Teacher Discussion Forums

Hello fellow Members and Readers,

Is there an American equivalent to the British Cambridge exams (CFE, CAE, CPE)? I know there is TOEFL, but I don't think it equals a CAE or a CPE. I believe there would me a market for such a system in the US, so why not develop something like that here, too? What do you think?

Hi Stromfi

The TOEFL evaluates language skills in an academic context, and is used primarily as a means of gaining admission to university or college. The Cambridge ESOL exams (FCE, CAE and CPE) are more general exams. Students take them to gain access to university as with the TOEFL, but also to work abroad and as a general measure of progress in English.

So although we cannot directly compare the TOEFL with Cambridge exams, we can have an idea of the approximate TOEFL score a student could expect if they have passed the FCE, CAE or CPE.

A student with FCE might expect a TOEFL iBT (internet based test) score of 62-91, with CAE, a score of 92-112, and CPE, a score of 113-120.

These comparisons are of course very general, and depend on many factors, including whether the student passed the Cambridge exam with an A, B or C grade, level of preparation for the TOEFL, and so on.

According to the Cambridge ESOL website, www.cambridgeesol.org, there are currently 8 registered Cambridge ESOL test centres in the US, and I believe that recognition of the exams is growing there.

Keith
http://www.eslbase.com