Testimonials

'The rigorous redevelopment of the tests and the benchmarking against the CEFR descriptors and levels has resulted in tests offering greater reliability and validity while retaining the practicality appreciated by test takers and centres.' Susan Davies, ELT Professional

'It is clear to us that the process [of CEFR linking] has resulted in a test that is more clearly at level, is sound from an internal psychometric perspective and is more replicable and of a high quality.' Professor Barry O'Sullivan, Centre for Language Assessment Research [CLARe], Roehampton University

'Not only has the City & Guilds CEFR benchmarking project for the IESOL exams resulted in clear links between the various levels of the exams and the CEFR, it has also led to improvements in every aspect of the exams and their administration.' Diane Schmitt, Senior Lecturer, Nottingham Trent University

'City and Guilds can help learners in Turkey to offer CEFR-based tests accredited to all universities both in Turkey and in other European countries and also to offer Europass Language passport to Turkish citizens.' Prof. Dr. Özcan Demirel, Hacattepe University, Ankara, Turkey

City and Guilds examinations are practically oriented, students gain knowledge they can apply in their future job positions. Most of our applicants are university undergraduates who take City and Guilds EBC and SETB examinations to enhance their CVs and to be more competitive when looking for a job... Mgr. Hana Atcheson, ESL Lecturer, Tomas Bata University, Zlin, Czech Republic

'City&Guilds language examinations assess real, practical language ... skills relevant in most work places. They represent a useful tool for employers allowing them to assess the language proficiency of their employees and at same time offer language students reliable and validated testing... They are suited to people from all walks of life.' Andrea KRIZKOVA, ELT Consultant for English Link and Chairperson for ACERT, the Association of Language Schools in the Czech Republic

'[City & Guilds IESOL] exams make our organization unique in the region and strengthens our position in the market of language education' Ladislav Voldřich, deputy director of Regional Centre of Education and Language School Providing State Language Exams Pilsen, Czech Republic

'I have had a lot of exposure with City & Guilds in the last few years-as a teacher trainer providing methodology seminars, as a teacher preparing students to take the exams, and as a ISESOL interlocutor. Throughout this experience, I have always been struck with the positive reaction that students, candidates and teachers alike have to the City & Guilds exams. They view them as practical and relevant to their language needs, and respond well to the real-world lexis, functions and situations that translate so well translate to daily life. I must say that I can only agree.' Troy Witt, ELT teacher and CUP-teacher trainer, Canada

'[City & Guilds] IESOL has helped students at my language school to improve their career prospects.' Tadeusz Z. Wolanski, Director, SJE Universus, Gdansk, Poland

'[The]IESOL Diploma Communicator B2 level allowed me to guide tourists in a foreign language (English of course). It was required by the Authorities so that they would give me a suitable permission.' Agnieszka Dyć, owner of 'Varsavin' tourist office, Poland

'As both a TEFL Teacher and a City & Guilds interlocutor, I must say I don't know of any examination board which provides such a 'candidate friendly' oral exam. Candidates are able to express themselves in natural, practical formats and situations. No matter how nervous they are when they enter the exam room, it is very satisfying to see candidates leave with a smile on their face.' Frazer Speirs, TEFL professional and freelance proof-reader, Lingwista, Poland

City & Guilds qualifications are an excellent way of attesting a candidate's level of English in all four skills. Its structure and content help us (teachers/coordinators) bring English to a real life experience. Our students have a City & Guilds exam as part of their year school programme, and it has help them to aim for something more, has made them reach higher, and has also given them a sense of achievement in all levels. Bob Bauer, Let's Talk English School, Brazil

As an interlocutor and interlocutor trainer I appreciate how the levels are linked to the CEFR and praise the way that the oral exams give candidates the opportunity to perform to the best of their ability. Robert Hill, former university teacher, freelance ELT professional

I am a Director of Megabrand, a training and consultancy company which I co-founded, after about two decades of experience in the corporate sector, which includes senior management experience in multinationals such as Tetra Pak and Nestle. I now provide training to corporate clients and realise that many junior executives can progress much faster in their career, if they improve their English language skills. City and Guilds offers excellent courses with a good practical bias. Dharshana Senerath FCIM (UK), MBA (USJ), Megabrand Private Limited, Sri Lanka-based consultancy and corporate training company

Taking the City & Guilds examinations can be an important step in candidates' personal and professional development. Preparation for the exam offers students the opportunity to advance their current English language skills. It also proves the level required by a wide range of educational institutions for study purposes and boosts candidates' employability as a widely recognised qualification. Thus it is worth taking. Jana Jilkova Charles University, Prague and ICV Kutna Hora, Cermat, Prague

Passing City and Guilds exams helped me to reach eligibility in my profession and made sharing experience with foreign colleagues much easier. Mgr. Miroslava Vlčková, School inspector, Czech School Inspectorate, Pilsen, Czech Republic

City and Guilds qualification helped me a lot with my UK settlement visa application as it was UK Border Agency requirement. Exam questions were clear and good understandable. I'm very pleased with staff of Channel Crossings (who provides City and Guilds Exams in Prague), they were very helpful and did everything on top level service. It was a great experience and I would definitely recommend City and Guilds Exams to anyone who needs quality and speed results with language qualification. Gayvoronskaya Inna, a learner of English, Czech Republic

I think that City & Guilds is good for people who want to achieve something, for me it was good experience and now I have whole my life before me ! Thank you Martin Svoboda, student at AGYS Pardubice, Czech Republic

City and Guilds English language exams are a comprehensive set of examinations taking the candidate from basic through to advanced English in both spoken and written skills. The exam caters for all levels but has the advantage of being based on real life English that allows people to know with confidence their true ability to communicate in the English language. With the emphasis on judging what a candidate knows, rather than what they do not, it is clear that those taking the exams are able to answer papers in a less restrictive way than is normally the case. I believe that this exam encourages people to go forward with their studies with the knowledge that it is universally accepted, as well as being fun to do. Nigel Taylor, freelance English teacher, examiner, Budapest, Hungary

When Candidates sit for IESOL Levels Communicator and Expert, they are exempted from having to attend English Language classes at private universities. Silvina Requejo, Head of 37 Warren Road School of English, Argentina

This qualification is layered in six migratory steps which enables a student to fit in at the appropriate level to one self thereby reducing the time period to focus more on the knowledge gap filling which helps the student to efficiently manage the time invested. The short cycles of three to four months training which is endorsed with a certificate, enables the student to spread the leaning at their own convenience within these short cycles. Additionally the qualification is valid for a long period, and recognized by many countries and embassies, easing the life of all migrants. Sandhya Ushanthi Rajamantri, Mind Logic Institute of Professional Training Open Arch Collage, Sri Lanka

In my many years as teacher, teacher trainer and school principal, I have seen City & Guilds qualifications help learners and teachers achieve a very wide range of goals in the personal, academic and occupational domains. Vincent Smidowicz, Principal and Teacher Trainer at Academic Development, Sidmouth, United Kingdom

City & Guilds language tests are based on the communicative approach to language learning and testing. They test the English language as it is used in real life. During the test the candidate is engaged in a communicative act in contexts that allow for the creation of meaning. The tasks the candidate is called upon to perform are as representative as possible of the language and skills needed to function in the real life context. Rita Rafajlovicova, Institute of English and American Studies, Dpt. Of English Language and Literature, University of Presov