Because Edinburgh Language Academy is a computerised test centre, I thought it might be useful to offer advice on which level tests are best for you. With the many different level tests available in the EFL marketplace that may be required by UKVI, UK and USA Universities or UK employers, it can be confusing to decide which one to take.
Below is a brief summary of the different English exams you can take that are recognised by most government agencies and academic institutions in English speaking countries as an indication of your English level and ability. Please click on the links to find more information.
We offer four of the exams in our own ELA Exams Centre , which is actually right here in our school. Students who prepare with us don’t even need to leave the school to take the exams.
If you have ever studied the Cambridge Suite of Exams in your own country, this path may be open to you. If you were to sit the CAE exam and gain a pass at A or B, then you would never have to take any English level test again to prove that you have A’level standard English. Once you achieve a grade in a Cambridge exam it has no expiry date. It should be noted though, that Cambridge exams are a qualification and a a certain amount of preparation is required in order to cover the content of these exams. You are expected not just to be able to communicate in English but also analyse the language itself.
Other exams which can be used as proof of your overall level of English, and for which you can sit an exam at the ELA Test centre, are: the TOEFL test, the Pearson PTE Academic or Trinity GESE or SEW. The first two are computer based tests. Both of them are taken on the computer and you do not meet an examiner. ELA is a Trinity Secore English Language Test approved centre. These tests can be used for UKVI applications for visas, leave to remain and citizenship. The formats of these exams are very different and its advisable (though totally optional) to take a short preparation course before any of them.
ELA also offers preparation courses for the IELTS exam, which is currently a written paper. This exam does require a certain amount of specialist preparation.
At ELA we teach you necessary language content but also strategies for each task on any of these exam papers. We also teach you effective revision and exam room techniques. Classes start each Monday.
Tests fall on global exam dates throughout the year. To book a Cambridge or Trinity exam in Edinburgh with ELA please fill out the application form. For TOEFL and Pearson dates please check their respective websites by clicking here and here.