The Examination for the Certificate in Competency in English (ECCE) is a high-intermediate level English language qualification that focuses on Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Contents
It is developed by CaMLA, a not-for-profit collaboration between the University of Michigan and the University of Cambridge. The exam has been in use since 1994, but is regularly updated to ensure it reflects current research in language teaching and assessment.
The ECCE is taken by school-aged and adult learners living in countries where the common language is not English. It is used as official documentary evidence of English language proficiency and is accepted by universities, governments and employers around the world.
The exam has four test sections, which test the four key language skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking.
Test format
The ECCE is a paper-and pencil test, with the following test sections:
The texts and tasks in the exam reflect a range of personal, public, occupational and educational situations that they might encounter in real-life. The topics are designed to be accessible to all ages and test takers do not require specialized knowledge or experience to complete the test.
A new test form is developed each time the exam is administered.
Scoring
Test takers receive a CaMLA Examination Report, which has the following information:
The following scores are needed to achieve a Honors/Pass/Fail result:
Test takers who achieve an overall score of 650 or higher are awarded the ECCE Certificate. Test takers who achieve a score of 840 or higher in all four sections are awarded a Certificate of Competency with Honors. The ECCE Certificate is recognized at the B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Test takers are given a numeric score for each section of the test so they can see the areas in which they have done well and the areas in which they need to improve.
An ECCE qualification is valid for life. However, language ability changes over time, therefore, organizations are advised to consider a test taker’s experience with English since they took the test in addition to their test scores.
Usage
The ECCE is used as official documentary evidence of English language proficiency. It is accepted by universities, governments and employers in many countries around the world, including:
In 2014, the ECCE was used by test takers with 36 different first language backgrounds (the largest being Albanian, Greek, Portuguese and Spanish). It is mainly taken by secondary school-aged learners:
Preparation
Free practice tests, answer keys and student instructions are available on the official website, along with links to other practice materials.