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

language proficiency Language proficiency is the ability of an individual to use language with a level of accuracy which transfers meaning in production and comprehension. Definition There is no singular definition of language proficiency: while certain groups limit ...

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

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, 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 Variety (linguistics), varieties of English language, English used in Canada. According to the 2016 Canadian Census, 2016 census, English was the first language of 19.4 million Canadians or ...

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 The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, acquired the CAEL Assessment from

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, 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 se ...

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.

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,

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, business, engineering, sports, law, and medicine. Possible topics include criminal behaviour,

global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

urban development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of peop ...

cultural diversity Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to Monoculturalism, monoculture. It has a variety of meanings in different contexts, sometimes applying to cultural products like art works in museums or entertainment ...

, weather systems, team management, competition, and

organizational behaviour Organizational behavior or organisational behaviour (see spelling differences) is the "study of human behavior in organizational settings, the interface between human behavior and the organization, and the organization itself".Moorhead, G., & ...

. 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 tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the g ...

* 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 is 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.

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. The full list of test centres and their corresponding test dates is listed at the CAEL website: https://www.cael.ca/

Institutions that accept CAEL

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(Vancouver, BC Campus) *

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University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...

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*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