English language exams
The importance of exams
You might be wondering, why should I take an English proficiency exam? How important is it?
Well, to learn and communicate effectively in English, it is essential to improve your life status and understand many things around you. It all depends on your focus.
If you are learning English as a hobby, maybe proficiency exams are not that necessary for you; however, you are free to take them anyway.
But if your interest in this language is related to a different kind of purpose, like studying or working abroad, or to get more credits and even a work promotion, these exams will help you because you can get certified.
Currently, there are exams that assess the communicative proficiency of people who know a second language, according to their knowledge and needs.
But don't worry! In this lesson, we'll help you choose the right exam.
Keep in mind that before choosing an exam, you must to identify your level of proficiency, as each test assesses different abilities.
Learn more about English proficiency levels
According to the Common European Reference, or CERF, which determines a candidate's abilities at the moment of communication, there are six levels of language proficiency:
| Common reference levels of English | |
| A1 | You must understand and use primary and daily expressions, as well as introduce yourself and use basic express commands. |
| A2 | You must be able to express yourself and understand daily and informative expressions. Also, you must be able to communicate in simple contexts with simple dialogues, and use and understand elements related to the past. |
| B1 | You must be able to understand explicit texts and in standard language developed in familiar contexts, environment, preferences, or knowledge. You must be able to defend yourself on clear or half-fluency conversations. You must also be able to produce coherent and straightforward texts about personal experiences or plans. |
| B2 | In this level, you should understand the main idea of the texts presented. You can relate with native speakers on a natural and fluency level, as well as produce explicit and detailed texts about different subjects. You must be able to justify and argue on discussions or debates. |
| C1 | You must be able to express yourself spontaneously and fluency. This also includes an understanding of texts of any kind, including recognizing the general and subordinate ideas. You must also be able to use the language efficiently in social, academic, and professional environments. You should produce structure and complex texts involving elements like coherence, cohesion, and utterance. |
| C2 | You must fully understand every text or audio and present total communicative efficiency of the language. You must also produce texts using different font types. You should be able to express spontaneously under any context, as well as develop highly complex contexts. |
For each level, you should have different and more perfected abilities.
To be sure which exam fits you, consciously observe your strengths to determine what you are good at in this language and what you want to do with the exam. Then you can make your choice.
In this lesson, we will offer some tips and some essential information for the exams, so let's begin!