1. RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2012
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International students who are seeking to study in English-speaking universities must prove their readiness to join a
program of study. Language tests are one of the main official means used to evaluate student readiness. However,
not all students can successfully attain the required scores on a language test, even if they have already studied all
the levels in a language school.
Council of Europe, 2001. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: learning, teaching, assessment, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Khalifa, H. and Ffrench, A., 2009. Aligning Cambridge ESOL examinations to the CEFR: issues and practice. Cambridge ESOL: Research Notes 37: 10-14
URL: http://cambridgeesol.org/rs_notes/rs_nts37.pdf
Taylor, L., 2004. IELTS, Cambridge ESOL examinations and the Common European Framework, Research Notes, 18, pp.2-3.
Turner J.,2004.Language as academic purpose. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 3 (2), pp. 95-109.
The participants were 173 Saudi Students from various disciplines in the UK. Most of them attended
language institutions in the UK, studied various courses, achieved between A1 and C2 in terms of CEFR
levels, and achieved between 4.5 and 8 on the IELTS test. The data were collected using a questionnaire
that was administrated online. This was followed up with interviews of six participants in the study who
had various experiences.
The results revealed that during their English language study, participants were oriented toward achieving certain
CEFR levels and test scores, which caused a mismatch between their aims and the results achieved. Participants
found that they were not well-prepared to respond to university academic demands. In addition, they reported
that spending a great deal of time aiming to secure a given IELTS score and finish their language studies made
the entire process more complicated and more difficult. Also, a huge mismatch was reported between the levels
participants’ achieved in language institutions, such as a C1 CEFR level, and IELTS band scores, which were
often around 5-5.5. Such results suggest there is a need to view learners’ achievements with caution. This study
suggests that the alignment IELTS scores and CEFR levels could reveal a huge gap.
Umm Alqura University
Samar Y. Almoossa
Are IELTS AND CEFR Enough Indicators of
Students’ Success in Academic Study?
Introduction
Objectives
The Link Between CEFR Specifications and Learners’
Expectations
References
Contact
An understanding of how the European Common Framework (CEFR) contributes to identifying learners’ linguistic
ability levels is very important. The authors of this framework clearly declared, “We do not set out to tell
practitioners what to do, or how to do it” (Council of Europe 2001, xi). There has been an ongoing effort since
1990 to align CEFR specifications with Cambridge ESOL tests in an attempt to gain a better understanding of test
takers’ band scores (Taylor, 2004). Khalifa and Ffrench (2009) declared that even language testers believe it is
important to align the tests to the CEFR. On the other hand, test takers often question the link between their scores
and the CEFR specifications (Taylor, 2004).
Recommendations
1. learners who aim to purse an academic study, reach their CEFR levels and have good language test
results should be guided these measurements are not indicators of readiness for academic study and
success.
2. Institutions and practitioners should make it clear to the learners that the CEFR specifications and
test specifications are only guides.
The present study aimed to examine the relationship between
students’ types of English, the levels achieved according to
CEFR, their IELTS scores, and their satisfaction with their
academic performance.
Findings
Methods
Umm Alqura University
symossa@uqu.edu.sa
Saudi Arabia
English Classes
CEFR Levels
Language Tests
Academic study
“It was about gaining the required scores to
be able to study in the university. It was not
about being prepared for the university
demands. I did not try to familiarize myself
with the university atmosphere. I should
have put much effort on the academic skills
required in the university.”
“I am a victim of the IELTS, because I am
suffering now in my MA studies. I
suffered from the lack of good command of
the English language, because
I focused on getting the IELTS scores and
preparation for the test, not for the
university academic studies.”
“I think what is similar to university
demand is the pre-sessional courses, which
give students the chance to write in similar
topics to their university field of study and
also the chance to be corrected, but not in
the university, where I had no chance. I
think it is very useful, and if I attended that
course, I would have done better in the
university.”
“I regret that I travelled back for a vacation
when I got 7 band score in the
IELTS. I thought that is all and I am ready,
but when I began my study in the
university, it was not. I needed the pre-
sessional course.”
http://blog.shakespeare-school.ro/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/7_122_new_1.jpg
Satisfaction in
Academic Study
IELTS PreparationSubject of
Study
IELTS Scores
Not satisfiedAttended an IELTS preparation course
(three months)
TESOL7 band score
(two attempts)
(S1)
SatisfiedAttended IELTS preparation classes
(Six months)
Chemistry7 band score (two
attempts)
(S2)
SatisfiedSelf-preparation + private tutor (one
month)
Nutrition
Health
6 band score
(one attempt)
(S3)
Not satisfiedAttended IELTS preparation classes +
self-preparation
Journalism6.5 band score
(seven attempts)
(S4)
Academic Skills
Academic Reading
Academic Writing
Courses
English for Academic
Purposes
English for Specific Purpose
Pre-sessional Course
Study Skills
Reading in the main
discipline
Technical Vocabulary
Students who recalled their preparation experience after attending a UK university indicated that they
would change many things if they were in the same situation again. Some of the participants
emphasized not only the need for a specialist course, but a course that is oriented to the technical
vocabulary of their field of study. English for a specific purpose and English for academic purposes
are two courses reported by the participants as a must; they indicated that their experience in the
university would have been better if they had taken courses according to their fields of study. Some
of the students contended that band scores of 6.5 or 7 do not ensure a satisfactory experience in the
university. The study suggests that individual learners should be guided toward their individual needs
not to be trained, exclusively, on how to take a test, but to learn how to improve their language ability
in general. English language institutions should respond to these needs beyond raising students’
IELTS scores to develop their language skills.