The LanguageCert System LS

The LanguageCert System (LS)

The LanguageCert System is a set of English language tests developed, evaluated, and managed using an integrated, standardised, and assured approach. Both England’s and Wales’s qualifications regulators, Ofqual and Qualifications Wales, recognise and regulate our English language tests.

The LanguageCert System tests derive from extensive item banks of pre-tested and calibrated material, and associated validation research, based on an established candidature of LanguageCert tests and exams aligned to a common underlying measurement scale. To date, the LanguageCert System has based itself on tests which cover a single CEFR level, with the exception of the LanguageCert Test of English (LTE).

Following feedback from extensive use of the LanguageCert System around the world, the LanguageCert System now also includes two multi-level test variants aimed at workers and migrants, and tertiary education applicants. These are the LanguageCert General and Academic tests.

The LanguageCert Global Scale

The LanguageCert system is based on a measurement scale, the Global Scale, which is aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and can, in turn, be aligned to other scales as required. The Global Scale measures from 0-100 and provides candidates, employers, education institutions and government agencies an easy-to-understand results system (Milanovic et al., 2023). The Score Report states an overall score, the overall CEFR level of attainment reached, and the score for each of the skills using both the Global scale and the CEFR level of attainment.

The established scoring arrangements between the LanguageCert Global Scale and the CEFR are verified by ongoing analysis of test performance as well as by the LanguageCert research and validation programmes. Scoring arrangements for use in conjunction with specific visa requirements including the UKVI, NZQA, IRCC service are confirmed independently with the authorities and more information can be found in the respective websites. Institution entry requirements are to be verified by the institutions’ webpages directly.

LanguageCert General and LanguageCert Academic are designed for candidates who are not native speakers of English and who wish to achieve a high quality, internationally recognised qualification in English that is available and recognised worldwide. They are suitable for candidates who are preparing for entry to higher education, or professional employment in the UK or elsewhere, or for candidates who need to demonstrate that they have met the required level of English by passing a test with a Home Office approved Secure English Language Testing (SELT) provider. Both qualifications reference the descriptions of language proficiency in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

LanguageCert General and LanguageCert Academic measure proficiency in the same way, to the same scale, using the same task types. The two tests have been designed and developed according to the same standard procedures. The test delivery processes and scoring methods are identical.

LanguageCert places exam validity and reliability at the heart of its qualification development processes. LanguageCert Academic and LanguageCert General qualifications were officially launched in 2023, backed with extensive pretesting and trialling of test materials to ensure fairness, fitness-for-purpose, and comparability.

Test Statistics

LanguageCert Academic and LanguageCert General Test performance

LanguageCert Academic and LanguageCert General measure using a 100-point scale, the LanguageCert Global Scale. Candidate scores are reported by skill (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking), by total score and CEFR equivalence.

Reliability and standard error of measurement can provide helpful insight into a test’s performance. Reliability provides an estimate of the extent to which differences in language test scores are attributable to real differences in language proficiency rather than variations in performance that might have come about by chance. LanguageCert tests follow different scoring methods depending on the language skill being tested, and this requires different approaches to establish their reliability.

The reliability of the test as a whole is estimated from the scaled scores on the four test components using McDonald’s coefficient omega (ω) as well as Cronbach’s alpha (α) as this has been widely recommended as the preferred option for composite scores (Hayes & Coutts, 2020).

The reliability of each subsection, along with overall performance, ranged from .84-.96. Standard error of measurement (SEM) was calculated with the formula, SD√(1 – reliability).

Test reliability of the Listening and Reading sections

On Listening and Reading components, all test taker responses are scored as correct or incorrect, and Cronbach’s alpha for each is calculated using the sum of these scores in an item-based approach.

Test reliability of the Writing and Speaking sections

The Writing and Speaking tests are scored as polytomous (on a scale ranging from 0 to 8 points) by two raters drawn from the LanguageCert team of trained examiners working independently, each unaware of the scores awarded by the other. Reliabilities for these two components are estimated using one-way random intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), taking the average measures. Where scores are discrepant, a senior examiner rescores the performance and it is this third score that is taken as final.

The data below show test performance for 2023.

Test reliability, LanguageCert Academic

Section	Reliability coefficient	Reliability index	Mean	Standard Deviation	SEM
Listening	.84	Cronbach’s α	60.48	17.18	6.87
Reading	.85	Cronbach’s α	63.07	17.25	6.68
Writing	.96	ICC	61.96	11.07	2.21
Speaking	.89	ICC	68.43	12.76	4.23
Composite	.88	McDonald’s ω	63.62	12.46	4.32
Composite	.86	Cronbach’s α	63.62	12.46	4.66

SEM = standard error of measurement; ICC = intraclass correlation.

