Blandine Bastié, Regional Manager (UK ? Ireland):

Students planning to study at a UK universities have a lot to think about when it comes to choosing a course, a place to live, securing finance – along with checking visa and English language requirements. Thankfully lots of help is at hand from universities, agents and other organisations.

One thing I get asked time and time again is: what are the English language requirements for UK universities? The short answer is: it depends where you are from and what you plan to study. For the (slightly) longer answer, we’ve just produced some straightforward guidelines on the requirements and how they apply to Cambridge English exams. So which Cambridge English exams do students need?

Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland do not need a student visa; they just need to meet the English language requirements of the institution they are applying to. In terms of Cambridge English qualifications, Cambridge English: Proficiency and Advanced are accepted for degree-level courses (e.g. undergraduate and postgraduate). They are also accepted for courses that are below degree level. It’s worth noting that students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland can also use Cambridge English: First for below-degree-level study, such as foundation or pathway courses.

What about students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland? These students will need a Tier 4 student visa. Cambridge English: Proficiency andAdvanced qualifications can be used for undergraduate and postgraduate applications, as universities on UK Visa and Immigration’s Tier 4 Sponsors list can choose which exams they accept for courses at degree level. For courses that are below degree level, applicants need a test from UKVI’s list of Secure English Language Tests (SELTs). IELTS for UKVI – delivered jointly by Cambridge English Language Assessment, the British Council and IDP: IELTS Australia – is the test we recommend, and is the only SELT that can be taken outside the UK.

Obviously the best piece of advice to students is to make sure they check English language requirements with the institution they are applying to.

Cambridge English Language Assessment and the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science have launched an ambitious project designed to help secondary school pupils reach international standards in English by using Cambridge English qualifications. 

Launched in 2014, the joint venture is a direct response to Portugal’s relatively poor performance (in terms of English skills) in the EU’s first European Survey on Language Competences. Following the Survey, the Ministry of Education and Science asked Cambridge English Language Assessment to work with IAVE, the Instituto de Avaliação Educacional (Office of Educational Assessment) to introduce the Cambridge English: Key (KET) for Schools qualification as a mandatory exam for Grade 9 students across the country. Cambridge English: Key for Schools is a basic level qualification that shows a student has made a good start in learning English and can use the language to communicate in simple situations.

The Portuguese education system is the first in the world to use a Cambridge English qualification in this way, with Cambridge English: Key for Schools now acting as a mandatory diagnostic assessment of students in basic education (diploma do ensino básico). 

On 30 April 2014 we ran the largestever session for a standard Cambridge English exam, with around 120,000 Portuguese pupils taking Cambridge English: Key for Schools, all on one day.

A similar number of students across Portugal will take the exam in future academic years. 

The project has also demanded the recruitment of in-country examiners and trainers, and the development of a marking and administration strategy capable of handling the large numbers of students taking the Cambridge English: Key for Schools exam.

IAVE is also offering teachers the opportunity to take the Cambridge English Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT). 

As part of the project, Cambridge English has launched a study to examine the impact of Cambridge English: Key for Schools on Portuguese schools and other stakeholders. A three-year project (from 2014 to 2016), the study comprises three phases, and will investigate candidate performance, motivation and stakeholder attitudes at both the micro level (learning and teaching) and at the macro level, encompassing schools, parents and carers, and other stakeholders.

The first phase of the study comprises questionnaires, focus groups, surveys and analyses of test data in order to identify areas for improvement, generate guidelines for success, and make recommendations for the next two phases.

The Abu Baker Asedeeq School in Qatar offered students Cambridge English: Young Learners (YLE) tests from Cambridge English Language Assessment to motivate progress to higher level English language qualifications. As part of its proactive approach to education, in 2009 the Abu Baker Asedeeq Independent Secondary School for Boys provided students with the opportunity to take Cambridge English: Young Learners tests. These tests provide a reliable and consistent way to develop and assess younger students’ progress in listening, speaking, reading and writing. 

The Abu Baker Asedeeq School wanted to encourage students to continue their English studies so the Cambridge English: Young Learners tests were ideal as these are designed to make learning fun and rewarding (all children receive an award to show how many shields they have received – there is no pass or fail). 

The Cambridge English: Young Learners test enabled students to reach a good level of English as early as possible in their academic career, and was used by the School as a stepping-stone to higher level English qualifications. Students who passed the highest level test – Flyers – were actively encouraged to take the Cambridge English: Key (KET) test, and if successful to then move on to the Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) test. Those who passed the Cambridge English: Preliminary exam were again encouraged to move up, this time to the Cambridge English: First (FCE) exam, with success in this exam used as an entry criterion to the School’s Cambridge IGCSER programme. 

