetworkofEnglishlanguageexaminationcentresaroundtheworld.Meanwhile,theBritishCouncilhadabrieftodisseminateBritishcultureandeducationallinks.InMarch1941aformal‘JointAgreement’wassignedbetweenthetwoorganisationstocollaborateonthedistributionofUCLESexamsaroundtheworld.Thisstartedalong-lastingrelationship,whichcontinuestothisday.[52] Post-war[edit] By1947,therewereover6,000UCLEScandidates,withLCEdoublethesizeofCPE.ExamcentreshadbeensetupinEurope(17),LatinAmerica(9),theMiddleEast(8),Africa(4)andtheUSA(1).Candidatenumberscontinuedtogrow,reachingover20,000by1955,44,000by1965,andover66,000by1975. However,bythe1970sdemandwasgrowingforexamsatmoreclearlydefinedlevelsofproficiency.ThissetthescenefortheCouncilofEuropeandthedevelopmentoftheCommonEuropeanFrameworkofReferenceforLanguages(CEFR),whichwasinitiatedin1971. Qualificationatdifferentlevels[edit] UCLEShadafewattemptsatdevelopinglanguageassessmentsatdifferentlevels.DuringtheSecondWorldWar,therewasathree-levelsystem:thePreliminaryEnglishTest,LCEandCPE.Afterthewar,anewthree-levelsystemwasintroduced:LCE,CPEandDES(TheDiplomaofEnglishStudies).However,asanextremelyadvancedexam,DEScandidatureneverrosebeyondafewhundredandwaslaterdiscontinued. Inthe1980sand1990s,thelevelsstabilisedandthesuiteofexamswerecognisetodaybecameestablished.Afive-levelsystemwasdeveloped,whichcharacterisesCambridgeEnglish’sgeneralEnglishexamstothepresentdayandlaidthefoundationsforthelevelsintheCEFR.[61][62] Level1:theKeyEnglishTest(KET)waslaunchedin1994.ItisnowknownasA2Key. Level2:thePreliminaryEnglishTest(PET)wasoriginallyusedduringtheSecondWorldWaryears.Itreappearedin1980underclosemonitoringandwasfullylaunchedinthe1990s.ItisnowknownasB1Preliminary. Level3:LCE,operationalsincetheSecondWorldWar,continuedunderanewname:theFirstCertificateinEnglish.ItisnowknownasB2First. Level4:theCertificateinAdvancedEnglish(CAE)waslaunchedin1991.ItisnowknownasC1Advanced. Level5:CPE,operationalsince1913,becameCambridgeEnglish'shighestlevelqualification.ItisnowknownasC2Proficiency. Duringthisperiodtherewerealsosubstantialrevisionstotheexistingexams:B2FirstandC2Proficiency.Theserevisionsincludedimprovingtheauthenticityoftextsandtasks;increasingtheweightonListeningandSpeaking;improvingthebalancebetweengrammarandvocabularyitemsintheReadingpaper;andaddingabroaderrangeoftextsintheCompositionandUseofEnglishpapers,(e.g.letter-writing,dialogues,speeches,note-taking,anddiscursiveanddescriptivecompositions). WithincreasedweightonListeningandSpeaking,UCLESjoinedforceswiththeBBC.However,intheBBCrecordingbooths,therewastensionbetweentheBBC’sapproach,whichfocusedondramaticpotential,andUCLES’needforclarityofspeech.Forexample,amanabseilingdownamountainwashighlyentertainingbutunacceptablefortestpurposes.Itwasfinallyagreedthatatleast35%oflisteningtestswouldcompriseanoriginalBBCrecording,largelymadeupofprogrammesfromWorldServiceandWoman’sHourbroadcasts.[52] IELTS[edit] WithlearnersincreasinglyrequiringEnglishlanguagecertificationfortheirstudies,UCLES,alongwiththeBritishCouncilandtheAustralianInternationalDevelopmentProgramme(IDP),developedatestinthe1980swhichfocusedspecificallyonEnglishforacademicpurposes. AnEnglishLanguageTestingService(ELTS)testwasfirstlaunchedin1980withtasksbasedonlanguageuseinacademicandoccupationalcontextsinthe"realworld".However,theELTStestwasverycomplextoadministerandonlytwofullversionswereeverproduced. In1989,asimplifiedandshortenedtestbecameoperationalunderanewname:theInternationalEnglishLanguageTestingSystem(IELTS).