Skip to main content
Cambridge
  • Products and Services

    Products and Services

    • Products and Services

      Our innovative products and services for learners, authors and customers are based on world-class research and are relevant, exciting and inspiring.

    • Academic Research, Teaching and Learning
    • English Language Learning
    • English Language Assessment
    • International Education
    • Education resources for schools
    • Bibles
    • Educational Research & Network
    • OCR
    • Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing
    • Cambridge CEM
    • Partnership for Education
    • Cambridge Dictionary
    • The Cambridge Mathematics Project
    • CogBooks
    • Bookshop
  • About Us

    About Us

    • About Us

      We unlock the potential of millions of people worldwide. Our assessments, publications and research spread knowledge, spark enquiry and aid understanding around the world.

    • What we do
    • Our story
    • People and planet
    • Diversity and inclusion
    • Annual Report
    • News and insights
    • Governance
    • Legal
    • Accessibility
    • Rights and permissions
    • Contact us
    • Media enquiries
  • Careers

    Careers

    • Careers

      No matter who you are, what you do, or where you come from, you’ll feel proud to work here.

    • Careers
    • Jobs
    • Benefits
Change Language

Cambridge English Language Assessment

Main navigation

  • Products and Services

    Products and Services

    • Products and Services

      Our innovative products and services for learners, authors and customers are based on world-class research and are relevant, exciting and inspiring.

    • Academic Research, Teaching and Learning
    • English Language Learning
    • English Language Assessment
    • International Education
    • Education resources for schools
    • Bibles
    • Educational Research & Network
    • OCR
    • Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing
    • Cambridge CEM
    • Partnership for Education
    • Cambridge Dictionary
    • The Cambridge Mathematics Project
    • CogBooks
    • Bookshop
  • About Us

    About Us

    • About Us

      We unlock the potential of millions of people worldwide. Our assessments, publications and research spread knowledge, spark enquiry and aid understanding around the world.

    • What we do
    • Our story
    • People and planet
    • Diversity and inclusion
    • Annual Report
    • News and insights
    • Governance
    • Legal
    • Accessibility
    • Rights and permissions
    • Contact us
    • Media enquiries
  • Careers

    Careers

    • Careers

      No matter who you are, what you do, or where you come from, you’ll feel proud to work here.

    • Careers
    • Jobs
    • Benefits
Change Language
English Language Assessment
  • Home
  • Why choose us?

    Why choose us?

    • Learners

    • Who accepts our exams?
    • Visas and immigration
    • Study abroad
    • Cambridge English journeys
    • Organisations

    • English for higher education institutions
    • Our exams and tests
    • Verify results online
    • Setting your requirements
    • Exam security and quality
    • Employers
    • Research and Consultancy

    • English Research Group
    • English language consultancy
    • Impact monitoring and evaluation
  • Exams and tests

    Exams and tests

    • Cambridge English Qualifications Cambridge English Qualifications
    • Schools
    • For young learners:
    • Pre A1 Starters (YLE Starters)
    • A1 Movers (YLE Movers)
    • A2 Flyers (YLE Flyers)
    • Digital for young learners:
    • Pre A1 Starters Digital
    • A1 Movers Digital

    • A2 Key for Schools (KET)
    • B1 Preliminary for Schools (PET)
    • B2 First for Schools (FCE)
    • C1 Advanced (CAE)
    • C2 Proficiency (CPE)
    • General and Higher Education
    • A2 Key (KET)
    • B1 Preliminary (PET)
    • B2 First (FCE)
    • C1 Advanced (CAE)
    • C2 Proficiency (CPE)
    • Business
    • B1 Business Preliminary (BEC Preliminary)
    • B2 Business Vantage (BEC Vantage)
    • C1 Business Higher (BEC Higher)

    • IELTS IELTS
    • Linguaskill Linguaskill
    • Cambridge English Skills Test Cambridge English Skills Test
    • OET OET
    • MET MET
    • Useful links

    • Test your English
    • Cambridge English Placement Test
    • How to register
    • Find an exam centre
    • What to expect on exam day
    • Study English in the UK
    • See exam results online
    • Cambridge English Scale
    • International language standards explained
    • Information for preparation centres
    • Ways to take your Cambridge English Qualification
  • Learning English

    Learning English

    • Free activities
    • Exam preparation
    • Test your English
    • Parents and children
    • Games and social media
    • More resources
  • Teaching English

    Teaching English

    • Teaching qualifications
    • CELTA
    • DELTA
    • TKT (Teaching Knowledge Test)
    • Professional development
    • Cambridge English Teaching Framework
    • Cambridge English Trainer Framework
    • Become a Cambridge English Assessment Specialist
    • Resources for teachers
    • Webinars for teachers
    • Information for preparation centres
    • Find a teaching qualification centre
  • Blog
  • News
  • Events
  • Help

    Help

    • Lost certificates
    • Enquiries and appeals
    • Special requirements
    • Special considerations
    • Malpractice
    • Complaints
    • Corporate social responsibility
    • IELTS Help
  • Test your English
  • Find an exam centre
  • Who accepts our exams?
English Language Assessment

