Comparison between official English exams that can be taken from home: Linguaskill and LanguageCert

Comparison between official English exams that can be taken from home: Linguaskill and LanguageCert

We have explained to you on other occasions the possibility of taking your official English exam from home. Especially in these times of pandemic it is an opportunity and a great advantage to have degrees like Linguaskill and LanguageCert. Therefore, today we are going to solve all the frequent doubts that candidates usually have when deciding on the test and which one to do. It is essential that they take into account the basic characteristics of each one of them in order to be able to choose with full consciousness and satisfy their own needs.

What is the Linguaskill test like?

Linguaskill is one of the tools that the University of Cambridge makes available to us to certify a level of English. Exactly is a test of English with results fast and completely reliable and secure in just 48 hours. It is a multilevel test and, therefore, you do not have to prepare for any specific level, but you can do it through a computer.

As a candidate for the degree, you can choose what you want to examine in terms of skills to certify with this official multilevel test. You can choose to perform the part that you may need at any given time or that you want to certify. Or if you prefer to get your full certificate, you can do all the skills at the same time.

Recognition: by CRUE AND ACLES, for Erasmus, Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Valid to score points in Post Oppositions for example.

What is the LanguageCert test like?

It is the first official English certification that allows students to obtain an official English degree from home without having to go to any physical center. Examining remotely and at home, where you can connect and take the test in the calmest way and with the greatest comfort for you, is one of the novelties that this certification introduced for this 2019-2020 course and now it becomes one of the most demanded and recommended tests.

Recognition:Worldwide, but in Spain in particular it is recognized by all public universities, and in Andalusia specifically by the Ministry of Education of the Junta de Andalucía for both teachers and administrative staff of bilingual positions. It is also recognized by other regional administrations.

The levels of this test that the candidate can take are:

- A1 : Preliminary

- A2 : Access

- B1 : Achiever

- B2 : Communicator

- C1 : Expert

- C2 : Mastery

Taking the exam for each level and passing them implies acquiring new skills in different situations of social and professional life in English. Little by little and in a staggered way, to get the specific knowledge of each level. Also remember that this test will evaluate the level of comprehension and expression based on four fundamental criteria:  Reading, Writing, Listening  and  Speaking .

What fundamental differences exist in the structures of these two tests?

- The distribution of the general parts of the exam are completely different in the two exams:

• LanguageCert separates the oral from the written part, issuing up to two completely different certificates. It offers the four competencies, Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing, but Listening, Reading and Writing form a set, separate from Speaking.
• Linguaskill also has the four skills separated and the candidate decides whether to do all of them or choose whether to do only one specific or some.

- Regarding the Listening test :

• LanguageCert dedicates a time of 20 minutes: it consists of working on a topic that the candidate chooses before taking the exam. But it is a part that is completely linked to Reading and Writing, since the latter are related to each other. The overall mark of these three parts together will be obtained, which forms 50% of the total mark of the certificate. And from these same tests the knowledge of grammar and vocabulary is evaluated.
• With Linguaskill something similar happens: between Listening and Reading they form a single test that has a time of between 60-80 minutes. It is an exam that will be adapted in difficulty to the level of the candidate. As you answer the first questions, you will send the next ones so that you can ask them according to what you control. It is a test of reading and selecting, listening and selecting.

- Regarding the Speaking test :

• LanguageCert : it involves conducting a recorded interview with the examiner, with a total of 50% of the value of the exam grade.
• Linguaskill : it is about 15 minutes with different exercises that are 8 questions to answer that have a value of 20%, 8 sentences to read with a value of 20% of the note, speak one minute with 40 seconds of preparation and is worth a 20% of the grade, view graphics and talk about them with 5 minutes of preparation, in addition to answering 5 questions, with an equivalent to 20% of the grade.

- Reading and Writing :

• LenguaCert : Reading and Writing are done together in approximately 80 minutes and that together with Listening, with which it is related, occupies 50% of the grade.
• Linguaskill : Reading joins Listening and Writing is its own 45-minute test, which is divided into two activities: in 15 minutes the candidate must write an email of about 50 words, this corresponding to 50% of this grade, and in 30 minutes you will have to write a long text, of about 180 words, with an equivalent of the note of the other 50% for this part.

How to register

This section is general and, therefore, it will be useful for both tests. The first thing you have to do to know the dates, centers and conditions of the two exams is to access the website examenexam.com , from which you can obtain all the specific information from its exam search engine.

It is necessary that when you have everything decided, you speak with your exam center. They are the ones who will be able to explain the updated protocols, the date you contact them, and everything you need to know about the next tests, specifically the one you are going to perform.

From this link , once you have everything decided, you can formalize the registration . It is a simple procedure that you can carry out safely, as well as quickly and comfortably.

That is, you can do everything electronically, so you don't have to move from home and so you can do it in a comfortable and safe way.