caehandbook.pdf

CAMBRIDGE

CAE

CERTIFICATE IN ADVANCED ENGLISH

English as a

Foreign Language

EXAMINATIONS, CERTIFICATES & DIPLOMAS

PREFACE

This Handbook is intended principally for teachers and

course designers who are, or intend to become, involved in

preparing candidates for the Certificate in Advanced English

(CAE). There are separate Handbooks for other Cambridge

EFL examinations.

The introductory part of the handbook provides a general

background to the Cambridge EFL examinations and an

overview of the work of UCLES-EFL, including a description

of current procedures for test design, production and

marking.

For further information on any of the Cambridge EFL

examinations, please contact:

EFL Information

University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate

Syndicate Buildings

1 Hills Road

Cambridge

CB1 2EU

Tel: +44 1223 553355

Fax: +44 1223 460278

email: efl@ucles.org.uk

www.cambridge-efl.org.uk

Page 2

CHANGES TO CAE

The following changes to CAE are being introduced from the

December 1999/June 2000 examining sessions:

Paper 3 (see page 32)

The following changes to CAE Paper 3 are being introduced

for the first time in the December 1999 examining session:

A new task appears on the paper. This is a word formation

task consisting of two short texts containing in total 15 gaps.

Candidates are required to form a new word to complete the

gap using a prompt word provided.

The current Question 6 (expansion of notes into sentences)

will no longer appear on the paper.

Paper 3 thus consists of:

Part 1 (formerly Section A, question 1)

Multiple choice cloze

Part 2 (formerly Section A, question 2) Open cloze

Part 3 (formerly Section B, question 3)

Error correction text

Part 4 Word formation (a new task)

Part 5 (formerly Section B, question 4)

Part 6 (formerly Section C, question 5)

The time allowed for the paper (1 hour and 30 minutes)

remains unchanged.

Paper 4 (see page 40)

The following change to CAE Paper 4 is being introduced for

the first time in the June 2000 examining session:

Part 4 (formerly Section D): the taped material remains

unchanged (i.e. five short listening texts with common

theme), but an alternative task will be introduced in some

versions of the test consisting of ten 3-option multiple

choice questions, with two questions relating to each short

text.

Paper 5 (see page 49)

The following changes to CAE Paper 5 are being introduced

for the first time in the December 1999 examining session:

In Part 2 ‘describe and draw’ tasks no longer appear in the

specifications for the test.

In Part 4 the Assessor no longer takes part in the discussion.

Page 3

INTRODUCTION

For UCLES-EFL, user service concerns professional matters

such as the production of information for test users, e.g.

specifications, handbooks, sample materials, examination

reports, etc. It is also the responsibility of EFL e.g.

specifications, handbooks, sample materials, examination

reports, etc. It is also the responsibility of EFL staff to ensure

that obligations to test users are met, and that in this context

UCLES EFL examinations fulfil the Code of Practice

established by the Association of Language Testers in Europe

(see below). This Code of Practice focuses on the

responsibilities of both examination providers and

examination users and covers four main areas:

Introduction to UCLES

The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate

(UCLES) was established as a department of the University of

Cambridge in 1858 in order to set a standard of efficiency

for schools in England. The Cambridge examinations cover a

wide range of academic and vocational subjects and include

examinations specially designed for the international market.

Examinations in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) were

started at UCLES in 1913, with the Certificate of Proficiency

in English (CPE). The First Certificate in English (FCE) was

introduced in 1939. Other EFL examinations and schemes

for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) have

been added periodically since then, so that UCLES now

offers the most comprehensive range of EFL examinations

and TEFL schemes with a total annual candidature of over

500,000.

•

developing examinations;

•

interpreting examination results;

•

striving for fairness;

•

informing examination takers.

The Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE)

The English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

UCLES is a member of the Association of Language Testers in

Europe (ALTE) which was formed in 1990. The members are

all providers of language examinations and certificates from

countries within the European Union.