The statistical analyses and the demographic data comparing mean score achieved for total score and per skill split into gender and nationality can be found here: LanguageCert Academic Test Report

Test reliability, LanguageCert General

Section	Reliability coefficient	Reliability index	Mean	Standard Deviation	SEM
Listening	.87	Cronbach’s α	57.17	19.63	7.08
Reading	.85	Cronbach’s α	60.90	17.29	6.70
Writing	.89	ICC	58.46	13.07	4.33
Speaking	.89	ICC	64.25	12.79	4.24
Composite	.90	McDonald’s ω	60.39	13.72	4.34
Composite	.88	Cronbach’s α	60.39	13.72	4.75

SEM = standard error of measurement; ICC = intraclass correlation.

The statistical analyses and the demographic data comparing mean score achieved for total score and per skill split into gender and nationality can be found here: LanguageCert General Test Report (coming soon)

Concordance studies

Concordance studies play a crucial role in language assessment and testing by investigating the comparability and alignment of different language proficiency tests. These studies aim to establish empirical evidence of the equivalence or similarity between test scores from different language assessments, enabling informed decision-making regarding test interpretation and usage.

LanguageCert conducted a concordance study between LanguageCert Academic and IELTS Academic. A separate concordance study between LanguageCert General and IELTS General Training is on-going. The studies have been conducted in cooperation with the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA) at the University of Bedfordshire and overseen by a Concordance Studies Review panel, consisting of a team of leading academics. The LanguageCert Academic concordance study spanned three years and concluded in 2024, having involved more than 1000 test takers, each sitting both tests.

The concordance study has included comparisons between the content of the LanguageCert Academic and General tests and their counterparts, widely accepted for the same purposes: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. It also involves the collection of test score data from test takers who have taken both LanguageCert and IELTS tests. Over time, LanguageCert expects to extend the concordance study to the full range of international tests recognised for similar purposes.

The studies confirmed that the LanguageCert and IELTS tests cover similar content, using similar task types to represent the language needs of students (Academic) or those shared by many other groups of migrants (General/ General Training). Content comparisons and the data collected demonstrate that performance on the two LanguageCert tests is highly predictive of performance on their IELTS counterparts with very strong correlations between the results: r =.87 for Academic and r =.89 for General.

Score distribution summary statistics

	Μean	SD	Skewness	Kurtosis	Min	Max
LanguageCert Academic	63.62	12.46	-0.11	-0.08	22	96
IELTS Academic	6.26	0.88	-0.06	-0.14	3	8.5
LanguageCert General	67.59	12.50	-0.83	1.31	18	89
IELTS General Training	6.76	1.06	-0.58	0.17	3	9

Note: For the Academic cohort, the sample size was 1008. For the General cohort, the sample size was 181.

Correlations

	Overall r	Reading r	Writing r	Listening r	Speaking r
Academic (n = 1008)	.87	.76	.71	.72	.71
General (n = 181)	.89	.77	.76	.79	.74

Note: r = correlation. All correlations were statistically significant at the p < .001 level.

The strong correlation for Overall performance (r=.87) indicates the two tests measure similar underlying abilities (Knoch, 2021). The correlations for individual subscales (r > .7) suggest that LanguageCert exams perform in accordance with the language test in comparison, designed for similar purposes.

Over time, LanguageCert expects to extend the concordance study to the full range of international tests recognised for similar purposes and will be publishing the findings in extensive reports.

Download the preliminary concordance report here.

Updated detailed reports will become available upon finalisation of the studies.

_{Knoch, U. (2021). A guide to English language policy making in higher education. International Education Association of Australia (IEAA). www.ieaa.org.au.}

UK - UKVI requirements

Use the LanguageCert System to prove your knowledge of English

LanguageCert is a UKVI-approved SELT exam provider, following an independent evaluation by Ecctis, on behalf of the UK Government. Ecctis conducted an independent review of LanguageCert tests against the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and found that the LanguageCert Academic and the LanguageCert General tests are fit-for-purpose and provide a sound assessment of language competence. You can access Ecctis’ evaluation summary here.

English language tests included in the approved list have been assessed as meeting Home Office requirements under the secure English language testing arrangements.

The list of approved tests gives the CEFR level and the respective minimum grade requirements per skill. Below you can see the score required at each CEFR level, as validated by Ecctis and approved by the UK Visas and Immigration department, for LanguageCert and the other multi-level test providers.

UKVI score requirements (per skill) / 4-facet tests
	B1	B2	C1	C2
LanguageCert Academic	40	60	75	90	/ 100
LanguageCert General	40	60	75		/ 100
IELTS for UKVI	4	5.5	7	8.5	/ 9
PTE Academic UKVI	43	59	76	85	/ 90

You can access the full list on the UKVI’s webpage: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prove-your-english-language-abilities-with-a-secure-english-language-test-selt

The LanguageCert System