The Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) is an association of

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

exam An examination (exam or evaluation) or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered verba ...

providers in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. The ALTE "Can Do" project developed a simplified set of 400+ descriptors for language examinations which relate to the Common Reference Levels. These descriptors are in the form of "can-do statements", each saying more simply what a learner can do at every level. There are four sections: general, social/ tourist, work and study. The ALTE project also gave its own names to the

CEFR The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, abbreviated in English as CEFR, CEF, or CEFRL, is a guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe and, increasingl ...

levels from the "Breakthrough level" to "Level 5". The ALTE was founded by the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in conjunction with the

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca () is a public university, public research university in Salamanca, Spain. Founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León, King Alfonso IX, it is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and the fourth oldest in the ...

so the first exams to be related to their "Can-Do" statements were the Cambridge EFL exams. However, today many more examining boards link their exams to the system. Below is a table of some examinations as an example. ALTE now establishes a six-level framework of language examination standards. The following table compares the ALTE levels with the CEFR levels and EFL exams:

Levels

The Common European Framework divides learners into three broad divisions which can be divided into six levels: : A Basic User :: A1 Breakthrough :: A2 Waystage : B Independent User :: B1 Threshold :: B2 Vantage : C Proficient User :: C1 Effective Operational Proficiency :: C2 Mastery The CEFR describes what a learner is supposed to be able to do in reading, listening, speaking and writing at each level, in details:

Conferences

ALTE aims to improve language assessment through sharing best practice and providing thought leadership through international conferences. International conference themes have included supporting the European Year of Languages (2001), the impact of multilingualism (2005), the wider social and educational impact of assessment (2008) and the role of language frameworks (2011). Selected conference papers are published through the

Studies in Language Testing (SiLT) Studies in Language Testing (SiLT) is a series of academic books containing papers in the fields of education and applied linguistics related to language testing and assessment. It has been published by Cambridge English Language Assessment ...

volumes.

References

External links

The ALTE home page
{{Authority control Language tests

Levels

Conferences

See also

References

External links