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Information on post-16 ESOL qualifications
This information covers all ESOL qualifications currently accredited through QCA to the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), and those submitted or about to be submitted but not yet accredited. The documents will be regularly updated with the latest information as it becomes available.
ESOL qualifications post-16 are a specific group within a larger group of general English language qualifications which also covers qualifications for first language speakers, including Certificates in Adult Literacy.
The following information is divided into four sections:
1. General ESOL Qualifications
2. Vocational Language Qualifications
3. Qualification information summaries
4. Details of individual qualifications
1. General ESOL Qualifications
ESOL qualifications have been designated as ‘general qualifications’. This means:
· they measure general competence in the English language in the context of day to day life, work and study;
· to be accredited to the NQF they must comply with QCA’s accreditation criteria for general qualifications.
· they are assigned to the ‘ESOL family’, whether they have been regarded as ESOL or EFL in the past. They must all cover language content appropriate to the NQF level.
QCA Accredited general ESOL qualifications:
· are part of the mainstream qualifications structure;
· are cross-related in terms of NQF level to each other, to English language qualifications for first language speakers, to other qualifications in the NQF, making it easier to plan progression routes;
· can be considered as ‘broadly equivalent’ in terms of level of language coverage with other qualifications in English language at the same NQF level, whether designed for ESOL or first language users of English.
This does not mean all ESOL qualifications are the same; they may vary in such things as language modes covered, target groups of learners, breadth of content and type of assessment tasks.
Establishing broad equivalence has been made possible by research commissioned by the DfES and QCA which has:
· mapped the various scales used for measuring language performance to each other and to the NQF;
· provided a tool by which qualifications measured against these language scales could be objectively mapped to the NQF at the appropriate levels
Extract from ‘The mapping of language proficiency scales’, Reeves and West, QCA/DfES, May 2001 (Draft):
MAP 1: General language proficiency scales
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QCA |
Common European Framework |
National Language Standards |
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NQF |
NSAL |
Key Skills Communication |
A Language in Common |
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National Qualification Framework |
QCA, National Standards for adult literacy and numeracy, 2000 |
QCA, Key Skills Communication Units, 2000 |
QCA, A Language in Common: Assessing English as an Additional Language, 2000 |
Council of Europe, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, CUP 2001 |
Languages National Training Organisation, The National Language Standards, 2000 |
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5 |
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(Level 5) |
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4 |
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Level 4 |
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(C2.2) |
Level 5 |
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3 |
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Level 3 |
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C2 Mastery |
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2 |
Level 2 |
Level 2 |
National Curriculum Levels 2-8 |
C1 Operational Proficiency |
Level 4 |
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1 |
Level 1 |
Level 1 |
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B2 Vantage |
Level 3 |
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Entry |
Entry 3 |
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B1 Threshold |
Level 2 |
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Entry 2 |
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A2 Waystage |
Level 1 |
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Entry 1 |
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Level 1 Secure/Threshold |
A1 Breakthrough |
(Entry) |
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EAL Step 2 |
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EAL Step 1 |
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The full report of the mapping research by Richard West and Nigel Reeves is due to be published in book form and on the QCA website from September 2002.
To be accredited to the NQF, post-16 general English qualifications must:
· for this first round of accreditation demonstrate how they relate to the National Adult Literacy Standards and Key Skills Communication specifications (at Level 3); this applies to ESOL qualifications and those for first language speakers;
· for the next round of accreditation from September 2004, show how they relate to the content of the ESOL or adult literacy core curricula (which were not published at the time all qualifications were submitted for accreditation).
The ‘ESOL family’ qualifications on this web-site are mainly long-standing ESOL & EFL qualifications which:
· have agreed a standard official titling format, whilst also retain their traditional titles at this point;
· have demonstrated they have client groups based in this country;
· have cross referred their qualifications to the national standards and specifications and have agreed to place this information in their UK specifications at the earliest opportunity;
· demonstrate sufficiently robust assessment arrangements within their awarding body to inspire public confidence;
· have indicated willingness to work with QCA to agree criteria for the second round of accreditation for ESOL qualifications.
Some new qualifications are currently in preparation for submission and will be reviewed for accreditation on the basis that:
· they are submitted before the first round deadline of 31 August 2002;
· they will be accredited only up to the end of the first round of accreditation in 2004;
· they are in line with the same criteria applied to the other ESOL qualifications, already accredited, though they are encouraged to demonstrate their coverage of the ESOL curriculum as this has been available to them.
2. Vocational Language Qualifications
NVQ language units are available in a range of modern languages including English:
· they are vocational qualifications which have been accredited against QCA's vocational criteria;
· these criteria apply to qualifications which are specifically designed to support learning in the workplace;
· they are aligned to the National Language Standards, designed to measure competence in a language other than the user's first language;
· they may appear to offer a qualification at a higher level in the NQF than a general qualification in English which covers similar language content;
· this is because the NQF qualifications, unlike the general ESOL qualifications, do not claim parity with qualifications in English for first language speakers at the same NQF level, but are the equivalent of qualifications in other modern languages.
3. Qualification information summaries
All qualifications listed are recognised by the Learning and Skills Council as eligible for funding for the academic year 2002-2003.
Click to view printable pdf format summaries of:
· General ESOL Qualifications (accredited for Sept. 2002)
· General ESOL Qualifications (seeking accreditation)
· NVQ Language Units
4. Details of individual qualifications
All qualifications listed are recognised by the Learning and Skills Council as eligible for funding for the academic year 2002-2003.
Click to view printable pdf format details of individual qualifications:
General ESOL Qualifications (accredited for Sept. 2002)
· AQA Certificate in English Language Skills (ESOL) (formerly: JET SET)
· ESB Certificate in Spoken Communication and Presentation ESOL (formerly: English for Non-native Speakers)
· Pitman Certificate in English (ESOL) (Certificate in ESOL/English for Speakers of Other Languages)
· Pitman Certificate in Spoken English (ESOL) (Certificate in Spoken English for Speakers of Other Languages)
· Trinity College London Certificate in Integrated Skills in English (ESOL)
· Trinity College London Grade Examinations in Spoken English (ESOL) (Grade Examinations in Spoken English for Speakers of Other Languages)
· UCLES Certificate in English Language Skills (IELTS Bands 6/7) (ESOL)
· UCLES Certificates in English Language Skills (CELS) (Reading) (Writing) (Speaking) (Listening) (Formerly: Certificate in Communicative Skills in English/Certificate in English Language Skills/CCSE and Oxford EFL examinations)
· UCLES Certificate in English (ESOL) (Main Suite Examinations: Key English Test (KET), Preliminary English Test (PET), First Certificate in English (FCE), Certificate in Advanced English (CAE), Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE))
· UCLES Certificate in Business English (ESOL) (BEC)
· LCCIEB Certificate in Spoken Business English (ESOL)
· LCCIEB Certificate in Written Business English (ESOL)
· NOCN Certificate in English Language Skills (ESOL)
General ESOL Qualifications (seeking accreditation)
· NCFE Certificate in ESOL: Living in Britain (E:LIB)
NVQ Language Units
· CCLI Language Units 3376 (English), OCR: National Language Units English 1692, LCCIEB Language Units English N1595/6/7/8/9, Edexcel BTEC Modern Foreign Language Units 2589R-2606R
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