L'AVELLÀ & LA VALL D'UIXÓ, ENJOY VALENCIAN COUNTRY

Today, The Grandma has received wonderful news from Mayte, her closer friend who is visiting some beautiful Valencian towns and places. Today, she has visited la Vall d'Uixó in Castelló.

La Vall d'Uixó, also known as Vall-llarga, Vall del Duc or simply as La Vall is a town situated in Castelló.

The current territory of La Vall d'Uixó has been occupied since prehistoric times by different human groups. 

La cova de Sant Josep and other caves in the surrounding area represent the most ancient vestiges in La Vall, from the chronological point of view. The archaeological works in these caves have revealed that they were occupied by hunters of the Upper Paleolithic period, according to a chronology of the C-14, approximately 16,000 years BC. There, two rocky panels were found with representations of cave paintings, giving an idea of the importance of place.

People continued living in the Valley during the Neolithic and Bronze Age. During the Bronze Age grew villages located high in the mountains, well fortified with walls and watchtowers. Its strategic location allowed them to control a vast territory and step into the Serra d'Espadà. The Iberian era was supposed a considerable expansion of the population, as evidenced by the remains of the Iberian city of La Punta d’Orleyl and Poblat Sant Josep.

La Punta d’Orleyl occupies a large area and has four successive lines of walls and towers. Stresses its acropolis, where the remains were located on at least two large public buildings built with huge stones squared. The Poblat de Sant Josep, located at the top of the hill of the same name, represents a good example of the ancient urbanism. It is small but has a wall, two towers, streets and houses of the Iberian and Roman eras. Their time of glory was during the Iberian stages. Years ago, they were occupied during the 4th century AD, and in the end of the Roman Empire.

During Roman times, the population evolved towards agricultural sector. A few years ago was located the remains of a necropolis of burial, which was dated between the 6th and 7th centuries and attached to the Visigothic period. In total we found the remains of 66 individuals with their funerary offerings.

The Arab conquest and the establishment of these populations did not change too much the kind of life. Throughout this long period has been able to document the existence of a dozen villages that are located on both sides of the Belcaire river. These are Alcúdia, Zeneja, Benigafull, Benizahat, Zeneta and Benigasló.Each was independent and had its own industrial area, as well as its necropolis.

The political and legal organization of La Vall was under the chairmanship of Castell d'Uixó. In 1250, la Vall received La Carta Pobla. Since that moment, la Vall become an important city inside the Kingdom of Valencia. This situation did not lead too significant changes, because the Muslim community of La Vall also maintained the structure of society.

La Vall d'Uixó underwent profound changes during this time. Since the expulsion of the Moors in 1609, theoretically, all citizens in la Vall d’Uixó should be replaced by Christians, but it was not entirely so. The Moors retained their houses and continued working the land and carrying out its industrial activities, but under Christian control.

During the 18th century, the population of La Vall increased significantly. The six villages joined each other and they created El poble de Dalt and El poble de Baix. From the 19th century (1860), both little towns formed a central square where the City Hall is located at the present. Throughout the 20th century was the second major economic and demographic expansion.

La Vall attended to a high immigration because of the heavy industrialization of the ancient craft of footwear, lasting in time until the beginning of the 90s. Since then, and after a period of economic crisis due to the closure of this company, la Vall changed its socio-economic structure, which is centred now on the city commerce.

More information: Coves de Sant Josep

Man is a creature who walks in two worlds
and traces upon the walls of his cave
the wonders and the nightmare experiences
of his spiritual pilgrimage.

Morris West

EMILÍANA TORRINI, ICELANDIC MUSIC FROM KÓPAVOGUR

Today, The Grandma has listened to some music. She has chosen Emilíana Torrini, the Icelandic singer with Neapolitan roots, who was born on a day like today in 1977.

Emilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir (born 16 May 1977) is an Icelandic singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2009 single Jungle Drum, her 1999 album Love in the Time of Science, and her performance of Gollum's Song for the 2002 film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Emilíana was born in Iceland, where she grew up in Kópavogur. Her father, Salvatore Torrini, is Italian (from Naples), while her mother, Anna Stella Snorradóttir, is Icelandic.