Using Cambridge English qualifications in this way proved highly successful, with over 100 students taking Cambridge English exams between 2009 and 2010. Dr Mohammad Qassem Saefan, the School’s English Department Supervisor commented: ‘We chose Cambridge English exams because they are linked to internationally recognised standards that accurately assess a learner’s proficiency in English. Having a certificate from Cambridge makes students’ parents proud and acts as a motivation for the students.’  

The board that oversees the university system in the US state of Georgia has added Cambridge English exams to its list of approved English language proficiency exams.

The approval from the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia means that the 30 institutions it governs can now accept the exams when assessing the English language proficiency of international applicants for undergraduate courses. Cambridge English: First (FCE), Advanced (CAE) and Proficiency (CPE) have all been approved and have been added to the board’s Academic and Student Affairs handbook. IELTS*, which is produced by Cambridge English, was already included on the approved list.

Following the approval, institutions in Georgia have already added one or more of the exams to their own list of accepted tests. This includes the University of West Georgia, College of Coastal Georgia, Kennesaw State University and East Georgia State College. The exams are also accepted by many other universities and colleges across the United States, and beyond. Cambridge English exams are recognised by more than 20,000 organisations and institutions globally.

Cambridge English: First, Advanced and Proficiency are in-depth and level-based exams which can help educational institutions to be confident of an applicant’s English ability. The exams can also help institutions to widen their pool of prospective international students as they available in our global network of test centres in more than 100 countries, and there are regular test dates throughout the year for students.

Mr Takamichi Nakamura, Head of the English Department, explained why they have decided to adopt the Cambridge English qualifications Cambridge English: Preliminary and Cambridge English: First.

‘There were a number of reasons for the school’s decision to begin testing students using Cambridge English. Firstly, as part of Tokyo Government’s recent new initiative, Hibiya High School is a “Tokyo Global 10” school, a designation which carries with it a responsibility to focus more on global issues and considerations. A natural extension of this is an increased focus on foreign languages and English in particular, as the tool with which Hibiya students could communicate their ideas on global topics.

With this mind, Hibiya High School was looking for a testing system that utilised a broad framework, allowing students both to easily compare their language skills with other schools and countries, and to supplement their studying with other textbooks at the appropriate level. As Cambridge English uses the Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR), it makes it simple for students to achieve this.

Furthermore, Cambridge English certificates have a real world value; they can be used for admission to a huge number of academic and business institutions, which encourages students to engage more actively in their English classes, and rewards their efforts with certification. The use of a variety of accents in the listening section of the test was also helpful, as many textbooks focus only one particular variant of English, often leaving students surprised by the wide variety of English they might encounter in the wider world.

Finally, Cambridge English lends itself more to whole-class teaching than some other testing systems might. The skills tested by a Cambridge English exam are those that our students are mostly likely to need in situations they are most likely to encounter; speaking skills directed at communicating with strangers and gathering information, listening skills aimed at catching details in announcements at stations, or reading both for general themes and specific facts.

With all these points taken into consideration, Cambridge English seemed the most appropriate test to adopt.’

Year 1 students at Hibiya High School took Cambridge English: Preliminary in March 2017 and Year 2 sat Cambridge English: First in December 2016. Over 600 students took Cambridge English exams in the first year of the school recognising the exams.

Teachers need to understand what makes a good test but many teachers are unsure of the key concepts and specialised technical vocabulary associated with Assessment Literacy. This webinar will explain in everyday language what teachers need to know about key areas of test design. The presenters will also focus on how testing relates to the classroom, and how testing leads to effective teaching and learning.

Presenters: Dr Evelina D. Galaczi and Dr Nahal Khabbazbashi

The number of institutions choosing to recognise Cambridge English exams has continued to grow over the last two months, with over 180 new organisations joining the list of those accepting our qualifications. Dozens of organisations that already accept Cambridge English exams have decided to accept another exam.

The list includes Canadian higher education institutions such as the University of Winnipeg that has chosen to accept Cambridge English: Advancedin addition to Cambridge English: Proficiency while Douglas College has chosen to accept both. Bellarmine University in Kentucky, US have recently let us know they will now accept the full suite of Cambridge English: First, Advanced and Proficiency from international students applying to their undergraduate and graduate courses. Commenting on the university’s choice Richard Brown, Special Assistant, International Initiatives, said: "Bellarmine chose to recognize Cambridge English exams based upon an assessment of the courses and exams, a review of institutions accepting the exams, and the program's relationship with the University of Cambridge."

