ALTE Association

ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe) is an international organisation founded in 1989. It has 33 full members representing 26 European languages, and over 100 associate members from EU and non-EU countries.  It cooperates with the Council of Europe and the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Members of ALTE are respected institutions engaged in determining national and transnational language policies in their countries, such as University of Cambridge, Goethe-Institut, Universidad de Salamanca, Instituto Cervantes, Centre international d'études pédagogiques (CIEP), University of Pécs and Uniwersytet Jagiellonski.

Exam Standardisation

Standardising an exam means ensuring fair and objective testing. Standardised examination allows all candidates to take the same test under the same (or relatively equal) conditions. The results of such examination are transparently documented and have a sufficient degree of reliability and validity. A standardised exam is prepared professionally by a team of experts, and is subject to several levels of validation.

ALTE-audited exams must meet 18 established standards that cover all phases of the language testing process, from test development through test administration and logistics, assessment, statistical analysis, and communication with exam users. The ALTE audit is time-limited and the process is repeated every five years.

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), which represents the language policy of the Council of Europe, was published in 2001 and has fundamentally changed the way we look at the needs of foreign language teaching across Europe. It has provided support for the development of teaching materials, curricula, syllabi and courses and, above all, it has defined individual levels of language proficiency, giving a start to the era of language knowledge comparison and standardisation of assessment and examination methods.

CCE Exam

The establishment of the CEFR and the European language policy were also the impulse for the creation of a new specialised department of ÚJOP UK - the Research and Testing Centre of Czech for Foreigners (VTC) in 2006. In August 2009, after three years of hard work, the newly created Czech Language Certificate Exam for Foreigners (CCE) passed the ALTE audit. The CCE exam is intended for all candidates for whom Czech is not their first language and who wish to test their level of communicative competence in Czech. It is so far the only Czech language exam for foreigners that meets all the standards of an independent international quality audit and thus stands alongside other internationally recognised language exams such as the British Cambridge English Language Assessment - FCE, CAE, the French DELF, DALF or the German exams organised by the Goethe Institute. In addition to the CCE exam, ÚJOP UK also develops the Czech Language Exam for the purpose of Czech citizenship and provides it in the Czech Republic, together with the Czech Life and Institutions Exam prepared by the Ministry of Education.