The Canadian Academic English Language, or CAEL (), Assessment is a standardized test designed to measure

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

language proficiency for admission to college and university, and for membership in professional associations. Test takers read articles, listen to a lecture, answer questions, and write a short essay, as they would be expected to do in a first-year university or college classroom. The CAEL Assessment is accepted by over 180 academic institutions across Canada and the United States as well as to several international institutions. The test is also accepted at a number of professional organizations, including the Canadian Veterinary Association, the

Royal Architectural Institute of Canada The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) is a not-for-profit, national organization that has represented architects and architecture for over 100 years, in existence since 1907. The RAIC is the leading voice for excellence in the built ...

, and the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC). The CAEL Assessment is developed in Canada, by Canadians. It incorporates

Canadian English Canadian English (CanE, CE, en-CA) encompasses the varieties of English native to Canada. According to the 2016 census, English was the first language of 19.4 million Canadians or 58.1% of the total population; the remainder spoke French ...

and accents as used in Canadian academic contexts and post-secondary institutions. The CAEL Assessment is a fully integrated and topic-based performance test. Test takers use the information from the Reading and Listening components to write their essay. In June 2015, Paragon Testing Enterprises, a Canadian English language testing company and a subsidiary of the University of British Columbia, acquired the CAEL Assessment from

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...

History

The CAEL Assessment was first developed by Carleton University in 1987. It was created out of a need to standardize the existing English language test given to students requiring a proficiency test as part of their admission to Carleton. However, in June 2015, Paragon Testing Enterprises, a subsidiary of The University of British Columbia (UBC), acquired the test. Paragon currently administers three tests: the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP), the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment, and the Language Proficiency Index (LPI). The CELPIP Test is one of two tests designated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) as proof of English language proficiency for permanent resident status in Canada and Canadian citizenship. With the acquisition of the CAEL Assessment, Paragon Testing Enterprises retired the CELPIP- Academic Test.

CAEL Test Format

The language tasks and activities in the CAEL Assessment are systematically sampled from those that are commonly undertaken within the university academic community. The content for the tasks are drawn from introductory university courses at times when professors are introducing new topics to their students with the expectation that the students know little or nothing about the content. Topics for the CAEL Assessment are drawn from introductory university courses such as arts, sociology,

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separa ...

, engineering, sports,

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...

, and medicine. Possible topics include criminal behaviour, global warming, urban development,

cultural diversity Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to monoculture, the global monoculture, or a homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural evolution. The term "cultural diversity" can also refer to having different cu ...

, weather systems,

team management Team management is the ability of an individual or an organization to administer and coordinate a group of individuals to perform a task. Team management involves teamwork, communication, objective setting and performance appraisals. Moreover, tea ...

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...

, and organizational behaviour. The total allotted test time is approximately 145 minutes (2 hours and 25 minutes). Some test centres offer the CAEL Assessment over 2 days, with the Written Assessment and the OLT held on separate days. The CAEL Assessment has two parts: Part 1, the Written Assessment and Part 2, the Oral Language Test (OLT).

Written Assessment

Reading

The time allotted for the Reading section is 55 minutes. Test takers are given two readings that are on the same topic as the Listening and Writing components. The readings are taken from the following sources: * First-year university textbooks * Magazine and

academic journal articles An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

* Brochures or information leaflets * Newspaper articles * Graphs and charts * Government documents Reading tasks include: * Identifying main ideas * Extracting specific information * Understanding vocabulary in context * Classifying information * Following a logical or chronological sequence of events

Listening

The time allotted for the Listening section is 20 minutes. Test takers listen to a pre-recorded lecture and answer relevant questions on the same topic as the Reading and Writing components. * The lecture is adapted from a first-year university course. * The recording is played only once. * While they listen, test takers take notes and answer questions related to the lecture. Listening tasks include: * Identifying main ideas * Completing charts and diagrams * Taking notes * Sequencing information * Filling in the blanks * Recording specific information

Writing

The time allotted for the Writing section 45 minutes. Test takers will use the information from the Reading and Listening components to write a short essay. It is encouraged that test takers plan their essays prior to writing. * The essay is always the final task of the test * The essay topic is always provided at the beginning of the test * The essays are typically one to two pages in length The essay topic asks the test taker to: * Agree or disagree with a claim * Argue for or against a position * Discuss advantages and disadvantages of a course of action

Oral Language Test (OLT)

The time allotted for the Oral Language Test (OLT) is 25 minutes. The OLT is carried out on a computer equipped with a headset and microphone, however test takers will not be required to use the computer mouse or keyboard. The OLT may be taken before or after the Written Assessment. It consists of five tasks which sample typified and recurring speech acts within college and university settings:

Scoring

CAEL Assessment Scores are reported for Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking test components. The scores range from band level 10 to band level 90.

CAEL Band Descriptors

Each band score corresponds to a descriptive statement summarizing the level of English language proficiency of a test taker.

Interpretation of Band Scores

Results

Results of tests taken at Canadian test centres are available within 8 business days after the scheduled test date. However, the results of tests taken at international test locations are available within 20 business days after the scheduled test date. Test takers’ test scores can be sent to five institutions, which is included in the registration fee. Institution details are provided by the test takers when registering online, or up to 4 days before the chosen test date. The official score reports will only be mailed to academic and professional institutions.

Test Centre Locations and Test Dates

Test takers can currently take the CAEL Assessment at test centres across Canada and China. To see the full list of test centres and their corresponding test dates, please visit the CAEL website: https://www.cael.ca/

Institutions that Accept CAEL

The CAEL Assessment is accepted by over 180 academic institutions across Canada and internationally as proof of English proficiency. A number of professional associations also recognize the CAEL Assessment as proof of English language proficiency required for membership. {, class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" ! colspan="2" , International Institutions , - , England , , - , Scotland , , - , Sweden , , - , The United States of America , {{columns-list, colwidth=30em, style=width: 400px;, *

Canisius College Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's ...

City University of Seattle City University of Seattle (CityU) is a private university in Seattle, Washington. In 2016–17, CityU enrolled 6,755 students worldwide. The university consists of the School of Business and Management, The School of Education and Leadership, ...

(Vancouver, BC Campus) *

Claremont Graduate University The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate (Pomona College, Claremont McKenna Col ...

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the uni ...

* Northwestern University *

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universitie ...

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...

* Stanford University *

University of Alaska The University of Alaska System is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was created in 1917 and comprises three separately accredited universities on 19 campuses. The system serves nearly 30,000 full- and part-time stud ...

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

* University of Minnesota * University of North Texas * University of Oregon * University of Southern California *

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle ...

* Yale University *This institution accepts the CAEL Assessment but it is not recognized as an official English language proficiency test on their website.

Other English Language Proficiency Tests

Many post-secondary institutions in Canada and the United States of America require proof of English language proficiency as one of their admission requirements. The most common English language proficiency tests other than the CAEL Assessment include: the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB), Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic), and more.

References

External links

CAEL Website

CAEL Facebook Page

Paragon Testing Enterprises Website
English language tests