[63] Itwasclearthatdifferentformsofthetestwouldneedtobeequated.AllIELTSmaterialswerethereforepretestedandcalibratedtoacommonscaleonthebasisoftheRaschmodel.ThiswasthefirsttimethatUCLEShadusedtheRaschmodel,whichnowformsthecornerstoneoftheleveltestingsystem.[64] RSAandteachingqualifications[edit] In1988,theEFLexamsdevelopedbyTheRoyalSocietyofArts(RSA)ExaminationBoardweremergedwiththoseofUCLES.TheRSAExaminationBoardhadbeenestablishedin1754,longbeforeUCLES,andbytakingovertheRSATEFLschemesUCLESbecameresponsiblefor"therunningoftheworld’smostrespectedandwidelyrecognisedschemesforvalidatingtrainingcoursesforteachersofEnglishasaForeignLanguage."[65] ThetwosetsofqualificationswereintegratedandsyllabusesfortherevisedqualificationsweredevelopedinconsultationwiththeESLsector,inordertore-integratetheESLandEFLteachercommunities.In1999theRSACertificateinTeachingEnglishasaForeignLanguagetoAdults(CTEFLA)andtheRSADiplomainTeachingEnglishasaForeignLanguagetoAdultsofficiallybecameknownastheCELTAandDeltaqualifications.Thesequalificationswerejoinedin2004byICELT(arevisedversionofitspredecessor,COTE)–whichisapurelyin-serviceprofessionalqualification. Atthestartofthe21stcentury,therewasgrowingdemandfromgovernmentministriesandschoolsforaprofessionalqualificationwithoutanyin-service(teachingpractice)component.ThisledtotheintroductionoftheTeachingKnowledgeTest(TKT),whichfocusessolelyoncoreprofessionalknowledge.Followingconsultationswithworldwideteachertraininginstitutionsandtrialswith1,500EnglishlanguageteachersinEurope,LatinAmericaandAsia,TKTwentlivein2005.Inthefirstsixmonthsthousandsofcandidatessatthetestin36differentcountries.Itwasalsoincorporatedintogovernmentplans,e.g.plansinChiletoretrainallin-serviceteachers,andwasincorporatedintostateuniversityteachertrainingprogrammes.[66] ChinaandbusinessEnglish[edit] Theearly1990ssawChinadevelopingitsmarketeconomyveryrapidly.RecognisingtheimportanceofEnglishasalanguageofinternationalbusinessandtrade,theChinesegovernmentaskedCambridgeAssessmentEnglishtodevelopasuiteofBusinessEnglishCertificates(BEC). BECPreliminary(nowknownasB1BusinessPreliminary)examinationswerefirsttakenin1993by5,000candidatesfromsevencitiesacrossChina.BECVantage(nowknownasB2BusinessVantage)waslaunchedin1994andBECHigher(nowknownasC1BusinessHigher)in1996.Thiswasfollowedin1997bythelaunchoftheBusinessLanguageTestingService(BULATS)forcompanies.[67] Younglearners[edit] Inthe1990s,therewasgrowingdemandfromCambridgeEnglishcentresintheFarEast,LatinAmericaandEuropeforassessmentsdesignedspecificallyforyoungerlearners.Atthetime,relativelylittleresearchhadbeencarriedoutintotheassessmentofsecondlanguagelearninginchildren. UCLESworkedwithHomertonCollege(ateachertrainingcollegewithintheUniversityofCambridge)totrialtestquestionswithover3,000childreninEurope,SouthAmericaandSouthEastAsia.ThefeedbackwasusedtoconstructthefirstYoungLearnersEnglish(YLE)tests,targetedatlearnersaged6–12,whichwentlivein1997. TheYLEtestsintroducedanewlevel.Theadditionofthe‘breakthrough’levelcreatedasix-levelsystemthatwasmirroredbytheCEFR,publishedin2001.