IELTS, TOEFL and Cambridge Certificate

CAE

CAE is an exam for advanced users of English. This exam is aimed at people who can use written and spoken English for most professional and social purposes. It is widely recognised for work or study purposes.

CAE is at Level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

For example, at C1 level, typical users can be expected to:

*read quickly enough to cope with an academic course
*understand complex opinions
*produce clear, well structured and detailed pieces of writing
*express themselves well with a good degree of fluency
*use English flexibly for social, professional and academic purposes.
Your preparation for CAE will give you these kinds of practical language skills.

CAE has five papers:

Reading: 1 hour 15 minutes
You will need to be able to understand texts from publications such as fiction and non-fiction books, journals, newspapers and magazines.

Writing 1 hour 30 minutes
You will have to show you can produce two different pieces of writing such as an article, a report, a proposal and a review.

Use of English Paper 1 hour
Your use of English will be tested by tasks which show how well you can control your grammar and vocabulary.

Listening: 40 minutes
You need to show you can understand the meaning of a range of spoken material, including lectures, radio broadcasts, speeches and talks.

Speaking: 15 minutes
You will take the Speaking test with another candidate or in a group of three, and you will be tested on your ability to take part in different types of interaction: with the examiner, with the other candidate and by yourself.

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CPE

CPE is Cambridge ESOL's most advanced exam. It is aimed at people who use English for professional or study purposes.

CPE is at Level C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

For example, at C2 level, typical users can be expected to:

*understand with ease virtually everything they hear and read
*make accurate and complete notes during a presentation
*understand colloquial asides
*talk about complex and sensitive issues without awkwardness
*express themselves precisely and fluently.
Your preparation for CPE will give you these kinds of practical language skills.

CPE has five papers:

Reading 1 hour 30 minutes
You will need to be able to understand the meaning of written English at word, sentence, paragraph and whole text level.

Writing 2 hours
You will have to show you can produce a number of different items such as a short story, a letter, an article, a report or a composition, each of about 300—350 words.

Use of English 1 hour 30 minutes
Your use of English will be tested by tasks which show how well you can control your grammar and vocabulary and how well you can summarise information.

Listening: 45 minutes
You need to show you can understand the meaning of a range of spoken material, including lectures, news programmes and public announcements.

Speaking: 19 minutes
You will take the Speaking test with another candidate or in groups of three, and you will be tested on your ability to take part in different types of interaction: with the examiner, with the other candidates and by yourself.

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IELTS

Educational institutions, along with employers and government immigration agencies, require proof of English language skills as part of their recruitment or admittance procedures. Increasingly, these organisations are using IELTS.

The IELTS tests come in two formats:

Academic – tests a person’s ability to study in English at undergraduate or postgraduate level
General Training – this module is suitable for people who are going to an English-speaking country to work or train at below undergraduate level. It is also used for immigration purposes to Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

All candidates are tested in Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking tests. There is a choice between Academic and General Training in the Reading and Writing tests.

The total test time is around 2 hours 45 minutes. The first three tests – Listening, Reading and Writing – must be completed in one day. The Speaking test may be taken, at the discretion of the test centre, in the period seven days before or after the other tests.

IELTS is available as a computer-based test in many countries, although the scores and certificates remain identical to the paper-based test.
The tests are designed to cover the full range of ability from non-user to expert user. Test takers receive a score of 0—9, with 0 being for those who did not attempt the test, and 9 being for the most proficient users. Most universities accept scores between 6—7 as being suitable for undergraduate study in English.

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BEC

The Business English Certificates (BEC) are internationally recognised qualifications that show employers your skills for using English in the workplace.

BEC is an ideal English language exam if you are preparing for a career in business. There are three different levels of BEC: BEC Preliminary, BEC Vantage and BEC Higher.

The BEC exams are aligned with Levels B1 to C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. 'Can Do' statements have been used to describe these levels in terms of real skills with language, such as being able to write a report, or take a telephone message. This means that preparing for BEC will help you develop real-life skills and the confidence to use them.

BEC is officially recognised by more than a thousand educational organisations, employers, ministries, government bodies and professional organisations throughout the world as a suitable qualification for business use.

Leading international companies such as Sony Ericsson, Shell, Vodafone, Bayer, Coca-Cola and HSBC have all recognised BEC in their offices around the world.

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TOEFL

TOEFL is accepted by more institutions than any other English-language test in the world — including the top colleges and universities.

The entire test is taken in one day, which saves you travel time and costs. And, there are more than 4,000 test centers to choose from.
You can retake the test in just 7 days, if you want to improve your scores.

The TOEFL test measures skills in reading, listening, speaking and writing, and requires you to combine 2 or more of these skills to respond to a question. For example, you might read a passage or listen to a lecture in English, and then write or speak your answers in English.

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At Frisby's School of English, we use the following framework to determine our students' level of class and achievements.

One of the aims of the "Common European Framework of Reference: Learning, Teaching, Assessment", Council of Europe reference document for the European Language Portfolio, is to help partners to describe the levels of proficiency required by existing standards, tests and examinations in order to facilitate comparisons between different systems of qualifications. For this purpose the Council of Europe has developed a European Framework with common reference levels.

Proficient User

C2: Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.
C1: Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

Independent User

B2: Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
B1: Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

Basic User

A2: Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.
A1: Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.