Our partnerships
Cambridge ESOL is proud of the strong relationships we have forged with other organisations. By working with other experts and education professionals we combine our strengths to offer learners enhanced quality, choice and opportunity.
Working to improve language learning
Cambridge Assessment
As part of the Cambridge Assessment group, Cambridge ESOL can access a vast resource of research and expertise in delivering educational assessment services to the state sector in the UK and many other countries. Sister organisations Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) and University of Cambridge International Examinations provide school and vocational examinations in many countries, and have been involved in the development of numerous national qualification systems.
More about Cambridge Assessment
IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
Our work with IDP Education Australia and the British Council to deliver IELTS remains one of our key partnerships. Since its launch in 1989, more than 6 million candidates have taken IELTS, with more than 1.4 million taking the test each year. Over 6,000 organisations now recognise IELTS.
Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE)
We continue to be a very active partner in ALTE, and have been involved in organising key ALTE events in Barcelona, Santiago and Maynooth, Ireland. We have taken a leading role in developing ALTE’s foundation courses for professional development and have hosted major ALTE events in Cambridge (2008) and Kraków (2011). The ALTE Secretariat is based in our head office in Cambridge.
Council of Europe
Cambridge ESOL worked closely with the Council of Europe to define the principles and approaches of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) – the standard benchmark used internationally to describe language ability. All Cambridge English exams are mapped to the framework.
Go to Council of Europe website
English Profile
Cambridge ESOL is one of the key partners in the English Profile project which will further develop the CEFR. English Profile will deliver detailed descriptions of what English learners can be expected to know at each CEFR level.
SurveyLang
Cambridge ESOL is leading the SurveyLang consortium that will deliver the European Survey on Language Competences (ESLC) – a major initiative by the European Commission to support the development of language learning policies across Europe. The survey will test the two most widely taught European languages (from English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) in each country from a representative sample of pupils in their final year of lower secondary education. The main survey will be delivered in 2011.
Cambridge Michigan Language Assessments
Since 2010, we have been working with the University of Michigan English Language Institute Testing and Certification Division to promote the Michigan English language exams around the world. Together we are also working with stakeholders in different commercial and educational sectors, especially in the USA, to develop testing solutions precisely tailored to their needs. This means learners and institutions can choose between a range of tests that exactly meet their needs.
More about Cambridge Michigan Language Assessments
National and regional education authorities
Cambridge ESOL works closely with national and regional education authorities to deliver strategic language assessment projects in countries all over the world. In many cases these projects have formed the basis of long-term relationships.
Go to Consultancy Services website
Schools and professional teaching associations
Cambridge ESOL is working increasingly closely with large language school chains and other institutions, such as Bell, International House and Eurocentres, along with professional organisations such as the Latin American British Cultural Institutes (LABCI), the Associação Brasileira de Culturas Inglesas and the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL). We are also developing projects with PlanetEdu and Kaplan Aspect to further extend our exams around the world.
