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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)
Register change gap-fill task
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.
A
B
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)
Page 5
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