ELT Journal Advance Access originally published online on March 5, 2008
ELT Journal 2009 63(1):51-59; doi:10.1093/elt/ccn015
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved.
Co-certification: a new direction for external assessment?
David Newbold is a researcher in English language at the University of Venice (Ca' Foscari). He has taught in France, Italy, Spain, and the UK, and has published a wide range of ELT materials. He has a special interest in testing and assessment
Email: newbold{at}unive.it
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Abstract |
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The major European testing agencies have calibrated their exams to the levels of language proficiency described in the Common European Framework (CEFR). In Italy, where the Framework has been enthusiastically embraced, external exams are now frequently used within the state education system as they are believed to provide reliable, widely recognized, independent assessment. But although these exams vary greatly, it is not always easy to find one which is entirely appropriate for a specific learning context.
This article describes an experiment in ‘co-certification’, in which the University of Venice worked with Trinity College London to make an existing exam more appropriate for university students. This involved replacing ‘creative writing’ with ‘critical writing’ in the portfolio and the controlled written exam, and ensuring a ‘university dimension’ for the oral interview. The article reports on the modifications, and reflects on the project as an agent for change in teaching programmes. It concludes that there may be other contexts in which co-certification is both possible and desirable.