English language test comparison table

Executive summary This report has been produced in response to a request from the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) to provide an English language test comparison table, indicating the score or grade level on range of recognised tests at or above which NAATI applicants could be deemed to have met the minimum English standards required for their professional level. The minimum English standards were determined at a standard-setting workshop convened by NAATI in November 2016, involving a panel of representatives from the Translating and Interpreting professions and expert language testers from the Language Testing Research Centre at the University of Melbourne. These minimum standards are expressed as levels on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), a well-known framework which describes levels of language proficiency from a basic to highly advanced level. Most of the major language tests have established formal links to this framework, such that a given score or band of scores on the test can be equated to a level on the CEFR scale. The report describes the process of identifying the links between the CEFR and scores on the tests recognised by NAATI as providing defensible evidence of English proficiency, namely: the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the Occupational English Test (OET), the TOEFL IBT (Test of English as Foreign Language internet-Based Test), the Pearson Test of English - Academic (PTE), the Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) test, the Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) test, the Versant English test, the Versant Writing test and the International Second Language Proficiency Ratings (ISLPR). These links are displayed in a set of 8 comparison tables – one for each of the NAATI-accredited qualifications, namely: Recognised Practising Interpreter (RPI); Certified Provisional Interpreter (CPI); Certified Interpreter (CI); Recognised Practising Translator (RPT); Certified Translator (CT); Certified Specialist Interpreter, Certified Conference Interpreter and Certified Advanced Translator. The table for each qualification shows the minimum CEFR level required for the four skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing and the corresponding score or grade level on the range of NAATI recognised tests at or above which an applicant can be considered to have reached the required CEFR level. There are however some gaps in the information provided, where one of the recognised tests does not measure the requisite skill, is not pitched to the particular level of proficiency required, or where no evidence has been found of a formal link between the test scores and the CEFR scale. Given these limitations it is recommended that: - 1. The ISLPR not be included as a recognised test for NAATI purposes unless appropriate evidence of equivalence to the CEFR can be provided; 2. Tests like the CAE and the CPE be omitted from the list of recognised tests Certified Provisional Interpreter since they do not measure at the relevant levels of language ability; In addition, given that the Versant tests are accessible online (for a fee) to individuals whose identity cannot be verified, it is recommended that 3. Scores from the Versant tests be recognised as valid only if they have been produced under NAATI-proctored test conditions. 3 Finally, given the possible confusion surrounding minimum English standards and the caveats around test score comparisons that are outlined in this report, it is recommended that 4. The status of the minimum English proficiency requirements in relation to other requirements for professional accreditation be carefully explained to applicants; 5. The recommended minimum standards and associated score correspondences be treated as tentative and reviewed on an ongoing basis.