Organisations that have recently started accepting Cambridge English exams, also include prominent names from the corporate sector – Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) now accept Cambridge English: Business Vantage, SKODA India recognise Cambridge English exams of CEFR level B1 and above, while Tenneco Automotive Iberica accept Cambridge English: First, Advanced and Proficiency for recruitment.

Growing recognition of Cambridge English exams demonstrates an increasing need for high quality assessments globally. Cambridge English exams are currently accepted by over 20,000 organisations worldwide.

All organisations can be viewed on our Global Recognition Database, while those that have joined the list or decided to accept another exam in the last 2 months are the following:

Pada hari Selasa, 26 Juli 2016 UniSadhuGuna Testing Centre (UTC) bekerjasama dengan Universitas Muhammadiyah Sukabumi (UMMI) telah menyelenggarakan Workshop dan Simulasi TOEFL ITP yang bertempat di kampus UMMI. Acara ini merupakan grand launching UMMI sebagai Registration Centre TOEFL ITP  (bekerja sama dengan UTC) sebagai bentuk kepedulian terhadap kualitas pendidikan khususnya di kota Sukabumi dan sekitarnya. Selain itu, dengan adanya UMMI sebagai Registration Centre diharapkan dapat memudahkan kebutuhan calon peserta khususnya di wilayah Sukabumi dan sekitarnya yang membutuhkan sertifikat TOEFL ITP berlisensi sebagai syarat untuk melengkapi dokumen pengajuan beasiswa, dokumen penunjang penerimaan kerja dan sebagainya.

Workshop ini juga bertujuan untuk memberikan pemahaman kepada masyarakat mengenai official TOEFL ITP test yang dikeluarkan oleh Educational Testing Service (ETS) serta membangun kesadaran peserta akan banyaknya non-official English Language Assessment yang bermunculan dan menggunakan brand TOEFL. Materi workshop yang diikuti oleh lebih dari 150 peserta tersebut disampaikan oleh Ms Graise Kabuhung. Selama workshop berlangsung, peserta terlihat sangat antusias menyimak materi yang diberikan oleh pembicara tentang tips dan trik mengerjakan soal TOEFL ITP yang dapat digunakan sebagai bekal peserta untuk mengikuti official TOEFL ITP.

Setelah workshop berakhir, para peserta dipersilakan untuk mengikuti tes simulasi yang dirancang untuk memberikan gambaran bagaimana proses berlangsungnya tes TOEFL ITP. Hal ini bertujuan agar para peserta dapat melakukan persiapan yang matang untuk mengikuti Official Test TOEFL sehingga mereka dapat mencapai hasil yang diharapkan.

Berikut merupakan nilai peserta yang telah mengikuti tes simulasi TOEFL di UMMI:

Kamis, 16 maret 2017 bertempat di Kridangga ballroom, Century Park Hotel jakarta UniSadhuGuna Testing Center (UTC) bekerjasama dengan Cambridge English Language Assessment mengadakan pelatihan pengunaan standard Internasional dalam pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris di Indonesia. Seminar yang diberi judul "Using CEFR to Support Learning and Assessment" diikuti lebih kurang 140 guru dan kepala sekolah dari berbagai sekolah, kampus dan lembaga bahasa di Indonesia.  

Dengan diberlakukannya pasar bebas ASEAN di akhir 2015, maka Keterbukaan Indonesia terhadap tenaga kerja dan perusahaan asing pun semakin meningkat. Menurut data yang di dapat dari Kementerian Tenaga Kerja (Kemenaker), tenaga kerja asing (TKA) pun jumlahnya meningkat dari 69 ribu di 2015 menjadi 74 ribu di akhir 2016.  Selain itu data dari Kementerian perindustrian indonesia menyatakan investasi asing di Indonesia tahun 2016 pun meningkat sebanyak 135% dari tahun sebelumnya. Hal ini merupakan indikasi pentingnya penguasaan Bahasa Inggris oleh sumber daya manusia di Indonesia. Belum lagi ditambah dengan naiknya tren masyarakat Indonesia untuk mengenyam pendidikan di luar negeri ataupun bekerja di negara lain semakin menguatkan kebutuhan penguasaan Bahasa Inggris yang baik di Indonesia. 

