fcehb.pdf

CAMBRIDGE

FCE

FIRST CERTIFICATE IN 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 Cambridge First Certificate in

English examination (FCE).

The introductory part of the handbook provides a general

background to the Cambridge EFL examinations and an

overview of the work of the EFL Division at UCLES,

including a description of current procedures for test design,

production and marking. It is hoped that this will be of

interest both to those who are familiar with the Cambridge

EFL examinations, and to those who are coming to them for

the first time.

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INTRODUCTION

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.

• developing examinations

• interpreting examination results

• striving for fairness

• informing examination takers

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.

The Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE)

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.

The principal objectives of ALTE are as follows:

The English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Division

• to establish a framework of levels of proficiency in

order to promote the transnational recognition of

certification, especially in Europe;

• 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;

• to collaborate on joint projects and in the exchange of

ideas and know-how.

The EFL Division at UCLES 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 work of the EFL Division covers four main areas:

•

question paper production

•

support for the administration of the examinations

(particularly the Speaking Tests)

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.

•

processing of examinations (marking, etc.)

•

user service

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.

More information about ALTE and copies of ALTE documents

can be obtained from the ALTE Secretariat at UCLES.

The core of the EFL system is the question paper production

process. This is described in detail below.

The general (i.e. non-specialist) administration and

processing of examinations is largely carried out by other

divisions at UCLES. The EFL Division, however, 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.

For the EFL Division, user service concerns professional

matters such as the production of information for test users,

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The Production of EFL 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.

For the majority of EFL question papers there are five main

stages in the production process:

• commissioning

• editing

• pretesting

• analysis and banking of material

• question paper construction

This process can be represented in the diagram below:

Commissioning of material

for question papers

Vetting and editing of

material

Trial

construction

Pretest

construction

Trialling

Revision

Pretesting

Trialling

review

Rejection

Item

Analysis

MATERIALS BANK*

Question paper

construction

*electronic bank for pretested materials

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The Production Cycle for Pretested Question Papers

BACKGROUND TO FCE

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.

FCE was originally offered in 1939 as the Lower Certificate

of Proficiency. Regular updating has allowed the

examination to keep pace with changes in language

teaching and testing. In 1974, the Lower Certificate was

renamed the First Certificate in English. A number of

important changes were made in 1984, including the

introduction of a taped listening test. In 1991, a review of

the examination content and administration was begun in

order to take into consideration recent developments in

teaching and testing. The result of this review is the revised

FCE, introduced in December 1996.

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.

The Level of FCE

As well as being at Cambridge Level Three, FCE also falls

within Level Three of the ALTE framework, and a brief

description of this level is given below. This description is

not a specification for the examination content but refers to

language activities in real-world, non-examination contexts.

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.

ALTE Level Three: An Independent User

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.

ALTE Level Three, which goes under the label ‘Independent

User’, corresponds to what is often referred to as an

intermediate stage of proficiency. Learners at this level are

expected to be able to handle the main structures of the

language with some confidence, demonstrate knowledge of

a wide range of vocabulary and use appropriate

communicative strategies in a variety of social situations.

Their understanding of spoken language and written texts

should go beyond being able to pick out items of factual

information, and they should be able to distinguish between

main and subsidiary points and between the gist of a text

and specific detail. They should be able to produce written

texts of various types, showing the ability to develop an

argument as well as describe or recount events.

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

UCLES has developed a series of examinations with similar

characteristics, spanning five levels. Within the series of five

levels, the First Certificate in English is at Cambridge Level

Three.

Examinations at ALTE Level Three are frequently used as

proof that the learner can do office work or take a course of

study in the medium of the language being learned. Learners

at this level can be assumed to have sufficient ability to

operate effectively in English in many clerical, secretarial

and managerial posts.

FCE is the most widely taken Cambridge EFL examination

and the annual candidature is in excess of 250,000.

Cambridge Level Five

Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)

Cambridge Level Four

Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)

Recognition

FCE has widespread recognition in commerce and industry,

e.g., for public contact or secretarial work in banking,

airlines, catering, etc. Many universities and other

educational institutions recognise FCE for English language

entrance requirements. More information about recognition

is available from British Council Offices and from UCLES.

Cambridge Level Three

First Certificate in English (FCE)

Cambridge Level Two

Preliminary English Test (PET)

Cambridge Level One

Key English Test (KET)

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