Because of name regulations in Iceland at the time, her father had to change his name to Davíð Eiríksson, which also meant that Emilíana Torrini had to use the surname after her father in the traditional way: Emilíana Davíðsdóttir. A few years later, the name regulations were changed, and she was again allowed to use her original surname.

At the age of seven, she joined a choir as a soprano, until she went to opera school at the age of 15. After being discovered singing in a restaurant in Iceland by Derek Birkett, the owner of One Little Indian Records, Emilíana was asked to visit London to record a song. She decided to stay in London.

Emilíana has been a member of Icelandic artist group GusGus, and contributed vocals to several songs on their debut Polydistortion (1997), most notably Why. She co-wrote Kylie Minogue's Slow and Someday from her Body Language album in 2003. She also produced Slow along with Dan Carey; the two were nominated for a Best Dance Recording Grammy Award in 2005 for their work on the track. Prior to these, Emilíana contributed vocals to songs on Thievery Corporation's 2002 album The Richest Man in Babylon and was credited with composing the songs Resolution, Until The Morning, and Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes from that album. Also in 2002, she sang vocals on Paul Oakenfold's song Hold Your Hand taken from his Bunkka album.

Her version of Jefferson Airplane's 1967 song White Rabbit was used in multiple action and fight scenes in the action film Sucker Punch directed by Zack Snyder.

On 3 June 2013, she revealed to fans that she would release her new album on 9 September 2013 in the UK. The album was released in Ireland, Iceland, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland on 6 September 2013. The new LP is titled Tookah. Emilíana played a number of music festivals in the lead up to the album's release in Russia and Budapest.

On 29 July 2013, Emilíana revealed the radio edition of a new track Speed of Dark. Three additional tracks were also revealed allowing fans to stream, including Autumn Sun, Animal Games, and Tookah.

Emilíana was featured on Kid Koala's 2017 album Music to Draw To: Satellite, where she sang on seven tracks.

More information: Emilíana Torrini

I think when I write for other people

it’s much more playful.

Emilíana Torrini

BENASSAL, MAYTE VISITS THE VALENCIAN COUNTRY

Today, The Grandma has received wonderful news from Mayte, her closer friend who is visiting some beautiful Valencian towns and places. Today, she has visited Benassal in Castelló.

Benassal is a small village offering plenty to do and explore. This is a destination where you can dedicate time to your wellbeing, do some excellent walking and treat yourself to some delicious traditional dishes that are slowly cooked using local products.

Benassal is best known for its water. Having been in contact with the earth for centuries, its therapeutic properties have drawn visitors seeking to benefit from its healing powers to the village for years. But beyond hydrotherapy, Benassal and its surroundings have no shortage of things to see and do.

The village's origins date to the 13th century. Over the years, the locals have taken care to protect their architectural and cultural heritage and safeguard local traditions -both popular and religious- that make for a vibrant events calendar. The best place to start your exploration of Benassal is the historic centre. Take a stroll around the streets and visit sights such as the communal oven (dating to Medieval times), Torre del Bulc, the wash house, the remains of the defence wall and towers.

The next place on your to-visit list is Edifici de la Mola which currently houses Museu Arqueològic de l'Alt Maestrat (the archaeological museum) and Fundació Carles Salvador. The museum displays remains that date back all the way to prehistoric times, giving you a glimpse at what life used to be like in and around Benassal. L'església de l'Assumpció is also worth stopping to take a look at. It has a beautiful Baroque façade and a large collection of gold objects.

And then there are the hiking routes. Wherever you step foot in Benassal, you will be immersed in history. You could walk from Benassal to Culla through Canto, an old school that was built to represent the ideals of liberty and culture. Another option is to visit Rivet de Benassal, a micro reserve located close to woodland inhabited by oak and kermes oak trees. A third choice is to walk to Castell de Corbó, a watchtower affording spectacular views. Legend has it that treasure is buried here.

Not far away from here is Font d'en Segures, the source of the town's famous waters. Here you can pour yourself a bottle of the mineral water and take great photos of the unique building housing the spring.

Benassal is also a land of festivals. Festividad de Sant Cristòfol is a religious pilgrimage that starts before Whitsun Monday. During the festivities, les primes, traditional decorated cakes, are shared among everyone present.

And that's not all. Every year homage is paid to Sant Antoni Abat with a number of events including the blessing of the animals and traditional dances. Coquetes and rotllo are eaten and barreja is drunk. Festa de la Torxa, meanwhile, celebrates traditional ways of making a living. 

