Are you clear about terminology on the site?
If not, take a look at our useful glossary of commonly used terms and abbreviations.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Application for approval: the process of an educational institution (e.g. a school, university) to become a LanguageCert Approved Test Centre to run its examinations.
Assessment: a technical term used in testing that refers to marking and grading exam papers or spoken exam recordings.
Awarding Body: an organisation, responsible for the development, distribution, quality assurance, and private and public sector and social recognition of its qualifications/ examinations.
Candidate: a learner/student sitting or preparing to sit for an exam.
CEFR: stands for ‘Common European Framework of Reference (for Languages)’, a guideline developed by the Council of Europe, used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages. It identifies six reference levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) which are widely accepted as the European standard for grading an individual's language proficiency.
CEFR descriptors: the set of criteria that define language competencies for each of the six levels (from A1 to C2) of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR); the aspects of language knowledge that will indicate the level a particular learner has achieved in language learning.
Centre/ Test Centre (approved): an educational institution approved by LanguageCert to run its examinations/deliver its qualifications.
ELT: stands for ‘English Language Teaching’
ESOL: stands for ‘English for Speakers of Other Languages’, an English language examination for non-native speakers of English, who would like to demonstrate a valid proof of their language competencies at a certain level in order to advance in their career and/or pursue academic studies.
Interlocutor: a language teacher who conducts the Spoken Exams at a LanguageCert Approved Test Centre and engages in a specific conversation with the candidate. The Interlocutor neither examines nor assesses the candidate's performance.
Interlocutor training: the training provided by LanguageCert to the Interlocutors of its language Test Centres. The training is meant to ensure that Interlocutors administering the Spoken Exams at Test Centres can confidently assist the candidates in performing optimally without compromising the objectivity of the examination process.
Invigilation: the process of supervising compliance with LanguageCert Exam regulations during the exams; also referred to as ‘proctoring’.
Invigilator: the person appointed by the Test Centre to supervise compliance with LanguageCert Exam regulations during the exams; also referred to as ‘proctor’.
Mapped to the CEFR: pertains to international language examinations which have been aligned to the CEFR.
On demand: refers to LanguageCert Exams that can be administered/ taken at any date requested by a LanguageCert Approved Test Centre, given the fact that there are no predetermined examination dates in the area of the Approved Test Centre and the requested exams are approved by LanguageCert.
Practice Papers: a collection of tasks simulating the real examination and usually used as valuable preparation tools for the exam.
Proctoring: the process of supervising compliance with LanguageCert Exam regulations during the exams; also referred to as ‘invigilation’.
Proctor: the person appointed by the Test Centre to supervise compliance with LanguageCert Exam regulations during the exams; also referred to as ‘invigilator’.
Qualification: a recognised certificate, achieved as a result of a programme of study, that entitles the certificate holder to a set of benefits (e.g. career promotion, academic development, etc.) associated with a particular certificate through recognitions.
Qualification Handbook: a comprehensive document about examination content that also serves as support for the exam preparation process. It contains level-specific information about assessment, the syllabus, topics and linguistic categories tested during the exam.
Quality Auditor: a person trained and appointed by LanguageCertCert, whose role is to approve a Test Centre to deliver LanguageCert Exams and to perform random checks on Test Centres during an examination.
Recognition: the acceptance of the qualification’s validity by a particular academic institution and/or employer for a particular purpose.
Sample writing tasks: Marked essays which allow teachers and/or learners to familiarise with the writing requirements and marking criteria.
Test Centre (TC) Manager: a person appointed by a LanguageCert Approved Test Centre, responsible for performing administrative tasks associated with LanguageCert Exams (e.g. exam-ordering, appointing invigilators, etc.).
The Four Skills: skills demonstrated in the Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking sections - necessary for successful communication in everyday life and tested by standardised language exams.