Examination System

Setting and Trialling

1.1 Selection of materials

Item writers are commissioned to select a fixed number of texts for five areas: the four skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) and grammar and vocabulary. Materials for reading and listening components must be chosen from the following sources: general information, newspaper articles of an informative type, articles of a discursive nature and literature. They must be at an appropriate level of difficulty. Guidelines for the selection of materials are related to the following:

• skills to be assessed;

• linguistic complexity;

• subject matter;

• cultural considerations;

• item types.

Materials are later revised by a Coordinator from the University of Salamanca and submitted before the Academic Directorate of the Instituto Cervantes for approval.

1.2 Test item writing

The Cursos Internacionales department of the University of Salamanca includes among its staff a team of item writers who are experts in teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language. They produce test materials throughout the year. Refresher courses for item writers are run twice a year.

1.3 Trialling

Exam materials are trialled. This is done with the participation of language students at the University of Salamanca. The results are analysed and the accepted materials are stored in an item bank. When a new examination is constructed, items are selected for it from the item bank.

Marking

2.1 Process

Marking is co-ordinated by Instituto Cervantes. The listening, reading and grammar and vocabulary components are marked with the use of OMR technology at the University of Salamanca . The writing and oral tests are marked by trained markers. These marks are also recorded on OMR sheets. The writing components are marked at the University of Salamanca and graded according to criteria related to:

• grammar;

• vocabulary;

• structure;

• appropriacy.

The oral examination is marked by two local examiners: one acts as Interlocutor and awards a Pass or Fail grade, the other acts as assessor and awards a grade in one of six areas:

• grammatical accuracy;

• pronunciation;

• vocabulary;

• fluency;

• appropriacy;

• interactive ability.

2.2 Training

For writing components there is a training course just before the marking period to ensure that compositions are marked to a uniform standard.

There is a training programme specifically for Oral examiners. Approximately 500 Oral examiners are trained worldwide on an annual basis.

2.3 Checking

Scripts from writing components are double marked on a scale from zero to fifteen. The average mark from the two assessors is taken. If there is a difference of more than three marks the script is marked a third time.

Results

Results, in the form of grades, are sent from the University to the Instituto Cervantes for approval approximately ninety days after the test date. The Academic Directorate at the Instituto Cervantes then communicates the results to candidates through the examination centres.

Security

Once the Instituto Cervantes has approved the examinations, it remains in charge of security during the printing process and the despatch of all examination materials to the centres, where an appointed person is responsible for their safekeeping and delivery to the examination room.