Do you remember that familiar feeling of sitting in an exam hall? Rows of desks and the ticking of the clock. Cambridge University Press & Assessment, one of the UK’s largest exam boards, has conducted exams since the 1850s. Their English language exams have been taken by over 100 million people worldwide. However, there is a world of difference between those first exams and the exams of today.
In 1913, only three teachers took the first Cambridge English exam. Surprisingly, none of them passed. The exam, which focused on grammar, phonetics and translation, took 12 hours to complete. Could you answer the questions correctly?
A sample question from the exam is given below:
Correct the following sentences and explain the errors, if any:
- I hope you are determined to improve seriously.
- Comparing Shakespeare with Aeschylus, the former is not inferior to the latter.
- I admit that I was willing to have made peace with you.
- The statement was incorrect, as anyone familiar with the spot and who was acquainted with the facts will admit.
- The lyrical gifts of Shakespeare are woven into the actual language of the characters.
The exam initially focused solely on grammar and translation. Dr Evelina Galaczi says, ‘At first, it was for an elite group who wanted to study English as an academic subject, like Latin or Ancient Greek.’
‘Back then, grammar and translation were considered the most important aspects, but now the exam is more focused on assessing English language usage skills.’
She adds, ‘This change happened gradually, but after the Second World War, English became a global language, and speaking and pronunciation became more important.’
‘I firmly believe this marked the beginning of change and opened new doors for learning English,’ she adds.
In the 1950s, several requests began to come in for the inclusion of translation questions in various languages, including Arabic and Vietnamese, in the English exams.
Group Archivist Gillian Cook says, ‘I think the number of participants for each language was quite small, so it wasn’t cost-effective. This is probably why translation questions were dropped around 1970.’
Cambridge English exams have now become more advanced. There are now various types of exams, designed to meet the needs of schools, universities and businesses.
Ian Cook, Marketing Director of Higher Education at Cambridge University Press and Assessment says, ‘Over 100 million people in 130 countries have taken our English exams.’
He says, ‘The exam is recognised by more than 25,000 organisations, such as governments in many countries for immigration purposes, as well as by employers and universities.’
He further adds, ‘For example, universities in Germany, Sweden, and parts of East Asia offer IT and healthcare courses in English to attract the best students. Therefore, students must prove they can cope with these courses in English.’
Currently, the exams are also available in digital formats, and artificial intelligence is used to tailor questions to your English proficiency.
Cook says, ‘Simply put, your next question will be based on your answer to the previous question.’
‘Technology determines your English proficiency by asking questions in several stages, from easy to difficult,’ he says.
He also says, ‘Our experience and research have shown that the more teaching and testing are tailored to your learning level, the better it is for students. We want people to be confident, pass, and demonstrate their skills.’