The ECPE Test
The ECPE, or Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English has been around since the early 50s. It tests all four language skills, namely WRITING, LISTENING, READING and SPEAKING and is aimed at the level of C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, also known as CEFR.
The test lasts approximately 3 hours and is divided into 4 sections. There are two exam periods, one in December and one in May and the test, in its current form is paper based.
Writing: The test takers are given a choice between either an article or proposal or an essay. In order to complete the task, the test takers need to use at least one out of three sources in the form of charts quotations or figures and present multiple points of view in a well structured essay.
Listening: The listening section has three parts. The first part has short conversations and 20 questions. The second part consists of short talks by a single speaker and has 18 questions in 3 sets. The test taker hears this part only once. In the third part which can be heard two times, and there are 12 questions divided into two parts where the test taker hears discussions with multiple speakers.
Reading: The reading has four sections: grammar, cloze, vocabulary and reading. All parts are multiple choice questions.
- In the grammar there are 16 questions and each one is an incomplete sentence followed by a choice of four words or phrases that the test taker must choose in order to complete the sentence.
- The cloze section has 20 questions. It contains two passages with 10 words or phrases missing from each. The test taker is examined in grammar and meaning by selecting the correct answer from an option of four.
- In the vocabulary section there are 16 questions similar to the grammar format where the test taker must choose from a choice of four words which can complete a sentence.
- The reading section consists of three passages followed by six comprehension questions for a total of 18 questions
Speaking: There are two or three test takers who participate in a multi stage scenario with two examiners. During the speaking they must explain and paraphrase descriptions of either people places or things, negotiate in order to reach a conclusion and then present and defend their mutual decision. The speaking lasts 30 minutes approximately.
| SECTION | NUMBER of QUESTIONS | DESCRIPTION of TASK | TIME to COMPLETE |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Writing |
1 writing task |
Selection between article/proposal or essay |
45 min |
|
Listening |
50 questions |
Multiple choice questions involving conversations or talks |
50 min |
|
Reading |
70 questions |
4 sections Grammar, Cloze, Vocabulary, Reading |
55 min |
|
Speaking |
1 task / 5 stages |
Candidates present positions in a debate-guided scenario to reach a conclusion and justify it. |
30 min |
Our ECPE Course
We begin by offering the student a diagnostic test which allows us to assess the student’s level. Most of our students complete the ECPE course in one year. As we have extensive experience teaching proficiency level English, we have meticulously created material, selected some of the best books on the market and representative tests to bring you a comprehensive preparation for the C2 Michigan Proficiency test.
Apart from presenting every aspect of grammar through practical examples that will allow you to use the grammar in your every day speech, we pride ourselves on being ‘salesmen of words‘. That means that in order for an adult to learn a word or a phrase, not only to passively understand it but also actively use it, we have to ‘sell’ the word to you. That his why through our lessons, we bring tough words to the surface either via games or movie references because repetition is key for you to remember them. We live in the 21st century and apart from books, we have media, websites, e-books and streaming services at our disposal and we love to use them all in our proficiency classes.
And if you are afraid of writing that essay about how the environment is facing problems in the 21st century, don’t be. We will talk about it, watch a TED talk, view part of a Netflix documentary and even listen to a quick podcast. After that we will discuss sentence structures, how to organise your paragraphs and which vocabulary to revise before starting to compose the piece of writing you will feel proud of handing in. These are all elements of our lessons. Besides, our mantra is that “we try to be the teachers we would like to have“.
The instructors are native English teachers who have been preparing students for the ECPE for over 2 decades. Lessons are offered online or classroom.
ECPE
PRIVATE LESSON-
Flexible Schedule
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Personalised Tutoring
ECPE
TWO-STUDENT PRIVATE GROUP-
Flexible Schedule
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Ideal for Speaking Part
ECPE
CLASS (3-5 STUDENTS)-
Best Value
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Small Groups