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The Cambridge University ESOL examinations have always been widely recognised by governments, official bodies and major corporations around the world, and this is increasingly so in the twenty-first century. There are in excess of 20,000 Universities, companies and governments which currently recognise the Cambridge ESOL exams and use them in their human resource programmes. The list of companies recognising Cambridge exams, as run at SCEC, is a who’s who of the business world with such global leaders as UBS Bank, Coca-Cola, BMW, Unilever, Microsoft, Siemens, Volvo, etc. To find out more information, visit the Cambridge Recognition website. 

These exams are used by governments for a range of purposes, such as: immigration mechanisms, the recruitment and training of public servants, and the training of staff at many tiers of government. They are also used by tertiary education to assess students’ English level and suitability for further study. This recognition is built both on a history of solid research and development of language assessment over decades and the fact that the Cambridge exams dovetail with the Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR), the cornerstone of global language teaching. For more information and a comparison for ALTE & CEFR please visit the Cambridge CEFR website. 

Shafston Cambridge Exam Centre (SCEC) is an authorised Centre for Cambridge ESOL in Australia. SCEC is certified to deliver the following exams in Australia:

C2 Proficiency  C1 Advanced
B1 Preliminary 
 B2 First
B1 Preliminary for Schools 
 B2 First for Schools

 EXAMINATIONS

The Cambridge ESOL tests consist of General English Exams known as the ‘Main Suite’, Exams for Schools, Professional English exams and Teaching Awards. It is the main suite exams which are the main internationally required certificates of English. 

  • CB B2 First

    The First Certificate in English is very well-received in organisations and shows that the holder of this certificate has a good grasp of English. At this level the person will be able to: “understand texts from a wide variety of sources, use English to make notes while someone is speaking in English, talk to people about a wide variety of topics and understand people talking in English on radio or television programmes”. This qualification proves you have the language skills to like and work independently in an English-speaking country or study in courses taught in English.

  • CB B1 Preliminary 

    The Preliminary English Test is the second level on the Cambridge ESOL tests, after KET. The Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) qualification shows that you have mastered the basics of English and now have practical language skills for everyday use.

  • CB C1 Advanced

    C1 Advanced accepted for student VISA applications for Australian Universities and all VISA programmes. 

    The Certificate in Advanced English is one which is most commonly in demand from employers. It is one level up from the FCE and is required for very challenging academic and professional environments. It demonstrates a clear proficiency in English. 

  • CB C2 Proficiency 

    A Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) qualification shows that you have mastered English to an exceptional level. It proves you can communicate with the fluency and sophistication of a highly competent English speaker. 

  • B1 Preliminary for Schools |  B2 First for Schools 

    B2 First for Schools and Preliminary for Schools are at the same CEFR level as B2 First and B1 Preliminary but with content more suitable for school age learners.

CERTIFICATES AND RESULTS

Results for all Cambridge courses are available online at the Cambridge Results website.
Certificates are usually posted to successful applicants within 6-8 weeks of sitting the exam.
To find out more information, visit the Cambridge Recognition website.

ENROLMENT

Most Cambridge closed courses for Cambridge exam preparation are conduct in paper-based format. To make the testing as accessible as possible to students, Shafston International College conducts the exams as paper based. Because of this, candidates must register to sit the exam no later than 6 weeks prior to the examination date. 

Candidates are asked to be aware that the tentative examination dates are number dependant. Because of this an exam may not run if there are insufficient candidates. This information will be communicated to candidates no later than 4 weeks prior to the tentative exam date. Candidates will then be enrolled in the next available fixed exam date, which will occur 4 weeks later than the tentative date. (See published examination dates below)