No. 1 June 2009
Welcome to the first News Bulletin – the sister publication to the new-look Cambridge First
While Cambridge First will continue to be printed twice a year, the News Bulletin e-zine will arrive in your computer’s mailbox bi-monthly to keep you up to date with all the latest news and events for Cambridge ESOL staff and centres. We want to hear from you with your views and opinions on News Bulletin, and also if you have news which you think we should share with other readers, so please contact the editorial team at ESOLstakeholderrelations@CambridgeESOL.org
Yours sincerely
Dr Michael Milanovic
CEO Cambridge ESOL
Extra dates mean flexibility for centres and more choice for candidates
2010 will bring a substantial increase in examination dates - both for paper-based and computer-based exams.
Cambridge ESOL has already added extra dates to the 2009 calendar and an increase in sessions of more than 50% is scheduled for 2010.
The added dates will increase opportunities for candidates to take both the computer-based and the paper versions of the tests, offering more flexibility and choice.
Throughout 2010 the computer-based versions of KET, PET and BEC will be offered every month, with FCE and CAE available in either computer-based or paper format during nine months of the year. There will also be an additional CPE session in March. Further increases in sessions are also planned for 2011 and 2012.
Information on the availability of ILEC and ICFE will be published soon.
To download details of the extra dates for 2009, go to:
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/assets/pdf/exam-dates09.pdf
and for 2010, go to:
Cambridge ESOL hosts international policy discussions on primary school English
Cambridge ESOL recently (June 12-14) hosted the English at School 2009 event which saw speakers from across the globe presenting case studies on the use of English language assessment in compulsory education. Presenters from Europe, Latin America, Russia and North Africa outlined the positive impact of assessment in the classroom and the successful
integration of English language teaching into the primary curriculum.
Michael Milanovic, CEO at Cambridge ESOL said: "The event's main goal was to bring together key global practitioners who are involved in policy design and the development of English in the compulsory education sector."
The event was held at the Møller Centre – part of Churchill College, Cambridge. Some delegates also used the opportunity to take a closer look at the UK's education system. A delegation from the Vietnamese ministry of Education visited two Cambridge schools, St Matthew’s Primary and The Perse Preparatory School.
ALTE conference announced for Poland in 2011
The Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) has announced that its 4th International Conference will take place from 7–9 July 2011 in Krakow, Poland. This will coincide with the beginning of the Polish Presidency of the European Union.
The event will be hosted by the Jagiellonian University at its modern, fully equipped conference centre, Auditorium Maximum. Details are on the ALTE website, www.ALTE.org. The website has recently been given a new look with clearer navigation and more news items and information about ALTE's work. The events section has details of forthcoming ALTE conferences, language testing courses and other activities.
Dubai Men's College adds BEC to their business skills
Students on the Higher Diploma Business and IT programme at Dubai Men's College (DMC) have been given the opportunity to add business English to their skills by preparing for Business English Certificates (BEC). DMC has recently introduced BEC as an extracurricular part of their course: as it is an internationally recognised certificate in using English in the workplace, it is an ideal qualification for business students.
Certificates at the intermediate Vantage level were awarded to 22 successful students by Philip Corcos, Associate Director of DMC, and Zara Shahid Khan, University of Cambridge ESOL Middle East Marketing Manager.
Zara said she was delighted with the results: "It's a great achievement for these students - a good knowledge of English is really important to succeed in the international business world, especially in the current economic climate. BEC will help them show that they have learned English to an appropriate standard and can use it in a business context."
New English Profile resources online
English Profile, the research programme to develop Reference Level Descriptions for English, has re-launched its website with a range of new features, including video clips of English Profile presentations at the recent IATEFL conference and the trial version of the English Profile wordlist. The wordlist will create an index of typical English lexis and word use for each of the six levels of the CEFR. www.EnglishProfile.org