Historically, the textiles made in Benassal were taken to València to be sold. The merchants would return with torches (torxa in Catalan) that would light the streets of the village all year round.

More information: Komoot

Thousands have lived without love,

not one without water.

 

W. H. Auden

SKYLAB, THE USA FIRST SPACE STATION, IS LAUNCHED

Today, The Grandma has received the wonderful visit of Joseph de Ca'th Lon, one of her closest friends.

Joseph loves Astronomy and they have been talking about Skylab, the US first space station that was launched on a day like today in 1973.

Skylab was the United States' first space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three trios of astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4.

Operations included an orbital workshop, a solar observatory, Earth observation and hundreds of experiments. Skylab's orbit eventually decayed and it disintegrated in the atmosphere on July 11, 1979, scattering debris across the Indian Ocean and Western Australia.

As of 2024, Skylab was the only space station operated exclusively by the United States. A permanent station was planned starting in 1988, but its funding was canceled and U.S. participation shifted to the International Space Station in 1993.

Skylab had a mass of 90,610 kg with a 14,000 kg Apollo command and service module (CSM) attached and included a workshop, a solar observatory, and several hundred life science and physical science experiments. It was launched uncrewed into low Earth orbit by a Saturn V rocket modified to be similar to the Saturn INT-21, with the S-IVB third stage not available for propulsion because the orbital workshop was built out of it. This was the final flight for the rocket more commonly known for carrying the crewed Apollo Moon landing missions. Three subsequent missions delivered three-astronaut crews in the Apollo CSM launched by the smaller Saturn IB rocket.

More information: NASA

Skylab included the Apollo Telescope Mount (a multi-spectral solar observatory), a multiple docking adapter with two docking ports, an airlock module with extravehicular activity (EVA) hatches, and the orbital workshop, the main habitable space inside Skylab. Electrical power came from solar arrays and fuel cells in the docked Apollo CSM. The rear of the station included a large waste tank, propellant tanks for maneuvering jets, and a heat radiator. Astronauts conducted numerous experiments aboard Skylab during its operational life.

Prior to departure about 80 experiments were named, although they are also described as almost 300 separate investigations.

Experiments were divided into six broad categories:

-Life science -human physiology, biomedical research; circadian rhythms (mice, gnats)

-Solar physics and astronomy -sun observations (eight telescopes and separate instrumentation); Comet Kohoutek (Skylab 4); stellar observations; space physics

-Earth resources -mineral resources; geology; hurricanes; land and vegetation patterns

-Material science -welding, brazing, metal melting; crystal growth; water / fluid dynamics

-Student research -19 different student proposals. Several experiments were commended by the crew, including a dexterity experiment and a test of web-spinning by spiders in low gravity.

-Other -human adaptability, ability to work, dexterity; habitat design/operations.

Because the solar scientific airlock -one of two research airlocks- was unexpectedly occupied by the "parasol" that replaced the missing meteorite shield, a few experiments were instead installed outside with the telescopes during spacewalks or shifted to the Earth-facing scientific airlock.

More information: NASA

The space station is the most unique laboratory
we've ever built.
The reason we have it is to do research
on materials, people, medical matters,
pharmaceuticals - the possibilities are nearly endless.

John Glenn

MAYTE VISITS THE DALÍ THEATRE & MUSEUM IN FIGUERES

Today, The Grandma has received wonderful news from Mayte, her closer friend who has spent some days in Figueres and has visited the Dalí Theatre and Museum.

The Dalí Theatre and Museum, in Catalan Teatre-Museu Dalí, is a museum dedicated to the artist Salvador Dalí in his home town of Figueres, in Catalonia. 

Salvador Dalí lived there from 1984 to 1989, and is buried in a crypt below the stage.

The heart of the museum is the town's theatre that Dalí knew as a child. It was where one of the first public exhibitions of young Dalí's art was shown. The old theatre was burned during the Spanish Civil War and remained in a state of ruin.

In 1960, Dalí and the mayor of Figueres decided to rebuild it as a museum dedicated to the town's most famous son.

In 1968, the city council approved the plan, and construction began the following year.  The architects were Joaquim de Ros i Ramis and Alexandre Bonaterra. The museum opened on September 28, 1974, and it expanded through the mid-1980s. The museum now includes buildings and courtyards adjacent to the old theatre.

