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10. Besides, according to sound psychometric principles an assessment may be appropriate for one
purpose but inappropriate for another purpose. Also, a language proficiency test compares a person’s
unrehearsed ability to use language to communicate in real life against a set of language descriptors, as
compared with achievement tests which typically focus on what an individual has learnt based on specific
content which has been taught, guided by a specific curriculum or textbook, and in which answers are
either wrong or right. Consequently, a language assessment that focuses on the uses of the language in
an academic setting would not necessarily be useful for other purposes, such as screening job candidates
in the workplace. In the same way, an assessment may be considered appropriate for one group of test-
takers but not necessarily for another based on their specific profiles. For example, an international
assessment of language proficiency intended for use with students preparing to study in an academic
environment in a country where the target language is the primary language, would almost certainly not
be appropriate for assessing the target language abilities of individuals interested in using it for
communicating with native speakers recreationally via social media or while travelling. An assessment for
the first (study abroad) group would require more formal and academic content and skills than one
designed for the second (recreational) group.

11. Therefore, to ensure validity and reliability of CXC® tests, in the planning and development of
language proficiency assessments to be administered to test-takers, general principles of good language
proficiency assessment practices apply. Of utmost importance, the purposes for an assessment must be
clearly specified in terms of skills and domains in order for valid interpretations to be made on the basis
of the scores from the assessment. In the same way that CXC® has successfully benchmarked its
Qualification Structure against reputable international standards and gained indisputable international
recognition for its products over the years, it is proposed that there should be a standardised CXC®
Language Framework (CXCLF®) to guide syllabus development, implementation, assessment and
certification, and it will be based on theory as well as the relevant and recognised international Language
frameworks outlined below.

THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF THE CXC® LANGUAGE FRAMEWORK (CXCLF®)

Frameworks

12. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching and
Assessment (CEFR) was created by the Council of Europe between 1989 and 1996 to provide a common
method of learning, teaching and assessment to be applied to all languages across Europe. It was meant
to be a guideline to describe the achievements of learners of foreign languages in the educational,
occupational, public, and personal domains, and in the different skills of listening, reading, writing, and
speaking rather than as a whole. The development of the CEFR coincided with fundamental changes in
language teaching, with the move away from the grammar-translation method to the
functional/notational approach and the communicative approach. Established initially as a planning tool
whose aim was to promote transparency and coherence in language education, the CEFR is now widely
adopted by policymakers and test publishers worldwide as a basis to set minimum language requirements
for a wide range of purposes. It describes language ability on a scale of levels from A1 for beginners up to
C2 for those who have mastered a language. This makes it easy for anyone involved in language teaching
and testing, such as teachers or learners, to see the level of different qualifications.

13. In the United Kingdom, the University of Cambridge utilises the Common European Framework
of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching and Assessment (CEFR) as a “central point of reference…in
an interactive systems of cooperating institutions…whose cumulative experience and expertise produces

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