Cambridge Assessment English
Cambridge Assessment English or Cambridge English develops and produces Cambridge English Qualifications and the International English Language Testing System. The organisation contributed to the development of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the standard used around the world to benchmark language skills, and its qualifications and tests are aligned with CEFR levels.
Cambridge Assessment English is part of Cambridge Assessment, a non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge which merged with Cambridge University Press to form Cambridge University Press & Assessment in August 2021.
Current Cambridge English qualifications/exams
Each Cambridge English Qualifications focuses on a level of the Common European Framework of Reference.Schools
These English qualifications are to help school-age children and young people improve their English language skills.| Exams |
| Pre A1 Starters |
| A1 Movers |
| A2 Flyers |
| A2 Key for Schools |
| B1 Preliminary for Schools |
| B2 First for Schools |
| C1 Advanced |
| C2 Proficiency |
General and higher education
These qualifications are designed for adult learners. A2 Key, B1 Preliminary and B2 First have the same exam format as the schools' versions of these qualifications, but use different topics and content suited to adult learners.| Exams |
| A2 Key |
| B1 Preliminary |
| B2 First |
| C1 Advanced |
| C2 Proficiency |
Business
These qualifications are designed for adult learners learning English for use in a business context.| Exams |
| B1 Business Preliminary |
| B2 Business Vantage |
| C1 Business Higher |
Multilevel tests
Multilevel tests are used to find out which English learning programme or exam is right for a student. These cover multiple levels of the CEFR in one test.| Tests | CEFR level |
| Cambridge English Placement Test | A1-C2 |
| Cambridge English Placement Test for Young Learners | Pre A1-A2 |
| Linguaskill | A1-C2 |
| IELTS | A1-C2 |
Cambridge Exams Publishing, a joint venture with Cambridge University Press, produces Cambridge-branded IELTS resources and materials to help learners prepare and practise for their tests.
Teaching
Qualifications and courses for teachers of all levels of experience.| Exams | Teaching level on the Cambridge English Teaching Framework | Course delivery |
| CELTA | Foundation/Developing | Full-time/part-time. Face-to-face course or online course with face-to-face teaching practice. |
| CELT-P | Foundation/Developing | Online modular course with optional face-to-face elements. Assessed through an exam and teaching practice. |
| CELT-S | Foundation/Developing | Online modular course with optional face-to-face elements. Assessed through an exam and teaching practice. |
| Language for Teaching | Foundation/Developing/Proficient | Online learning with optional face-to-face elements. |
| TKT | Foundation/Developing | Exams with a flexible modular format. |
| ICELT | Developing/Proficient | Part-time face-to-face course with teaching practice and distance learning support. |
| Delta | Proficient/Expert | Flexible modular format combining coursework and exams. Distance learning support, local tutoring and assessed teaching practice. |
| Certificate in EMI Skills | Proficient/Expert | Online learning with optional face-to-face sessions. |
| Train the Trainer | Proficient/Expert | Part-time face-to-face course. |
Discontinued exams
In alphabetical order:- BULATS discontinued on 6 December 2019.
- Cambridge English: Financial discontinued in December 2016.
- Cambridge English: Legal discontinued in December 2016.
- CELS modular qualifications for English language learners.
- Certificates in ESOL Skills for Life discontinued in June 2017.
- DTELLS and ADTELLS : these qualifications for English language teachers in the UK were discontinued in September 2012. CELTA is a recommended alternative for those wanting an English teaching qualification for teaching in the UK.
- IDLTM discontinued in June 2016.
- PTLLS discontinued in November 2012.
- Young Learner Extension to CELTA discontinued in December 2016.
- TKT: KAL and TKT: Practical discontinued in December 2016.
Partnerships and acquisitions
In 2010 Cambridge Assessment English and the English Language Institute Testing and Certificate Division of the University of Michigan agreed to form a not-for-profit collaboration known as CaMLA. Cambridge Assessment English owns 65% of the venture.
Since 2011 Cambridge Exams Publishing, a partnership between Cambridge Assessment English and the English Language Teaching business of Cambridge University Press, develops official Cambridge preparation materials for Cambridge English and IELTS exams.
In 2013 Cambridge Assessment English formed a joint venture with the Box Hill Institute to deliver the Occupational English Test, known as OET.
In 2019 Cambridge Assessment English acquired English Language , an artificial intelligence developed off technology from the University of Cambridge, to support new English language assessment products.
Research
The Cambridge English EFL Evaluation Unit was established in 1989 and was the first dedicated research unit of its kind. This unit is now called the Research and Validation Group and is the largest dedicated research team of any English language assessment body. Research is published in the Studies in Language Testing series.Awards
In 2015, Cambridge Assessment English was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in the 'international trade' category.Qualification development
Cambridge University's examination board (UCLES)
The first Cambridge English exam was produced in 1913 by UCLES. UCLES had been set up in 1858 to provide exams to students who were not members of a university.There was a growing concern in Britain with standards of school education and the transition from secondary to tertiary-level education. A number of schools "petitioned the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge means of comparing achievements of pupils across schools." The secondary education sector was still voluntary in nature. Without support from the state, it was logical to seek help from universities that were long established and widely admired. The University of Oxford and University of Cambridge, in particular, were "regarded as viable sources of supervision."
UCLES was invited to set exams and inspect schools with the aim of raising educational standards. The University of Oxford also created its own examination board: the University of Oxford Delegacy of Local Examinations. UODLE and its partner, the Association of Recognised English Language Schools, merged with UCLES in 1995.
The first UCLES examinations took place on 14 December 1858. The exams were designed to test for university selection and were taken by 370 candidates in British schools, churches and village halls. Candidates were required to "satisfy the examiners" in the analysis and parsing of a Shakespeare text; reading aloud; dictation; and composition.
Female candidates were accepted by UCLES on a trial basis in 1864 and on a permanent basis from 1867. Cambridge University itself did not examine female students until 1882 and it was not until 1948 that women were allowed to graduate as full members of the university.
In the mid to late 19th century, UCLES exams were taken by candidates based overseas – in Trinidad and Tobago, South Africa, Guyana and New Zealand, Jamaica and Malaysia. Many of these candidates were children of officers of the British colonial service and exams were not yet designed for non-native speakers of English.
The first Cambridge English exam
In 1913 UCLES created the first exam for non-native speakers of English – the Certificate of Proficiency in English. This may have been prompted by the development of English exams "for foreigners" by other universities.CPE was originally a qualification for teachers: "the Certificate of Proficiency in English is designed for Foreign Students who desire satisfactory proof of their knowledge of the language with a view to teaching it in foreign schools." The exam was only available for candidates aged 20 or over.
In 1913 the exam could be taken in Cambridge or London, for a fee of £3. The exam lasted 12 hours and included:
- Translation from English into French or German: 2 hours
- Translation from French or German into English, and English Grammar: 2.5 hours
- English Essay: 2 hours
- English Literature: 3 hours
- English Phonetics: 1.5 hours
- Oral test: dictation ; reading aloud and conversation
However, CPE was also influenced by Henry Sweet and his book published in 1900: A Practical Study of Languages: A Guide for Teachers and Learners, which argued that "the most natural method of teaching languages was through conversation." Due to this influence, speaking was part of Cambridge English exams from the very beginning.