Benchmarking and diagnostics

How Benchmarking can help you?

Cambridge can help you evaluate and measure the efficacy of your English language education system by testing the language skills of your learners, and by collecting information on the factors within and outside of your organisation that affect learner performance. The resulting data can be used to support the development of an evidence-based strategy for improving the current standard of language learning.

In school contexts, the same approach can be extended to include testing the language skills and teaching knowledge of your teachers.

Key benefits for you

As part of the University of Cambridge we provide the advantage of a reputable, objective evaluation, considering both internal and external factors that may affect performance
A research-based approach to the alignment of language competence to international standards
Established baseline that can be used to evaluate your current situation, measure progress, or assess future outcomes
Recommendations to support the development of an evidence-based strategy for future interventions to improve English language education

What we offer

We provide a modern, cost-effective and efficient online service. We offer benchmarking for various cohort sizes and age ranges (11 to adult).

The benchmarking services include the following elements:

The Benchmarking tests

Cambridge Benchmarking tests are multi-level, computer-delivered tests designed to provide benchmarking results at cohort level. The bespoke Cambridge Benchmarking testing package comprises online tests in reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills.

The reading and listening tests are adaptive and automarked. Writing is automarked using Cambridge AI and machine learning technologies. Speaking is computer-delivered and examiner-marked.

The reported results are aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and to the Cambridge English Scale (CES). For 11-13 year olds, the tests will report from Below A1 to B2 or above. From 14 years old upwards, the tests will report from Below A1 to C1 or above.

Cohort selection

In relatively small projects, all candidates within an educational system or organisation can be tested. Or, you can select a sample within your larger population. Alternatively, for larger national or regional projects, we can provide the expertise to utilise sampling approaches used in large-scale education surveys, such as PISA.

Research questions

For your Benchmarking project, we can provide you with the research questions that will help evaluate your educational system. Cambridge has a bank of research questions which can be reported on and, in consultation with you, we can tailor these questions depending on the purpose of the study.

Some typical research questions are as follows:

High level question:
What is the overall CEFR level of the cohort?
Targets and progress question:
What is the difference in the overall CEFR level between June 2020 and June 2022?
Equity and achievement gaps question:
What is the difference in the overall CEFR level between urban and rural schools?

Reporting of results

The deliverable from our Benchmarking service is a profile of language competence for your cohort according to the agreed research questions, with language proficiency mapped to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

The output can range from a simple reporting of cohort-level results to a report including recommendations on how to improve teaching and learning of English, to a full-scale educational reform package, measuring the progress of any reforms over time.

Questionnaires

Online questionnaires for learners, and teachers as appropriate, can be provided in order to collect information on the factors within and outside of the learning context that affect learner performance.

Typical process and timescales

The steps in a typical benchmarking are as follows with, for smaller projects, the end-to-end process being completed in 2-3 months.

Together, we agree the scope, research questions, responsibilities, timescales and price.
We help you test your computers and internet.
We provide you with sample test materials to familiarise learners with the test format.
You supply the names and details of all students to be tested.
We provide you with log in instructions.
Together we schedule the tests.
You administer and invigilate the tests.
We mark the tests, process the results and provide you with the report.

Case studies

Cambridge has provided Benchmarking services to customers around the world, working with schools, educational establishments, and national ministries. Details of individual case studies can be found in the document English language transformation services: Case studies.

The Cambridge Benchmarking team is also working with the OECD to supply the test design and content for the first iteration of the global PISA Foreign Language Assessment.

Cambridge Benchmarking: test details

The tests are multi-level, online tests in Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.
There are sets of tests for three candidate age ranges: 11-13, 14-17, and adult.
The Listening and Reading tests are adaptive and automarked.
Writing is automarked using Cambridge AI and machine learning technologies.
Speaking is computer-delivered and examiner-marked.
The tests can be taken in any order and breaks may be taken in between the tests.

Test length

Test	11-13 years-old	14-17 years-old	Adult
Reading	30 minutes approximately*	45 minutes approximately*	45 minutes approximately*
Listening	25 minutes approximately*	35 minutes approximately*	35 minutes approximately*
Speaking	20 minutes	20 minutes	20 minutes
Writing	40 minutes	40 minutes	40 minutes