Cambridge Assessment English or Cambridge English develops and produces Cambridge English Qualifications and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The organisation contributed to the development of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), 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 (CEFR).
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 (e.g. number of papers, number of questions, time allowance) 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 B1-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 (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Foundation/Developing Full-time/part-time. Face-to-face course or online course with face-to-face teaching practice. CELT-P (Certificate in English Language Teaching – Primary) Foundation/Developing Online modular course with optional face-to-face elements. Assessed through an exam and teaching practice. CELT-S (Certificate in English Language Teaching – Secondary) 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 (Teaching Knowledge Test) Foundation/Developing Exams with a flexible modular format. ICELT (In-service Certificate in English Language Teaching) Developing/Proficient Part-time face-to-face course with teaching practice and distance learning support. Delta (Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Proficient/Expert Flexible modular format combining coursework and exams. Distance learning support, local tutoring and assessed teaching practice. Certificate in EMI Skills (English as a medium of instruction in Higher Education) 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 (ICFE) discontinued in December 2016. Cambridge English: Legal (ILEC) discontinued in December 2016. CELS (Certificates in English Language Skills) modular qualifications for English language learners. Certificates in ESOL Skills for Life (SfL) (UK only) discontinued in June 2017. DTE(E)LLS (Diploma in Teaching English (ESOL) in the Lifelong Learning Sector) and ADTE(E)LLS (Additional Diploma in Teaching English (ESOL) in the Lifelong Learning Sector): 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 (International Diploma in Language Teaching Management) discontinued in June 2016. PTLLS (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector) discontinued in November 2012. Young Learner (YL) Extension to CELTA discontinued in December 2016. TKT: KAL and TKT: Practical discontinued in December 2016.
Partnerships and acquisitions In the 1980s Cambridge Assessment English, the British Council and IDP Education formed the international IELTS partnership which delivers the IELTS tests.
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 Michigan Language Assessments). Cambridge Assessment English owns 65% of the venture.
Since 2011 Cambridge Exams Publishing, a partnership between Cambridge Assessment English and the English Language Teaching (ELT) 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 (ELiT), an artificial intelligence developed off technology from the University of Cambridge, to support new English language assessment products.
Alignment with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) Cambridge Assessment English was involved in the early development of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and all Cambridge English qualifications and tests are aligned with the levels described by the CEFR. Each Cambridge English Qualification targets specific CEFR levels but the exam also contains test material at the adjacent levels. For example, B2 First is aimed at B2, but there are also test items that cover B1 and C1. This allows for inferences to be drawn about candidates' abilities if they are a level below or above the one targeted. Candidates are encouraged to take the exam most suitable to their needs and level of ability.
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 (SiLT) 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 (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate). 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 [to provide] means of comparing achievements of pupils across schools."Bradbury, R (1983) Magazine of the Cambridge Society, 13, 31–38 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."Roach, J (1971) Public Examinations in England, 1850–1900
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). 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 (on either the recently deceased Duke of Wellington; a well-known book or a letter of application).Morris, M (1961) A historian’s view of examinations, in Wiseman, S (Ed), Examinations and English Education, Manchester: University of Manchester, 1–43
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 (from 1863), South Africa (from 1869), Guyana and New Zealand (from 1874), Jamaica (from 1882) and Malaysia (from 1891). 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.Hawkey, R, Milanovic, M (2013) Cambridge English Exams. The first hundred years
The first Cambridge English exam In 1913 UCLES created the first exam for non-native speakers of English – the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE – now known as C2 Proficiency). 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.UCLES, 1913, Regulations for the Examination for Certificates of Proficiency in Modern Language and Religious Knowledge
In 1913 the exam could be taken in Cambridge or London, for a fee of £3 (approximately £293 in 2012 prices). 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 (30 minutes); reading aloud and conversation (30 minutes).
The main influence behind the design of the exam was the grammar-translation teaching approach, which aims to establish reading knowledge (rather than the ability to communicate in the language). In 1913, the first requirement for CPE candidates was to translate texts. Translation remained prominent in foreign language teaching up until the 1960s. It was a core part of CPE until 1975 and an optional part until 1989.Howatt, A (1984) A history of English Language Teaching, Oxford: Oxford University Press
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.Hawkey, R, Milanovic, M (2013) Cambridge English Exams. The first hundred years.
Exam questions in 1913