The museum displays the single largest and most diverse collection of works by Salvador Dalí, the core of which was from the artist's personal collection. In addition to Dalí paintings from all decades of his career, there are Dalí sculptures, three-dimensional collages, mechanical devices, and other curiosities from Dalí's imagination. A highlight is a three-dimensional anamorphic living-room installation with a Mae West Lips Sofa, a custom sofa that looks like the face of Mae West when viewed from a certain spot.

The museum also houses a small selection of works by other artists collected by Dalí, ranging from El Greco and Bougereau to Marcel Duchamp and John de Andrea,  In accordance with Dalí's specific request, a second-floor gallery is devoted to the work of his friend and fellow Catalan artist Antoni Pitxot, who also became director of the museum after Dalí's death.

A glass geodesic dome cupola crowns the stage of the old theatre, and Dalí is buried in a crypt below the stage floor.  The space formerly occupied by the audience has been transformed into a courtyard open to the sky, with Dionysian nude figurines standing in the old balcony windows.  A Dalí installation inside a full-sized car, inspired by Rainy Taxi (1938), is parked near the centre of the space.

The Dalí Theatre and Museum holds the largest collection of major works by Dalí in a single location. Some of the most important exhibited works are Port Alguer (1924), The Spectre of Sex-appeal (1932), Soft self-portrait with grilled bacon (1941), Poetry of America -the Cosmic Athletes (1943), Galarina (1944–45), Basket of Bread (1945), Leda Atomica (1949), Galatea of the Spheres (1952), Crist de la Tramuntana (1968), and Dalí Seen from the Back Painting Gala from the Back Eternalised by Six Virtual Corneas Provisionally Reflected by Six Real Mirrors (1972-73).

There is also a set of works created by the artist expressly for the Museum, including the Mae West room, the Palace of the Wind room, the Monument to Francesc Pujols, and the Cadillac plujós.

A collection of holographic art by Dalí, and a collection of jewellery he designed are on display. Another room contains a bathtub and a side table with an open drawer and a lamp, all of which Dalí had installed upside-down on the ceiling.

An extension to the museum building contains a room dedicated to optical illusions, stereographs, and anamorphic art created by Dalí. The artist's final works, including his last oil painting, The Swallow's Tail (1983), are on display here.

More information: Museu Teatre Dalí 

I want my museum to be a single block,
a labyrinth, a great surrealist object.
It will be totally theatrical museum.
The people who come to see it will leave
with the sensation of having had a theatrical dream.

Salvador Dalí

NORGE THE FIRST VESSEL TO FLY OVER THE NORTH POLE

Today, The Grandma has read about the Norge, the Italian-built airship which becomes the first vessel to fly over the North Pole, on a day like today in 1926.

The Norge was a semi-rigid Italian-built airship that carried out the first verified trip of any kind to the North Pole, an overflight on 12 May 1926.

It was also the first aircraft to fly over the polar ice cap between Europe and America. The expedition was the brainchild of polar explorer and expedition leader Roald Amundsen, the airship's designer and pilot Umberto Nobile and the wealthy American adventurer and explorer Lincoln Ellsworth who, along with the Aero Club of Norway, financed the trip, which was known as the Amundsen-Ellsworth 1926 Transpolar Flight.

Norge was the first N-class semi-rigid airship designed by Italian aeronautical engineer Umberto Nobile and its construction began in 1923. 

As part of the sales contract to the Aero Club, the airship was refitted for Arctic conditions. The pressurised envelope was reinforced with metal frames at the nose and tail, with a flexible tubular metal keel connecting the two. This was covered with fabric and used as storage and crew space. Three engine gondolas and the separate control cabin were attached to the bottom of the keel. Norge was the first Italian semi-rigid to be fitted with the cruciform tail fins first developed by the Schütte-Lanz company.

On 15 April 1924, the N-1 was carried away from its base at Ciampino aerodrome by a violent wind gust. Two soldiers and a mechanic, who were unable to let go from the mooring lines, were carried 300 feet and dashed to death.

