Eurocert

The EUROCERT English Proficiency Certification Program is jomtly developed and sponsored by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Dutch Institute for Educational Measurement (Cito), and will be administered throughout Europe by Cito. It measures English proficiency - specifically listening, reading, writing and speaking, and utilizes the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Test of Written English (TWE) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE). There are two levels of certification: Certified and Certified with Honors. EUROCERT measures proficiency at an advanced level. The different components of EUROCERT, i.e. the three-part TOEFL, the compound TSE and the essay-type TWE are discussed. Evaluation of language proficiency seems to be possible firstly by observing authentic language behaviour and secondly by an examination of the tacit knowledge that underlies language behaviour. It is not possible to make a choice between the two approaches on mere theoretical grounds. Generally, it is recommended to incorporate different techniques of measurement in a test in order to avoid method effects. The EUROCERT battery tries to meet this requirement.