As a result of over twenty years of research, the Council of Europe published the ‘Common European Framework of Reference for Languages’ in 2001. The CEFR was created to provide a comprehensive basis for designing language courses and for writing teaching and learning materials for all languages in Europe. Very soon it became accepted as the new standard for language testing throughout Europe and beyond.
Euroexams adopted the CEFR as the foundation for their new exams and designed all their tests around the well-known “can-do” statements of the Framework. In 2001 the Euroexams became the first international examination system for which the specification of levels, the exam tasks, the breakdown of certificate results and even the related course books and preparation materials all directly corresponded to the new CEFR standard.
The CEFR standard is now used globally and is available in 39 language versions.
Read more about the Common European Framework here
Academic Projects
Council of Europe Standardisation Project
In 2015 the Council of Europe invited Euroexam International and other leading institutions to participate in a Europe-wide project collecting highly standardised and reliable exam tasks as a reference for the professional community. In addition, in 2015 the Euroexams Academic Development team was invited to take part in the next Council of Europe project developing new calibrated level descriptors for 'Mediation', the new language skill to be included in the extended version of the Common European Framework.
The British Chamber of Commerce in Spain
In 2005, Euroexam International partnered the British Chamber of Commerce in Spain to develop a new set of Business English exams to replace the Chamber’s own language examinations. The resulting exams are organised in partnership with International House and have been widely used in Spain to test professionals’ English language skills.
Council of Europe Manual
Euroexam International was selected to join the Council of Europe-led project to develop recommended procedures for examination centres across Europe. The result of this work – the Manual for relating Language Examinations to the Common European Framework – became known as the ‘Council of Europe Manual’ and since 2004 has been widely used by examination centres and universities, which aim to demonstrate that their tests can be linked to the Framework.
International Partnerships
ALTE
ALTE, the Association of Language Testers in Europe, was founded in 1989 by the University of Cambridge and the University of Salamanca. This Europe-wide association has 32 members and its principal aim is to establish common standards for testing and certifying languages across Europe. Multilingualism, a reality for most countries of the continent, is at the heart of the association’s endeavours as it underscores the importance of both the fairness and the international recognition of language assessments. The Euroexam Centre has been an institutional affiliate member since 2017 and an associate member since 2020.
EALTA
The Euroexam Centre has been an institutional member of EALTA, the European Association for Language Testing and Assessment, since 2006 and has been working closely with leading testing experts in the organisation.
Eaquals
The Euroexam Centre is an associate member of Evaluation and Accreditation of Quality Language Services, which aims to promote excellence in language education across the world by providing guidance and support to teaching institutions and individuals. This association is an authority on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and has produced a range of tools to assist with its practical implementation. Eaquals advises the Council of Europe on language policy issues and is a member of the professional Network Forum at the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML).
ICC
The ICC - the international language association e.V., which has a participatory status at the Council of Europe, aims to foster the exchange of ideas and expertise in the field of foreign language teaching and learning through providing opportunities for personal and professional development, networking, and the enhancement of methods in quality assurance among others. An international association with a local impact, the ICC provides services in certifying achievement in language learning, assuring the quality of language courses, offering guidelines for the evaluation of teaching institutions, and providing criteria for the evaluation of teaching materials and courses.
Awards
European Language Label
In 2001 Euroexam International was awarded the prestigious European Language Label for its “innovative approach in applying the Common European Framework in test development". Ten years later in 2011 Euroexam International received the European Language Label for the second time, awarded for its newly developed online examination preparation courses.
