ESOL Skills for Life Certificates

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ESOL Skills for Life Certificates
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Cambridge ESOL Certificates in ESOL Skills for
Life

• accredited by the QCA
• Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3 from March
• Levels 1 and 2 from May
• externally assessed by trained and experienced
  examiners

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Cambridge ESOL Certificates in ESOL Skills for
Life

• available on demand
• available in all three modes
• designed to accommodate spiky profiles
• Mode certificates
• Level certificates at lowest level

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Levels 1 2 from May
Entry 13 from March
On demand
Convenient
Results in 23 weeks
Any day of the week
4 weeks notice of test date
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Seminars
Sample papers
Profiled results
Supportive
Web pages
Helpdesk
Special circumstances
Exam Reports
Pretesting
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Entries
Minimum 10
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Fees Entry 1, 2 3

• Reading - 9.00
• Writing - 12.00
• Speaking and Listening - 15.00
• No other fees for centre registration,
  certification etc

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Overview
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Overview of Reading Mode
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Texts and tasks

• Daily life
• Authentic or based on authentic texts
• Genuine purpose for reading

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Establishing levels
Pretesting
AECC
Cambridge ESOL Certificates in ESOL Skills
for Life
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Mark schemes

• All marking done by Cambridge ESOL
• Trained, professional markers
• Supervised and checked
• Standardisation and co-ordination procedures

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Overview of Writing Mode
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Common features

• Text types from everyday lives
• Loose scenario or theme
• Different audiences
• Communicative functions / grammatical structures
• Text, sentence and word level
• Marked by trained examiners

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questionnaires
lists
Text types
forms
simple narratives
messages
notes
emails
descriptions
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Assessment criteria operational levels
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Marking process
Examiner recruitment induction and training
Standardisation of examiners
Ongoing monitoring and evaluation
Scripts sent for marking
Team Leader support
Marks collected
Results issued!
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Writing Mode
For different audiences
Range of task types
assessment
By trained and standardised examiners
With profiled results
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Speaking and Listening
the everyday experience of the ESOL learner in
the UK
Listen and respond
Speak to communicate
Engage in discussion
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Test format
2 2
Two Phases
Two Recordings
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Entry 1 3 Phases

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The interlocutor and the assessor
interlocutor
candidate
assessor
candidate
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Speaking Listening Mode

• Standard format
• Familiar interlocutor
• Training and comprehensive script for
  interlocutor
• Opportunities for candidates to show their
  strengths
• Reflects principles of the AECC
• Trained, professional assessor

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Levels 1 and 2
Reading - assessed by the National Literacy Test
Writing

• Level 1 1hr 15 mins Level 2 1hr 30 mins
• Task 1 short piece
• Task 2 respond to input
• Task 3 choice general or academic

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Levels 1 2 Speaking and Listening
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Assessment
Criterion rating
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Results statements
Engage in Discussion
Listen Respond
Speak to Communicate
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Results statements
Word
Sentence
Text
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Based on the AECC
Profiled results
On demand
Cambridge ESOL ESOL Skills for Life
Pretested
All-round support
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What next?

• Register as a centre
• Current centres should have received application
  forms
• New centres can apply via website
• www.CambridgeESOL.org\SfL

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What next?

• Free practitioner seminars for Levels 1 and 2 in
  April
• London, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle
• Sample Papers on website

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• E-mail esolhelpdesk_at_ucles.org.uk
• Keep up to date with what's new via the Cambridge
  ESOL website
• www.CambridgeESOL.org\SfL