In 1925, Amundsen telegraphed Nobile asking to meet him at Oslo, where he proposed an airship trip across the Arctic. With a contract in place, Nobile modified the already completed N-1 for flight in arctic weather. As the expedition was being financed by the Aero Club of Norway, the refitted N-1 was christened the Norge, in English, Norway.

On 29 March 1926 at a ceremony at Ciampino aerodrome the Norge was handed over to the Aero Club of Norway. The flight north was due to leave Rome on 6 April but was delayed due to strong winds and departed at 09:25 on 10 April. The ship arrived at RNAS Pulham Airship Station in England at 15:20; because of the bad weather was not moored in the hangar until 18:30. Delayed again by weather, the Norge left Pulham for Oslo at 11:45 on 12 April.

At 01:00 on 15 April 1926, the Norge left Ekeberg in Oslo for Gatchina near Leningrad; after a 17-hour flight, the airship arrived at 19:30, delayed by dense fog along the way. Following the arrival at Gatchina, Nobile announced that the Norge would remain in the airship shed for a week for engine overhaul and maintenance; this included the addition of collapsible rubber boats for emergency use. Although scheduled to leave Gatchina as soon as the weather allowed after 24 April, the departure was delayed another week as the mooring mast at King's Bay, Spitsbergen had not yet been completed due to adverse weather.

The Norge finally left Gatchina at 09:40 on 5 May to proceed to Vadsø in northern Norway, where the airship mast is still standing today. The expedition then crossed the Barents Sea to reach King's Bay at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. There Nobile met Richard Evelyn Byrd preparing his Fokker Trimotor for his North Pole attempt.

Nobile explained the Norge trip was to observe the uncharted sea between the Pole and Alaska where some believed land was; at the time he thought Robert Edwin Peary had already reached the pole. This would be the last stop before crossing the pole. The dirigible left Ny-Ålesund for the final stretch across the polar ice on 11 May at 9:55.

The 16-man expedition included Amundsen, the expedition leader and navigator; Nobile, the dirigible's designer and pilot; Lincoln Ellsworth, American outdoorsman and expedition sponsor, and polar explorer Oscar Wisting who served as helmsman. Other crew members were 1st Lt. Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen, navigator; 1st Lt. Emil Horgen, elevatorman; Capt. Birger Gottwaldt, radio expert, Dr Finn Malmgren of Uppsala University, meteorologist; Fredrik Ramm, journalist; Frithjof Storm-Johnsen, radioman; Flying Lt. Oscar Omdal, flight engineer; Natale Cecioni, chief mechanic; Renato Alessandrini, rigger; Ettore Arduino, Attilio Caratti and Vincenzo Pomella, mechanics. Nobile's little dog, Titina, also came aboard as mascot.

On 12 May at 01:25 (GMT) the Norge reached the North Pole, at which point the Norwegian, American and Italian flags were dropped from the airship onto the ice.

On 14 May, the Norge reached the Inupiat village of Teller, Alaska, where in view of worsening weather, the decision was made to land there rather than continue on to Nome, approximately 70 miles away. The airship was reportedly damaged somehow during the landing and was dismantled and shipped back to Italy.

The three previous claims to have arrived at the North Pole -by Frederick Cook in 1908, Robert Peary in 1909, and Richard E. Byrd in 1926 (just a few days before the Norge)- are all disputed as being either of dubious accuracy or outright fraud. Some of those disputing these earlier claims therefore consider the crew of the Norge to be the first verified explorers to have reached the North Pole.

More information: Ocean Sky Journal

We must always remember
with gratitude and admiration
 the first sailors who steered their vessels
through storms and mists,
and increased our knowledge
of the lands of ice in the South.

Roald Amundsen

D-DAY, THE FOSTERS & A2 CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH EXAM

Today, The Fosters & The Grandma are in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. After some days enjoying Malta, the D-Day has arrived and The Fosters have an interesting adventure to live: an A2 Cambridge English Exam.

 

Good luck family! You are the best!

 

You have already won this game.

 

Fosters forever!

 

Cambridge Assessment English or Cambridge English develops and produces Cambridge English Qualifications and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

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, and its qualifications and tests are aligned with CEFR levels.

Cambridge Assessment English is part of Cambridge Assessment, a non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge which merged with Cambridge University Press to form Cambridge University Press & Assessment in August 2021.

