ENGLISH LANGUAGE CERTIFICATIONS

Something about the international language certifications

The language certifications are internationally recognised official documents issued by bodies accredited by the MIUR which attest to the level of foreign language proficiency with reference to the Common European Framework of Reference for Foreign Languages (CEFR). The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a system, developed by the Council of Europe in 2001 and updated in 2017, with the aim of providing a shared assessment scheme of a person’s language knowledge for the benefit of mobility, training and work.

What are the levels of foreign language knowledge?

The CEFR identifies six language proficiency levels (A1/A2, B1/B2, C1/C2), divided into three levels: elementary (A), intermediate (B) and advanced (C). For each level a rich repertoire of language skills descriptors is provided, divided into reception, production, interaction and mediation.

How do I get the certifications?

To obtain a Language Certification you must pass an exam that is made up of several tests that focus on the four skills: reading, writing, listening and oral production.The examination is assessed by reference to the levels of competence related to foreign languages which are established by the European Framework of Reference for Languages.

What is the aim of the certifications?

The certifications serve to declare that a student has reached a certain level of foreign language learning and are useful because they guarantee an objective and reliable assessment that can be spent within the school system and in the world of work, including at international level where knowledge of foreign languages is required.

My personal experience at school

Every year our school gives the students the opportunity to obtain various languages certificates, that are fundamental if you want to master a language.

Overall, between the second and the third year of my high school it is expected to reach the B1 English level and during the fourth and the fifth year it is expected to reach the B2 level.

For the other foreign languages studied, it is expected to reach the B1 level during the fourth year. The final exam is held at school, usually during the first days of June and the results will be sent to you within a month.

In April 2019 I attended the B1 preparation course for the English language, the course lasted 20 hours and every lesson lasted 1 hour and a half. The price was very affordable and obviously the courses were held by an English native speaker.

Before the global pandemic, the course was held at school, in the afternoon hours. The aim of the course is to develop the 4 skills that will be tested during the exams: some lessons were focused more on the speaking activities (the class tried to simulate the dialogues of the exam), in other lessons we practised more writing, listening, reading and use od English.

Sometimes, we just train ourselves in order to improve the pronunciation, in fact, learning the flow of a language is not that easy. (this represents a large part of the final score).

Obviously the course included some homework (!!) everytime we had to find out and learn new words and expressions to use in the speaking paper, write essays and practise reading and listening.

As far as I'm concerned, this course was very useful. It gave me an overall view of the exam, in fact, during the first lesson the teacher explained to us the four papers. Furthermore, it allows you to improve your skills and achieve the level you're interested in.

Something that should not be overlooked is that the teacher, time to time, will correct your tasks and the exercises did in class and she will give you all the materials you need and any further explanation.

In April 2021 I attended the B2 preparation course for the English language, unfortunately the only difference between the two courses was that the last one was done online due to the pandemic.