16/03/2020
An online English test powered by Artificial Intelligence is taking off in Latin America, with high level adoptions from ministries of education and recognition from global organisations and universities.
Linguaskill is developed by Cambridge Assessment English a department of Cambridge University. It’s a quick and convenient online test designed to help organisations check the English levels of individuals and groups of candidates.
Linguaskill has seen a surge in popularity in Colombia following an official recognition from the Ministry of Education and an increase in the number of organisations offering the test. The recognition by the Colombian Ministry of Education confirms that Linguaskill meets national requirements for education institutions to link their language programmes to the levels defined in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), as specified in the Colombian Technical Standard (NTC) 5580. In Mexico, Linguaskill is recognised by the Ministry of Education as part of the list of tests included in CENNI (Certificación Nacional de Nivel de Idioma), this allows candidates to prove English proficiency requirements and validate them with this certificate.
The Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic (MINERD) has adopted the test to help them improve secondary level teachers’ standards of English – as part of a major education reform project. The new measures will be put in place under a new three-year agreement that was signed between representatives of Cambridge Assessment English, Cambridge University Press and officials from MINERD.
Other organisations, universities and programmes across Latin America which are using Linguaskill include: Universidad Nacional de La Matanza (Argentina), Paraná Speaks English (Brazil), Banco do Brasil (Brazil), Academia Diplomática de Chile Andrés Bello (Chile), ITESM (the most important private HE network in Mexico), Universidad Científica del Sur (Perú), Euroidiomas (Perú), Universidad Católica de Santa María (Perú) and UTEC (Uruguay).
‘Making sure people have the English language skills to cope with the demands of higher education and the workplace is an ongoing challenge across Latin America,’ said: Mercedes Muratorio, Regional Director of Americas at Cambridge Assessment English. She continued: ‘From governments to universities, we’re seeing more and more people rely on Linguaskill as a fast and convenient solution to meeting the challenges associated with learning English. It’s really encouraging that we are getting increased recognition across Latin America as it shows how seriously different organisations are taking on the challenge of helping people to learn English.’
Linguaskill was also the focus of an event at the British Embassy in Buenos Aires to discuss the best ways of assessing English language for recruitment and higher education. It attracted decision-makers representing the university and corporate sector, including a contribution from the UK Ambassador to Argentina Mark Kent. Similarly, in Brazil an event co-hosted with the British Embassy discussed internationalisation and the role of English having attracted high-level decision-makers, including a member of the Ministry of Education.
Linguaskill tests all four language skills: speaking, writing, reading and listening. It provides accurate results within 48 hours aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), the international standard for describing language ability. It uses the latest cutting-edge technologies to give fast and accurate English levels of individuals and groups of candidates. This includes artificial intelligence capabilities to make sure that test content is tailored to a candidate’s individual performance, and a high-tech auto marking feature.
Learn more about Linguaskill