Each Cambridge English Qualifications focuses on a level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

English qualifications designed for adult learners. A2 Key, B1 Preliminary and B2 First have the same exam format as the schools versions of these qualifications, but use different topics and content suited to adult learners.

In the 1980s Cambridge Assessment English, the British Council and IDP Education formed the international IELTS partnership which delivers the IELTS tests.

More information: Cambridge English

In 2010 Cambridge Assessment English and the English Language Institute Testing and Certificate Division of the University of Michigan agreed to form a not-for-profit collaboration known as CaMLA (Cambridge Michigan Language Assessments). Cambridge Assessment English owns 65% of the venture.

Since 2011 Cambridge Exams Publishing, a partnership between Cambridge Assessment English and the English Language Teaching (ELT) business of Cambridge University Press, develops official Cambridge preparation materials for Cambridge English and IELTS exams.

In 2013 Cambridge Assessment English formed a joint venture with the Box Hill Institute to deliver the Occupational English Test, known as OET.

In 2019 Cambridge Assessment English acquired English Language iTutoring (ELiT), an artificial intelligence developed off technology from the University of Cambridge, to support new English language assessment products.

Cambridge Assessment English was involved in the early development of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and all Cambridge English qualifications and tests are aligned with the levels described by the CEFR.

Each Cambridge English Qualification targets specific CEFR levels but the exam also contains test material at the adjacent levels. For example B2 First is aimed at B2, but there are also test items that cover B1 and C1. This allows for inferences to be drawn about candidates’ abilities if they are a level below or above the one targeted. Candidates are encouraged to take the exam most suitable to their needs and level of ability.

More information: Cambridge English

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 main influence behind the design of the exam was the grammar-translation teaching approach, which aims to establish reading knowledge, rather than ability to communicate in the language.

In 1913, the first requirement for CPE candidates was to translate texts. Translation remained prominent in foreign language teaching up until the 1960s. It was a core part of CPE until 1975 and an optional part until 1989.

However, CPE was also influenced by Henry Sweet and his book published in 1900: A Practical Study of Languages: A Guide for Teachers and Learners, which argued that the most natural method of teaching languages was through conversation. Due to this influence, speaking was part of Cambridge English exams from the very beginning.

-1209. University of Cambridge founded.

-1534. Cambridge University Press founded.

-1858. University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) founded.

-1913. Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) introduced. Now known as C2 Proficiency.

-1939. Lower Certificate in English (LCE) introduced. Renamed First Certificate in English (FCE) in 1975 and now known as B2 First.

-1941. Joint agreement with the British Council-British Council centres established.

-1943-1947. Preliminary English Test (PET) introduced. It was reintroduced in 1980 and is now known as B1 Preliminary.

-1971. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) initiated.

-1988. The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) Examination Board becomes part of UCLES.

-1989. Specialist EFL research and evaluation unit established.

-1989. IELTS launched. A simplified and shortened version of ELTS launched in 1980.

-1990. Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) founded.

-1991. Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) introduced. Now known as C1 Advanced.

-1993. Business English Certificates (BEC) launched.

-1994. Key English Test (KET) introduced. Now known as A2 Key.

-1995. University of Oxford Delegacy of Local Examinations (UODLE) becomes part of UCLES

-1997. Young Learner English Tests (YLE) introduced. Now known as Pre-A1 Starter, A1 Movers, and A2 Flyers.

-1997. BULATS launched.

-2001. CEFR published.

-2002. UCLES EFL renamed University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL).

-2002. One million Cambridge ESOL exam candidates.

-2010. CaMLA established (Cambridge Michigan Language Assessments).

-2011. Cambridge Exams Publishing joint venture with Cambridge University Press established.

-2013. Cambridge ESOL renamed Cambridge English Language Assessment.

-2015. Cambridge English Scale introduced.

-2016. Linguaskill reading and listening introduced.

-2016. Linguaskill writing introduced.

-2017. Cambridge English Language Assessment renamed Cambridge Assessment English.

-2020. The University of Cambridge announces it plans to merge two of its non-teaching departments, Cambridge Assessment and Cambridge University Press.

-2021. Cambridge Assessment and Cambridge University Press merge to become Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

More information: Cambridge English

Cambridge is heaven, I am convinced
it is the nicest place in the world to live.
As you walk round, most people look incredibly bright,
as if they are probably off to win a Nobel prize.

Sophie Hannah