Long-stay courses / Examination courses
These courses prepare non-native speakers of English to take internationally recognised language examinations
- using original exam papers
- teaching exam techniques
The courses are usually 15-25 hours per week. There are discounts on long-term courses. The tests are either taken at the school offering the course or at nearby examination centres. Course duration starts at a minimum of two weeks, but longer durations are usually advisable. The most popular tests are the so-called “Cambridge Examinations“, “IELTS“, “TOEFL“, and “TOEIC“.
Cambridge Certificates
- Test situation Cambridge Certificates
These certificates, developed by the University of Cambridge, are relevant for the job market as well as for university studies. There are several different exams:
- Cambridge First Certificate = CFE
- Cambridge Advanced Certificate = CAE and
- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English = CPE
The “Business English Certificate (BEC)“ is the equivalent to the Cambridge exams in the field of Business English.
Exam dates for BEC, CFE und CAE are March, June, and December, for CPE in June and December only. Courses preparing for these exams ususally start 12, 10 or 6 weeks prior to the test date.
IELTS = International English Language Testing System
- Team work for IELTS
“IELTS“ was also developed by the University of Cambridge. It is a test of active and passive knowledge on a scale of 0-9 points. Universities in the UK, Australia and Ireland as well as many universities in the United States, Canada and beyond use the “academic IELTS“ scale as one criterion for the admission of students from non-English-speaking countries.
The non-academic IELTS test is a requirement for non-native speakers of English applying for work in Australia and New Zealand.
TOEFL = Test of English as a Foreign Language
- TOEFL test centre
The TOEFL exam is roughly the equivalent of “IELTS“, mainly for universities based in the United States as well as many international universities.
TOEIC = Test of English for International Communication
The “TOEIC“ test focuses on English in the context of international business. It consists of about 200 multiple choice questions. There is no oral part to this test.
Please note that we help our clients find suitable language schools. The schools themselves provide the teaching and, in most cases, the accommodation.