UCLES-EFL has specific responsibility for all the professional

and specialist aspects of the EFL examinations and the TEFL

schemes. The EFL team is made up of staff with

qualifications mainly in the area of applied linguistics and

TEFL, and with considerable experience in overseas teaching

situations.

The principal objectives of ALTE are as follows:

•

to establish a framework of levels of proficiency in

order to promote the transnational recognition of

certification, especially in Europe;

The work of UCLES-EFL covers four main areas:

•

to establish common standards for all stages of the

language testing process: i.e., for test development,

question and item writing, test administration,

marking and grading, reporting of test results, test

analysis and reporting of findings;

•

question paper production;

•

support for the administration of the examinations

(particularly the Speaking Tests);

•

processing of examinations (marking, etc.);

•

user service.

•

to collaborate on joint projects and in the exchange

of ideas and know-how.

In all these areas there is a programme of ongoing

validation, and specialist staff work on analysis and

evaluation. The aim is to ensure that standards are being met

and that the examinations develop in order to meet the

changing needs of candidates and other test users.

At the present stage of development of the framework,

considerable agreement has been reached on the content

definition of all five levels of proficiency. Further empirical

research is taking place.

The core of the EFL system is the question paper production

process. This is described in detail on pages 6 and 7.

More information about ALTE and copies of ALTE documents

can be obtained from the ALTE Secretariat at UCLES.

UCLES-EFL is responsible for ensuring that various

professional requirements are met. This includes, for

example, the development and implementation of training

and monitoring procedures which are required for carrying

out the assessment of spoken and written language by

examiners. UCLES-EFL is also responsible for the

administration and processing of examinations.

Page 4

The Production of EFL Question Papers

The Production Cycle for Pretested Question Papers

The production process for question papers for EFL

examinations and TEFL schemes begins with the

commissioning of material and ends with the printing of

question papers.

UCLES employs a team of Item Writers to produce

examination material, and throughout the writing and editing

process strict guidelines are followed in order to ensure that

the materials conform to the test specifications. Topics or

contexts of language use which might introduce a bias

against any group of candidates of a particular background

(i.e., on the basis of sex, ethnic origin, etc.) are avoided.

For the majority of EFL question papers there are five main

stages in the production process:

•

commissioning;

After selection and editing, the items are compiled into

pretest papers. Pretesting plays a central role as it allows for

questions and materials with known measurement

characteristics to be banked so that new versions of question

papers can be produced as and when required. The

pretesting process helps to ensure that all versions conform

to the test requirements in terms of content and level of

difficulty.

•

editing;

•

pretesting/trialling;

•

analysis and banking of material;

•

question paper construction.

This process can be represented in the diagram below.

Each pretest paper contains anchor items or is supplied to

candidates with an additional anchor test. The anchor items

are carefully chosen on the basis of their known

measurement characteristics and their inclusion means that

all new items can be linked to a common scale of difficulty.

Commissioning of material

for question papers

Pretest papers are despatched to a wide variety of EFL

schools and colleges, which have offered to administer the

pretests to candidates of a suitable level. After the completed

pretests are returned to the Pretesting Section of the EFL

Division, a score for each student is provided to the centre

within two weeks of receiving the completed scripts. The

items are marked and analysed, and those which are found

to be suitable are banked.

Pre-editing and editing

of material

Trial

construction

Pretest

construction

Material for the productive components of the examinations

is trialled with candidates to assess its suitability for

inclusion in the Materials Bank.

The UCLES Main Suite: A Five-Level System

Trialling

Revision

Pretesting

UCLES has developed a series of examinations with similar

characteristics, spanning five levels. Within the series of five

levels, the Certificate in Advanced English is at Cambridge

Level Four.

Trialling

review

Item

Analysis

Rejection

In 1998 there were over 50,000 candidates for the CAE

examination throughout the world.

MATERIALS BANK*

Cambridge Level Five

Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)

Cambridge Level Four

Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)

Question paper

construction

Cambridge Level Three

First Certificate in English (FCE)

*electronic bank for pretested materials

Cambridge Level Two

Preliminary English Test (PET)

Cambridge Level One

Key English Test (KET)

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