ESOL

LanguageCert International ESOL C1 Expert

Home Certifications English LanguageCert International ESOL LanguageCert International ESOL C1 Expert
LanguageCert International ESOL C1 Expert
LanguageCert International ESOL C1 Expert is our qualification for proficient users, capable of dealing with a wide range of complex tasks in English, aligned with the 'effective operational proficiency' level of the CEFR.

LanguageCert International ESOL C1 exams assess all four language skills of candidates for flexible and efficient communication in social, academic of professional environments in English speaking countries. LanguageCert International ESOL C1 exams is the first milestone towards reaching the C2 Mastery level.

 

What you will achieve

You can understand demanding texts and recognise implicit meaning, use language fluently and spontaneously, engage in discussion making clear and effective contributions, produce well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects and communicate ideas effectively.

Now you have developed the necessary skills to make the most of studying, working and living in English-speaking countries. With the acquired level of English knowledge you can understand a wide range of longer and more demanding texts or conversations, express ideas without too much searching effectively use the language for social, academic or professional situations and create well-structured and detailed texts on complex topics.

Also, it proves you have the language skills that most employers are seeking for high calibre English-equipped employees. LanguageCert International ESOL C1 opens doors to international travel, work and study and is the first milestone towards reaching the C2 Mastery level.

 

There are two exams for this level:

  • Written Exam (Listening, Reading, Writing) 
  • Spoken Exam (Speaking)

Key features

CEFR i

C1

PASS MARKS

50%

2 SEPARATE QUALIFICATIONS

Written Exam
(Listening, Reading, Writing)

Spoken Exam
(Speaking)

EXAM FORMAT

Written Exam
Online or Paper Based or Computer based

Spoken Exam
Online or Face to Face

LanguageCert is an Ofqual-recognised Awarding Organisation

VIEW OUR RECOGNITION

Useful information

EXAMS

Exam Duration

PAPER BASED 3 hours & 10 minutes
Listening 30 minutes
Reading & Writing 2 hours & 40 minutes uninterrupted
COMPUTER BASED 3 hours & 10 minutes
Listening 30 minutes
Reading & Writing 2 hours & 40 minutes uninterrupted
ONLINE 3 hours & 10 minutes
Listening 30 minutes
Reading & Writing 2 hours & 40 minutes uninterrupted

Listening

Answer Type

Task

Part 1

6 questions

One three-option multiple choice for each conversation to choose the appropriate completion or continuation of the conversation

Listen twice to six unfinished conversations between two speakers. Idiomatic expressions, colloquialisms, register shifts and use of stress and intonation to indicate attitude included

Part 2

6 questions

Two three-option multiple choice questions for each of the three conversations

Listen twice to three conversations each with two speakers to identify: topic, purpose, context, speakers, gist, relationship between speakers, roles, functions, attitudes, feeling and opinions

Part 3

7 questions

A message pad with a heading and seven prompts and space to write the correct information for each prompt. Answers are one to five

words

Listen twice to a lecture, radio broadcast, narrative, presentation, etc to identify specific information. Listening text contains dense, factual information

Part 4

7 questions

Seven three-option multiple choice questions

Listen twice to a discussion to identify gist, examples, fact, opinion, contrast, purpose, key ideas, attitude, cause and effect
 Total: 26 questions

 

Reading

Answer Type

Task

Part 1

5 questions

Five sentences to identify true and false statements about the text

One text including idiomatic language, narrative or academic ideas, arguments and opinions

Part 2

6 questions

Choice of eight sentences to choose from to complete the six gaps, two of them being distractors

One text with six sentences removed, eg topic sentence, summarising sentence, developing idea, emphasising a point, opinion, contrast, sequence, forward and back reference, transition to new idea

Part 3

7 questions

Seven questions to indicate which text provides the answer to each question

Four texts, eg email, article, advert, brochure, etc with a linked theme, but with a different purpose

