News

Cambridge exams support bilingual education in Madrid

4 February 2010

A group of schools across the Spanish capital are adopting English language exams set by a department of Cambridge University as part of their of their bilingual education program. UCETAM – a prestigious group of 82 schools – has signed an agreement with University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations to deliver English language examinations aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference at levels A1, A2, B1 and B2 in Madrid. Young Learners English, Key English Test, Preliminary English Test and First Certificate in English will be offered to students, school teachers and staff of the Bilingual Programme, promoted by UCETAM. In addition both organisations will encourage teachers to take the Cambridge ESOL Teaching Knowledge Test as part of their professional development.

This is part of a growing trend in Spain, where schools across the country – especially in the autonomous regions of Madrid, Catalonia and the Basque Country – have adopted Cambridge ESOL exams as part of their curriculum. The positive results of this trend were highlighted last November in results issued by Cambridge which showed a steady improvement in the English language skills of children – putting Spain on the same level as many of its European neighbours – although the English language skills of older students and adults remain.

Across Europe and beyond, education authorities and schools are finding that incorporating the Cambridge ESOL exams into the curriculum is an excellent way of raising standards of English. The Italian region of Lombardy and several German Federal States have already seen excellent results.