ECL examination system
The international ECL examination system offers standardized exams adapted to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference in 15 languages of the European Union as well as in Russian and Hebrew. The examination system was developed by the ECL Consortium ( European Consortium for the Certificate of Attainment in Modern Languages ), which is a network of higher education institutions and foreign language institutes, each representing a European language.
The ECL language testing system was developed between 1983 and 1992 by experts in language theory at the University of London . In 1999 the seat of the consortium was relocated from London to Pécs to the Foreign Language Center of the University of Pécs . The ECL exams in Hungarian as a foreign language (levels A2, B1, B2 and C1) were awarded their seal of quality by the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) in 2017, making the Foreign Language Center of the University of Pécs a full member of ALTE.
The ECL exams in a nutshell
- The ECL examination system offers monolingual exams. Your aim is to test whether the candidate is able to communicate in different everyday situations on professional and personal topics in word and in writing.
- The ECL exam tests four skills: oral communication, listening comprehension, written communication and reading comprehension.
- The development of the tests in all 15 languages is subject to strict quality standards in order to guarantee that the various tests are reliable, valid and comparable.
- An ECL exam can be taken in the following languages: Bulgarian, German, English, French, Hebrew, Italian, Croatian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Czech and Hungarian.
levels
The ECL language tests can be taken at four levels and primarily measure the communicative language skills of the candidates. The requirements of the individual levels are adapted to the recommendations of the Common European Framework of Reference:
- A2 - waystage
- B1 - threshold
- B2 - Vantage
- C1 - Effective Operational Proficiency
Exam parts
The specialty of the ECL exam is that it contains neither grammar tests nor translation tasks. The content structure of the exam is identical at all four levels. As part of the oral exam, the candidates' performance in the skills "oral communication" and "listening comprehension" are measured. In the context of the written sub-examination, on the other hand, the skills “written communication” and “reading comprehension” are tested. The performance measurement in all four skills is carried out using two tasks.
Oral exam
Verbal communication
- The candidates must demonstrate the ability to communicate on topics and areas of life appropriate to the given level and to express their opinion in the form of a monologue .
- The candidates are interviewed in pairs (if there is an odd number of candidates, three). The performance of the candidates is assessed by two examiners who assign their points independently of each other.
- The exam begins with the so-called introduction, which lasts around 3–5 minutes. The main purpose of the introduction is for candidates to relax and slowly get used to the exam situation. This part is not rated.
- As part of the first task, which takes about 5–8 minutes and is assessed, the two candidates have a guided conversation about a given topic. The interviewer begins the conversation and provides for a conversation in addition to the questions put directly to the candidates.
- As part of the second task, which also lasts 5-8 minutes and is assessed, the candidates express their thoughts - in the form of a monologue - on the subject of a picture montage. Should it prove necessary, the examiner can help candidates express their opinions with questions.
The "Oral Communication" part of the examination is assessed according to the following five criteria:
| a) Formal correctness ( morphology and syntax ) | 0–5 points |
| b) Phonetic correctness (pronunciation, prosody , fluency) | 0–5 points |
| c) Vocabulary (scope and active mastery) | 0–5 points |
| d) Style ( pragmatic and sociolinguistic aspects) | 0–5 points |
| e) Communicative effectiveness (fulfilling the task) | 0–5 points |
Listening comprehension
The candidates must demonstrate the ability to understand the requirements of the various levels of listening appropriate to the level of difficulty. The candidates listen to two texts. Listening comprehension is tested using two different types of tasks (e.g. assignment tasks, multiple choice tasks, questions about the text, completing sentences, etc.) with 10 items each .
Written partial examination
Written communication
The candidates have to write two texts by adhering to the pre-formulated content points and the specified number of words. You may use a monolingual or bilingual printed dictionary.
The "Written Communication" part of the examination is assessed according to the following five criteria:
| a) Formal correctness (morphology and syntax) | 0–5 points |
| b) Written correctness (text structuring and spelling ) | 0–5 points |
| c) Vocabulary (scope and active mastery) | 0–5 points |
| d) Style (pragmatic and sociolinguistic aspects) | 0–5 points |
| e) Communicative effectiveness (fulfilling the task) | 0–5 points |
reading comprehension
Candidates must demonstrate the ability to understand reading texts appropriate to the level of difficulty of the various levels without resorting to the help of a dictionary. Reading comprehension is tested using two different types of tasks (e.g. matching tasks, fill in the blank, multiple choice tasks, questions about the text, completing sentences, etc.) with 10 items each.
Test format
| A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 | |
| reading comprehension | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration (minutes) | 35 | 35 | 45 | 45 |
| Number of tasks | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Word count | 400-600 | 500-700 | 800-1000 | 1000-1300 |
| Correct answers | 20th | 20th | 20th | 20th |
| Written communication | ||||
| Duration (minutes) | 45 | 50 | 75 | 90 |
| Number of tasks | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Expected word count | A total of 150
(approx. 75-75) |
A total of 250
(approx. 125-125) |
A total of 400
(approx. 200-200) |
A total of 600
(approx. 300-300)
|
| Listening comprehension | ||||
| Duration (minutes) | 15-20 | 20-25 | 25-30 | 30-35 |
| Number of tasks | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Word count | 400-600 | 500-700 | 800-1000 | 1200-1500 |
| Correct answers | 20th | 20th | 20th | 20th |
Evaluation of the tests
For each skill 25 points are to be achieved in the ECL examination. The oral part of the examination is considered passed if the candidate has achieved a minimum level of "oral communication" and "listening comprehension". each has achieved 40% and an overall average result of 60%. In order to successfully complete the written part, the candidate also needs a minimum of min. In the skills “written communication” and “reading comprehension”. 40% and an overall average result of 60%. The complex exam is passed successfully when the candidate has completed both parts of the exam as described above.
| Skills | score |
|---|---|
| Listening comprehension | 25 points |
| Verbal communication | 25 points |
| reading comprehension | 25 points |
| Written communication | 25 points |
In the case of a successfully passed partial examination, the candidate receives a certificate stating that he has passed the oral or written partial examination.
| Oral exam | |
|---|---|
| Listening comprehension | 25 points |
| Verbal communication | 25 points |
| Passage limit | 30 points - 60% |
| Minimum score per skill | 10 points - 40% |
| Written partial examination | |
|---|---|
| reading comprehension | 25 points |
| Written communication | 25 points |
| Passage limit | 30 points - 60% |
| Minimum score per skill | 10 points - 40% |
Examination Offices
The ECL exams can be taken at nearly 200 examination centers around the world. which are located in 18 European countries, in the USA and in Argentina. The network of examination centers is being expanded to include other countries, including Asian countries.
Exam times
The ECL exams are organized five times a year. An exam can be taken in English and German in each of the five exam times. The other exam languages are offered twice a year.
| Exam times | languages | stages |
|---|---|---|
| February | English German | B1, B2, C1 |
| April | German, English, French, Hebrew, Italian, Croatian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Spanish | A2, B1, B2, C1 |
| June | English, German, Bulgarian, Czech and Hungarian | A2, B1, B2, C1 |
| October | English German | B1, B2, C1 |
| December | Bulgarian, German, English, French, Hebrew, Italian, Croatian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Czech and Hungarian | A2, B1, B2, C1 |
Individual evidence
- ↑ Membership Certificate: University of Pécs Foreign Language Center ( English , PDF) European Consortium for The Certificate of Attainment in Modern Languages. September 25, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2019.