"Let me speak to them. I’ll find out how well they know English.”
That’s an all too common approach to measuring someone’s English.
The problem is that It often tests only two language skills. And how do you know if the person who’s done the interview has the same benchmark standards as you?
There are four language skills — listening, reading, writing and speaking — that we need for complete communication. And though they’re related, each skill is distinct and each uniquely contributes to a person’s overall communicative ability.
It’s this broader trait of communicative competence that is critical in the workplace and it’s specific to a particular job.
So how can we measure someone’s English?
The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is a simple six-stage system to measure anyone’s language proficiency.
And it can do so for each individual English skill.
You may not have heard of the CEFR, but it’s already become the industrial standard and today it plays a central role in determining language training worldwide.
Want to learn more? Just watch the short video, Understanding the CEFR, below:
About the Author
I’m the Managing Director at Vantage Siam, an authorized Cambridge English Exam Centre and management training firm.
We offer English language training via blended learning to both students and professionals in Thalind and also to remote learners throughout China.
