07/05/2025
New study of English teachers across 15 countries shows the C1 Advanced Qualification from Cambridge is having a positive impact on learning and teaching. Graeme Harrison, Head of Impact Operations at Cambridge, highlights the key findings from the study and explains why measuring educational impact is so important.
Graeme Harrison is Head of Impact Operations,
Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
It's easy to say your products and services have a positive impact on stakeholders, but it’s much harder to prove it. But that’s what we set out to do with a recent study on the impact our C1 Advanced Qualification. C1 Advanced is a high-level English qualification that’s recognised by over 11,000 organisations as proof of English language ability. This includes universities, employers and government bodies. So, what did we find out?
What teachers said…
We surveyed teachers preparing 16-year-old students for C1 Advanced from across 15 countries including Italy, Spain, Romania and India. We wanted to find out what impact C1 Advanced was having on the areas of motivation, engagement and confidence, and also how it was impacting English language skills and pedagogy.
It got a thumbs up from teachers!
Teachers were really positive about the C1 Advanced with 82% saying it had a positive impact on teaching and 93% saying it had a positive impact on learning. It was also great to hear that over 90% of teachers said it helped students develop and use their English language skills. Let’s look at the findings in more detail:
1. It covers real-life communication skills
Our study showed that 90% of teachers reported alignment between C1 Advanced and real-life English skills. This was fantastic to hear because we design Cambridge English exams to focus on practical communication skills, which we hope leads teachers to practise these in the classroom. For example, the speaking component of the exam requires candidates to interact with a peer and complete various tasks similar to those they might perform in everyday life. And it’s not just about spoken communication: all of the other key skills people need in the real world are encouraged in the C1 classroom such as listening, reading and writing. Through these, students also get lots of opportunities to develop their grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.
2. It boosts motivation and confidence
Our study showed that 88% of teachers reported a positive impact on both confidence and motivation. This is really encouraging because studies show that both confidence and motivation correlate strongly with high levels of educational attainment. If we think about speaking English, to be able to communicate effectively, it’s essential that students can speak with confidence. And this is confidence that can be built through practising exam-type tasks in the classroom, e.g. giving your opinion on topics, justifying a proposed course of action.
3. It helps teachers define learning goals
A high percentage of teachers said that the exam helped them to define learning objectives and outcomes, and plan and structure their lessons (88% and 90% respectively). This suggests the teachers really value the exam for the pedagogical structure it provides. It was also great to hear teachers appreciated the support materials available from Cambridge: titles they called out included Complete Advanced C1 Advanced, and the Exam Booster and Practice Tests, which introduce the exam format and help students understand what is required at the C1 level.
What about the individual impact?
It’s also important to look at individual impact, because that’s what makes it all worthwhile. For many learners, the opportunities around exams like C1 Advanced are a big motivational factor. It could be, for example, they are very keen to pass it because they know it helps them to get a job or a place at university.
It’s also interesting to hear about how teachers push themselves to teach high-level exams like C1 Advanced. We’ve found in various studies that the teachers have to kind of ‘teach up’ or take on some professional development to ensure they can teach at that level. One teacher from Mexico who took part in this study told us that teaching for the C1 Advanced really helped with their professional development because they had to challenge themselves to improve their teaching knowledge and skills. So, in this respect, the teacher felt like they were learning along with their students!
Educational impact is so important
Measuring educational impact is more important than ever. For a start it allows us to find out if our products are doing what we want them to do. And based on these findings, it helps us to understand how we can improve our exams and learning materials to have an even greater positive impact in the future.