Ibu Ning Anhar, Chairman dari Lembaga Pendidikan UniSadhuGuna mengatakan “Meningkatnya investasi asing, masuknya TKA, dan meningkatnya tren kuliah dan kerja luar Negeri menunjukan perkembangan Negara Indonesia yang menjanjikan, pertanyaan yang harus kita jawab bersama adalah apakah Negara kita berserta  sumber daya manusia nya sudah siap menghadapi persaingan global”

Salah satu kunci mempersiapkan sumber daya manusia di Indonesia untuk menghadapi persiangan global baik di dalam dan luar negeri adalah penguasaan kompetensi Bahasa Inggris yang baik dan sesuai dengan standard internasional. “Di sinilah peran pengajar sangat penting dalam melatih sumber daya manusia di Indonesia agar dapat menguasai bahasa inggris yang baik dan benar dan sesuai dengan standard internasional” Deddy Mulyadi, Head of UniSadhuGuna Testing Center (UTC) menambahkan.

Untuk menjawab tantangan tersebut UTC bekerjasama dengan Cambridge English Language Assesment mengadakan pelatihan dalam bentuk seminar pendidikan dengan tujuan untuk mengasah kemampuan penguasaan dan pengajaran bahasa Inggris bagi para pengajar dan pelajar serta meningkatkan kesadaran, wawasan dan pengenalan standar Internasional bahasa Inggris di lingkungan akademik internasional yaitu CEFR atau Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Seminar utama hari ini di bawakan oleh Dr. Nick Saville ,Director of Research and Validation and a member of the Cambridge English senior management team, yang memberikan paparan lengkap pengunaan CEFR atau Common European Framework of Reference for Languages sebagai tolak ukur kemampuan bahasa Inggris seseorang dalam standar ukur internasional. 

Dr Nick Saviile dalam paparannya mengatakan bahwa pendidikan khususnya dalam pelajaran Bahasa Inggris sebaiknya tidak hanya terpaku pada pencapaian nilai saja, tetapi juga harus dilandasi kemampuan yang dapat diaplikasikan di dunia nyata. Dr Nick menambahkan "krusial bagi kita sebagai pendidik untuk membentuk satu metode yang dapat mengukur performa anak secara menyeluruh". Salah satu alat ukur internasional yang dapat digunakan adalah CEFR atau Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. 

Selain itu seminar sesi kedua yang dibawakan oleh Ibu Bashira P Lukman, ahli pendidikan Bahasa Inggris di Indonesia, membahas mengenai berbagai macam tehnik dan metode interaktif yang dapat digunakan untuk membangun pemikiran kritis di kelas yang berguna untuk mendukung kesuksesan belajar mengajar.  

A major study, funded by Cambridge English Language Assessment, has examined the impact of the Cambridge English Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) on English language teachers across China. 

TKT is an internationally recognised qualification from Cambridge English which provides formal recognition of teaching experience while also helping teachers to develop new skills and build confidence. TKT is widely used in China, and the research study - completed in 2013 - investigated both the impacts of TKT on Chinese teachers’ teaching beliefs, knowledge and practice, and the contextual factors shaping these impacts, such as age, experience or preparation techniques. The study results were also used to provide recommendations regarding the use of TKT in the Chinese context. Researchers Liyan Huang of the Guangdong Academy of Education, and Angelo Papakosmas of the Guangzhou Education Bureau, used focus groups and questionnaires to investigate attitudes among primary and secondary school teachers across China. All study participants had taken the TKT test; the majority were university graduates, aged under 40, and were experienced teachers working in both the public and private sectors. Most had completed a training course prior to TKT, the majority in China but also abroad.

The researchers found that the overall impact of TKT was positive, especially on teachers’ understanding of how to use learning resources within the English language classroom, and also on their teaching methods and skills. Evidence for this could be seen in the greater diversity of teaching materials used by teachers after taking the TKT course, and their more considered and varied approach to lesson planning, classroom activities and student interactions. There was also a substantial improvement in teachers’ understanding of theory and method, although less impact on knowledge of English language systems such as grammar. 

Regarding context, the research showed that TKT had a greater impact on teachers without higher degrees, and on those who had been trained abroad. Formal support, from employers or colleagues, further reinforced the positive impact of TKT but this could be undermined by the assessment system used, and by large class sizes. 

In conclusion, the research showed that TKT can have a positive impact on the performance of English language teachers in China, especially those without higher degrees and who work in primary or secondary schools. However, the research also revealed the benefits gained by travelling overseas to undertake TKT preparation, suggesting that Chinese-based TKT courses require improvement.