Part 4

8 questions

Eight open-ended ‘wh-‘ questions requiring short answers of up to five words

A continuous text: narrative, descriptive, explanatory, expository, biographical, instructive

Total: 26 questions

 

Writing

Answer Type

Task

Part 1

150 - 200 words

Respond appropriately to a given input to produce a formal response for an intended public audience

Instruction to write a letter, report, argument or article using a written, graphic or visual input and the intended reader specified expressing stance, opinion, justification, argumentation

Part 2

250-300 words

Produce a personal letter, a narrative composition/ story or a descriptive composition

Instruction to write an informal piece of writing for a specified reader. Instructions elicit functions: persuasion, argument, hypothesis; expressing mood, opinion, justifying, evaluating etc.
 

Fast results and certificates:

  • Statement of Result (SoR) & e-certificate in 10 business days (PB exams) and 5 business days (CB exams), by email to you or through your Test Centre
  • Digital Badge in 10 business days, by email to you
  • Hard-copy certificates shortly after results release, sent to you or your Test Centre

What are the assessment rules of the Written Exam? 

The LanguageCert International ESOL suite of examinations is directly aligned to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) produced by the Council of Europe. The Written Exam is rigorously assessed against CEFR specified criteria. The grades awarded will be either High Pass, Pass or Fail. 

 

Parts

Maximum Score

Total Maximum Score

Listening

50

150

Reading

50

Writing

50

 

Grades

High Pass

101-150 out of 150

Pass

75-100 out of 150

Fail

0-74 out of 150

 

For more detailed information on the marking scheme of the Written Exam, as well as on the assessment marks for each task type at a particular level, please download the LanguageCert Qualification Handbook for International ESOL (Listening, Reading, Writing).

Download Official Material 

Preparation Books 

We work with the most prominent publishing houses to ensure that our partners and candidates have access to top quality learning materials for LanguageCert International ESOL exams. You can find below a list of available books with their titles and links to the publishers’ websites.    

Exam Duration

FACE TO FACE 15 minutes
Speaking 15 minutes
ONLINE 15 minutes
Speaking 15 minutes

 

Speaking

Task

Part 1
  • Give and spell name
  • Give country of origin
  • Answer five questions

Part 2
  • Two or three situations are presented by the interlocutor and candidates respond to and initiate interactions

Part 3
  • Hold a short discussion to make a plan, arrange or decide something using written text as the prompt 

Part 4
  • 30 seconds of preparation time 
  • Talk about a topic provided by the interlocutor for 2 minutes
  • Answer follow-up questions
 

 

Fast results and certificates:

  • Statement of Result (SoR) & e-certificate in 10 business days, by email to you or through your Test Centre
  • Digital Badge in 10 business days, by email to you
  • Hard-copy certificates shortly after results release, sent to you or your Test Centre

What are the assessment rules of the Spoken Exam?

The LanguageCert International ESOL suite of examinations is directly aligned to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) produced by the Council of Europe. The Spoken Exam is rigorously assessed against CEFR specified criteria. The grades awarded will be either High Pass, Pass or Fail.

 

Maximum Score 

50

 

Grades

High Pass

35-50 out of 50

Pass

25-34 out of 50

Fail

0-24 out of 50

 

For more detailed information on the marking scheme of the Spoken Exam, as well as on the assessment marks for each task type at a particular level, please download the LanguageCert Qualification Handbook for International ESOL (Speaking).

Download Official Material 

Preparation Books 

We work with the most prominent publishing houses to ensure that our partners and candidates have access to top quality learning materials for LanguageCert International ESOL exams. You can find below a list of available books with their titles and links to the publishers’ websites.    

PUT YOUR ENGLISH TO THE TEST

Ready to flex your English language muscle? Our Academic team has prepared an English language quiz that will help give you a better idea of where you stand against the CEFR levels.
TAKE THE IESOL QUIZ