For three days in April 2008, Cambridge ESOL hosted the third international conference of the Association of Language Testers in Europe.  A total of 570 delegates from 65 countries and representing more than 300 organisations attended the conference in the centre of Cambridge, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive events of its kind held to date.

The six plenary presentations headed a conference programme of close to 200 papers on key aspects of language assessment. A multilingual event, presenters came from nearly 50 different countries with presentations delivered in five languages.

The theme of the event –The Social and Educational Impact of Language Assessment – reflected the current public debate on language testing and its use in the contexts of migration and citizenship. The significance of the theme was underlined by the speeches of two Members of European Parliament, Richard Howitt and Hannu Takkula – the Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Culture and Education. Both underlined the importance of language learning and testing in facing the challenges of a changing Europe. The conference also included a forum on Language Testing, Migration and Social Inclusion held under the auspices of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr Terry Davis.

The European Commission’s Directorate for General Education and Culture was represented by Marguerite Kuzma who gave a keynote speech outlining plans for the implementation of the European Indicator of Languages Competences.

Although the ALTE 2008 programme was a full one, there were ample opportunities for people to make contact, network and socialise. The two formal social events in the ALTE 2008 diary, the reception in the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Conference Dinner in the historic dining hall of Kings’ College, both attracted capacity attendance.