[68] Candidates[edit] In1988,withjusttwoestablishedexams(B2FirstandC2Proficiency),examcandidaturewasaround180,000.By2002,withamorecomprehensiverangeofexams,theexamcandidaturewasover1million;by2007,itwasover2million,by2013,itwasover4million;andby2017,itwasover5.5million.[69] TheCambridgeEnglishScale[edit] InJanuary2015,anewwayofreportingresultswasintroduced–theCambridgeEnglishScale.Thescaleaimstoprovideexamuserswithmoreinformationabouttheirexamperformance. Candidatesgetmoredetailedresults–receivinganoverallscoreandascoreforeachskill/paper.Inaddition,theCambridgeEnglishScalemakesiteasiertoseetheprogressionandcompareperformanceacrossdifferentCambridgeEnglishexams.[70] B2First,C1AdvancedandC2ProficiencyhavereportedresultsontheCambridgeEnglishScalesinceJanuary2015.A2KeyandKeyforSchools,B1PreliminaryandPreliminaryforSchoolsandBusinessCertificateshavereportedresultsonthescalesinceFebruary2016.[71] Timeline1209–2021[edit] 1209-UniversityofCambridgefounded. 1534-CambridgeUniversityPressfounded. 1858-UniversityofCambridgeLocalExaminationsSyndicate(UCLES)founded. 1913-CertificateofProficiencyinEnglish(CPE)introduced.NowknownasC2Proficiency. 1939-LowerCertificateinEnglish(LCE)introduced.RenamedFirstCertificateinEnglish(FCE)in1975andnowknownasB2First. 1941-JointagreementwiththeBritishCouncil–BritishCouncilcentresestablished. 1943–47-PreliminaryEnglishTest(PET)introduced.Itwasreintroducedin1980andisnowknownasB1Preliminary. 1971-CommonEuropeanFrameworkofReferenceforLanguages(CEFR)initiated. 1988-TheRoyalSocietyofArts(RSA)ExaminationBoardbecomespartofUCLES. 1989-SpecialistEFLresearchandevaluationunitestablished. 1989-IELTSlaunched.AsimplifiedandshortenedversionofELTSwaslaunchedin1980. 1990-AssociationofLanguageTestersinEurope(ALTE)founded. 1991-CertificateinAdvancedEnglish(CAE)introduced.NowknownasC1Advanced. 1993-BusinessEnglishCertificates(BEC)launched. 1994-KeyEnglishTest(KET)introduced.NowknownasA2Key. 1995-UniversityofOxfordDelegacyofLocalExaminations(UODLE)becomespartofUCLES. 1997-YoungLearnerEnglishTests(YLE)introduced.NowknownasPre-A1Starters,A1Movers,andA2Flyers. 1997-BULATSlaunched. 2001-CEFRpublished. 2002-UCLESEFLrenamedUniversityofCambridgeESOLExaminations(CambridgeESOL). 2002-OnemillionCambridgeESOLexamcandidates. 2010-CaMLAestablished(CambridgeMichiganLanguageAssessments). 2011-CambridgeExamsPublishingjointventurewithCambridgeUniversityPressestablished. 2013-CambridgeESOLrenamedCambridgeEnglishLanguageAssessment. 2015-CambridgeEnglishScaleintroduced. 2016-Linguaskillreadingandlisteningintroduced. 2016-Linguaskillwritingintroduced. 2017-CambridgeEnglishLanguageAssessmentrenamedCambridgeAssessmentEnglish. 2020-TheUniversityofCambridgeannouncesitplanstomergetwoofitsnon-teachingdepartments,CambridgeAssessmentandCambridgeUniversityPress.[72] 2021-CambridgeAssessmentandCambridgeUniversityPressmergetobecomeCambridgeUniversityPress&Assessment Seealso[edit] CaMLA IELTS,InternationalEnglishLanguageTestingSystem StudiesinLanguageTesting(SiLT) TeachingEnglishasaForeignLanguage References[edit] ^"Cambridgecelebrates100yearsofEnglishlanguageexams".www.gov.uk.Retrieved23April2018. ^"AboutThe"CambridgeEnglishLanguageAssessment"–LinkEducation".www.linkeducationinc.com.Archivedfromtheoriginalon30January2018.Retrieved23April2018. 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