It's the end of another class, and one student has stayed
behind. No problem, you think, maybe an easy grammar question,
or a comment on how they enjoyed the class (or not!)... or maybe
it's a question about an ESL exam. "What's the difference
between TOEFL and TOEIC?" "Should I take the FCE?" "Who
recognizes IELTS?" So if you don't know your BEC from your KET,
or your CAE from your CELS, here's a brief guide to the most
popular ESL exams.
ESL exams fall broadly into three main categories: General
English, Business English and Academic English.
General English
Probably the most popular in this category are the Cambridge
ESOL exams. One and a half million people in 135 countries take
Cambridge exams every year. There are five General English
exams, sometimes referred to as the "Cambridge Main Suite."
The first two levels are the KET (Key English Test) and
the PET (Preliminary English Test). The KET and PET have
reading and writing, listening, and speaking components, and are
most often used to assess progress or to prepare for the next
exam in the series. The PET is also recognized by some employers
and universities. KET and PET have two pass grades, Pass with
merit and Pass.
Next up from the PET is the FCE (First Certificate in
English). The FCE has five sections, reading, writing, use of
English, listening and speaking. It is widely recognized by
employers and educational institutions and so is very popular
with students who want to study or work abroad.
Many universities and employers, however, prefer the CAE
(Certificate in Advanced English), which is the next level up.
This exam shows that a student is capable of following a
university course or can function in a range of business
contexts.
After the CAE comes the CPE (Certificate of Proficiency
in English), the highest level in the series. Students who pass
this exam have the ability to function effectively in almost
every English speaking context. The CPE is also a typical
requirement for non-native speakers who want to train as English
teachers. Students typically need 3 years of study after passing
the FCE to reach this level (depending, of course, on how often
they study and other factors).
FCE, CAE and CPE have five grades, A-E, of which A-C are passes.
Cambridge also has a series of General English exams for Young
Learners aged between 7 and 12 (YLE). There are three
exams in the series, Starters, Movers and
Flyers. They are taken mainly as a means of measuring
progress, and also as preparation for the KET and PET. There is
no pass or fail - students are awarded up to five "shields" for
each component (reading and writing, listening, speaking).
Other General English exams
Cambridge also offers CELS (Certificates in English
Language Skills). These are individual exams in each of the four
skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking). Students can
choose which of the exams they want to take, according to their
strengths and requirements.
Pitman, part of the British City and Guilds Group, is another
examining body with a series of General English exams. The
International ESOL covers listening, reading and writing,
and the International Spoken ESOL is a one to one
structured interview. Both have six levels, from basic to
advanced.
Business English
Every year four and a half million people take the TOEIC
(Test of English for International Communication), run by the
Educational Testing Service (ETS). The TOEIC is a multiple
choice exam in two sections, listening and reading, each scored
out of 445, giving a total of 990. Many companies and government
agencies use TOEIC as a criterion for recruiting or promoting
staff, or for sending staff abroad. Some universities also use
TOEIC, requiring their business school students to achieve a
particular score prior to graduation, for example.
Cambridge also has a series of business exams called the
BEC (Business English Certificate). BEC comes in three
levels, Preliminary, Vantage and Higher.
The types of exam task are similar to those in the Cambridge
Main Suite, but test language ability in a business context.
They are recognized by many employers worldwide, and students
take them to demonstrate language skills required for
international business. There are two pass grades for BEC,
Pass with merit and Pass.
Other Business English exams
Cambridge offers BULATS (The Business Language Testing
Service). BULATS is designed specifically for companies and
organizations to test the language ability of employees who need
English in their work, and for students and employees on
language and business courses.
Pitman has a three-level series of exams called English for
Business Communications, which tests business writing
ability, and English for Office Skills, a two-level
series designed to test the ability to carry out office-related
tasks where accuracy in writing and following instructions is
important.
Academic English
A common question from students is "What's the difference
between TOEIC and TOEFL?" Well, both are run by ETS, but whereas
TOEIC evaluates language skills for the workplace, TOEFL
evaluates language skills in an academic context. It is
therefore used primarily as a prerequisite for admission to
universities and colleges. More than 5000 colleges and
universities in 90 countries recognize the exam. During 2005 and
2006, TOEFL is phasing in a new internet-based test (iBT), which
will replace the current computer-based and paper-based exams.
The iBT has 4 sections, reading, listening, speaking and
writing, each with a score of 30, giving a total score of 120.
This is likely to cause some confusion for a while, as most
students and universities are used to working with the
paper-based total of 677, or the computer-based total of 300!
Cambridge also has an academic exam, the IELTS
(International English Language Testing System), which they
jointly manage with the British Council and IDP:IELTS Australia.
IELTS is recognized by universities and colleges, as well as
employers, immigration authorities and professional bodies. The
exam has listening, reading, writing and speaking components.
For the reading and writing, students can choose between an
academic and a general option. IELTS is scored on a scale of 1-9.
Comparing levels
One of the most common questions from students is how exams in
the different categories compare to each other. Is the FCE
equivalent to one of the BEC exams? If I have the CAE, what
TOEFL score can I expect? Luckily, we have a reference guide to
help us here, called the "Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages" (CEF). The CEF divides language learners into six
levels, and enables us to compare all the ESL exams according to
these levels.
The six levels are A1 (Breakthrough), A2 (Waystage), B1
(Threshold), B2 (Vantage), C1 (Effective Operational
Proficiency), and C2 (Mastery).
Here's a quick comparison of exams at the different levels. Bear
in mind that this is a general guide only -- students' scores in
different exams will of course depend on many factors, such as
preparation time and motivation!
A1: YLE Movers, Pitman ESOL Basic, IELTS score 1-2.
A2: KET, YLE Flyers, Pitman ESOL Elementary, TOEIC score
246-380, TOEFL iBT score 32-42, IELTS score 3.
B1: PET, TOEIC score 381-540, BEC Preliminary, TOEFL iBT
score 43-61, IELTS score 3.5-4.5.
B2: FCE, Pitman ESOL Intermediate, TOEIC score 541-700,
BEC Vantage, TOEFL iBT score 62-91, IELTS score 5-6.
C1: CAE, Pitman ESOL Higher Intermediate, TOEIC score
701-910, BEC Higher, TOEFL iBT score 92-112, IELTS score 6.5-7.
C2: CPE, Pitman ESOL Advanced, TOEIC score 911-990, TOEFL
iBT score 113-120, IELTS score 7.5-9.
There is of course much more information about these exams on
the Cambridge ESOL, TOEIC, TOEFL and Pitman websites -- you will
find the links at this ESL exams
resource.
About the author:
Keith Taylor is the founder of eslbase.com, providing free
resources, information and advice for TEFL teachers, and a
directory of TEFL jobs and
TEFL courses worldwide. He
also maintains the eslbase language
exchange, an easy way to learn any language.
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