You are here:

  1. Cambridge English
  2. News
  3. Master’s in English language assessment from Cambridge: five things you need to know

Master’s in English language assessment from Cambridge: five things you need to know

27/06/2023

Dr Nick SavilleEnglish teachers and other professionals involved in English assessment are already benefiting from a new Master’s course in English Language Assessment. The Cambridge experts behind the course are more than half-way through delivering a successful pilot and are now gearing up for the next group of students who will join the course in 2024. Dr Nick Saville (pictured) from Cambridge University Press & Assessment is Joint Programme Director (Assessment). Any interested students are encouraged to watch our recent open day on 21 June and look at the other resources listed at the end of this article. In the meantime, Dr Saville shares five things you need to know about the course.

It's not just for English teachers

Broadly speaking, the course is aimed at anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of how English language is assessed. Of course, this usually means English teachers but other professionals that could benefit from the course include teacher trainers, lecturers, materials writers, educational practitioners, civil servants and staff at relevant assessment and publishing organisations.

If you need to know if the course is right for you, a good place to start is to look at the course objectives. We’ve designed the course to provide an in depth understanding of how English is assessed and what expertise is needed to develop new assessment tools and effective strategies. Students will also learn how to meet the diverse needs of learners and ensure fairness in different testing environments.

The content is wide ranging 

By working with colleagues from Cambridge University we have developed a course that gives you a really wide-ranging view of language assessment that is split into six modules. One thing that makes the course stand out is, that it specifically relates to the assessment of English. The course also includes a research element, which is so important in our sector. 

The full course content is as follows:

Module 1: Understanding speech and language and how they are learned.

Module 2: Language learning in instructed contexts

Module 3: Principles of assessment; the role of assessment and how it contributes to learning.

Module 4: Use of technology in language learning and assessment; how technology can be used to enhance learning.

Module 5: Principles of research; mixed methods; introduction to statistical methods and statistical analysis for language assessment

Module 6: Critical view of language assessment tools

In Year 2, students undertake an independent research project and write a dissertation of 15,000 – 18,000 words.

You get the full Cambridge experience

The course is a University of Cambridge Masters, which means so much on the global stage. To put this into context, Cambridge University was founded in 1209 and is synonymous with world-class education. The course is devised and delivered by world-leading researchers from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics, and Cambridge Language Sciences Interdisciplinary Research Centre. The administration of the course is co-ordinated by the University’s Institute of Continuing Education.

Cambridge also plays an enormous part of the student experience. Students will get the opportunity to stay at one of two historic Cambridge University colleges for the two-week residential part of the course. This means that students will join a rich interdisciplinary learning community from one of the most influential higher education institutions in the world.  Successful completion at a high grade may allow students to progress and explore the possibility of a PhD at the University of Cambridge or other universities.

 We know it works!

We’re over halfway through a pilot which ends this December, and the feedback has been really positive. Taking part in the pilot is a cohort of international students from a range of different backgrounds. I got to meet some of the students when I taught on the course last year and they had different degrees of teaching experience and diverse journeys that brought them to the course. Some were working in assessment organisations already, some were working in higher education and others worked directly with pupils or schools. One thing that struck me was they all had one thing in common - which was a passion for finding the best ways of assessing English language.

It’s flexible

This is a part time two-year Master’s course delivered online and face-to-face. This blended learning approach gives the course added flexibility for students wishing to apply. The face-to-face teaching is carried out during the two-week residential sessions in Cambridge. Whether online or face-to-face, all of the teaching is delivered by experts from across a broad range of disciplines and covers a combination of theoretical learning and practical tasks.

Find out more about the course

To find out more about course content, entry requirements, key dates and the student experience – you can:

  • Watch our recent open day.
  • Book a one to one session with Dr Roberto B Sileo, the Academic Director, to ask any questions about the course itself or your application
  • Check out the resources on the course webpage which includes links to bite sized lectures.

On this site

  • Home
  • Why Cambridge English?
  • Exams and tests
  • Learning English
  • Teaching English
  • News
  • Events
  • Help
  • About us
  • Who accepts our exams?
  • Agents
  • Consultancy
  • Research
  • Contact us
  • ALTE logo
  • English Profile logo
  • Cambridge University Press & Assessment
  • BSI Logo

View Related Sites

  • Cambridge English main site
  • Cambridge English helpdesk
  • Cambridge English Schools
  • Cambridge English Online
  • Cambridge English for Centres
  • Preparation Centres Online
  • Results Verification Service
  • Occupational English Test
  • ALTE
  • English Profile
  • Cambridge University Press & Assessment
  • Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing
  • Michigan Language Assessment
  • Cambridge Assessment Japan Foundation


© Cambridge University Press & Assessment

  • Terms & conditions
  • Data protection
  • Accessibility statement
  • Statement on modern slavery
  • Safeguarding policy
  • Sitemap
Back to top