After travelling around the world in an unforgettable trip, The Stones have joined The Watsons and have gone together to do their A2 Cambridge Exam. It has been a wonderful experience.
The Grandma has said goodbye to another beloved family and she returns to her home hoping that she could find another one to continue travelling, learning and sharing unforgettable moments.
Thanks to The Stones and thanks to The Watsons for trusting in this project and for being part of it. Remember that you are eternal because myths and dreams never die.
More information: If I Can Dream
Cambridge Assessment English, or Cambridge English, is the biggest of three main exam boards forming Cambridge Assessment, a non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge.
The organisation contributed to the development of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the standard used around the world to benchmark language skills. Its qualifications and tests are aligned with the levels of the CEFR.
Cambridge Assessment English develops and produces Cambridge English Qualifications, courses and tests and IELTS, of which Cambridge Assessment English is an owner.
The first Cambridge English exam was produced in 1913 by UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate).
UCLES had been set up in 1858 to provide exams to students who were not members of a university.
The first UCLES examinations took place on 14 December 1858. The exams were designed to test for university selection and were taken by 370 candidates in British schools, churches and village halls. Candidates were required to satisfy the examiners in the analysis and parsing of a Shakespeare text; reading aloud; dictation; and composition on either the recently deceased Duke of Wellington; a well-known book; or a letter of application.
Female candidates were accepted by UCLES on a trial basis in 1864 and on a permanent basis from 1867. Cambridge University itself did not examine female students until 1882 and it was not until 1948 that women were allowed to graduate as full members of the university.
In the mid to late 19th century, UCLES exams were taken by candidates based overseas -in Trinidad (from 1863), South Africa (from 1869), Guyana and New Zealand (from 1874), Jamaica (from 1882) and Malaya (from 1891). Many of these candidates were children of officers of the British colonial service and exams were not yet designed for non-native speakers of English.
In 1913 UCLES created the first exam for non-native speakers of English -the Certificate of Proficiency in English. This may have been prompted by the development of English exams ‘for foreigners’ by other universities.
In 1913 the exam could be taken in Cambridge or London, for a fee of £3 (approximately £293 in 2012 prices). The exam lasted 12 hours and included:
-Translation from English into French or German: 2 hours
-Translation from French or German into English, and English Grammar: 2.5 hours
-English Essay: 2 hours
-English Literature: 3 hours
-English Phonetics: 1.5 hours
-Oral test: dictation (30 minutes); reading aloud and conversation (30 minutes)
The 1913 CPE exam was taken by just three candidates. The candidates were able to converse fluently, expressing themselves on the whole, with remarkable ease and accuracy. However, all three candidates failed the exam and none of them were awarded a CPE certificate.
From 1939 onwards, thousands of refugees from the Spanish Civil War and occupied Europe started arriving in the UK and began taking UCLES exams while stationed in the UK.
UCLES launched the Lower Certificate in English (LCE) to meet the demand for certification at a lower level than CPE. A Preliminary exam, at a lower level than LCE, was also offered from 1944 as a special test to meet the contingencies of war. These were the first steps towards developing language assessment at different levels.
UCLES tests were made available for prisoners of war in Britain and in Germany. In Britain 1,500 prisoners of war took the exams, almost 900 of them Italians. In Germany, the War Organisation of the British Red Cross and Order of St John of Jerusalem made arrangements for UCLES examinations to be offered at prisoner-of-war camps with many Indian prisoners of war, in particular, taking LCE or School Certificate exams.
Exams were also maintained clandestinely in continental European exam centres, which frequently meant unusual measures, including acts of determination and courage. However, UCLES was unable to fund and support the growing international network of English language examination centres around the world.
Meanwhile, the British Council had a brief to disseminate British culture and educational links. In March 1941 a formal Joint Agreement was signed between the two organisations to collaborate on the distribution of UCLES exams around the world. This started a long-lasting relationship, which continues to this day.
More information: Cambridge Assessment English
But in order to make dreams come into reality,
it takes an awful lot of determination,
dedication, self-discipline, and effort.
Jesse Owens
