The tests proposed to candidates who want to obtain a FIDES language proficiency certificate have the following characteristics:
• FIDES tests are designed in accordance with the skills and levels indicated in the European Reference Framework; consequently the results mentioned in the certificate refer to every skill separately and are expressed by the letter designating, at European level, the level of the candidate (respectively, from beginner to advanced,: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) ;
• regardless of language, the tests are designed to assess the five skills levels, namely: listening (comprehension of oral speech); reading (understanding a written text); speaking (oral expression); spoken interaction (communication in an oral dialogue); writing (written expression).
THE RESULTS mention all the skills levels. FIDES CERTIFICATES are issued within 2 working days of taking the test and have a wide national and international recognition.
• The certificate mentions the real skill level of the candidate and is not conditioned by the level previously requested by the candidate.
If the candidate does not achieve the desired level in a maximum of two skills, he/ she may repeat, for a fee, the examination for only those skills. If he/she does not get the desired level of 3-5 skills, the exam must be completely redone, possibly at a lower level.
• although the tests vary constantly, even within the same language and the same skill level, and even more from one language to another, they generally consist of the following tests:
WRITTEN TEST – 3 skill assessment test:
- listening: one or more speeches (length, difficulty and number depending on the skill level) are usually given by natives speakers, after which the candidate must answer a series of written questions. The questions may relate to understanding the meaning and / or understanding the language. The questions can be simple / with multiple choice / true-false type etc;
- reading: the candidate has to read one or more written texts (their length, difficulty and number depending on the skill level) then he/she has to answer the questions that accompany them: the questions can be simple / with multiple choice / true-false type, etc .; in addition, exercises may appear that require: correcting some mistakes in the text / completing a lacunar text / replacing a word with a synonym/ explaining some terms etc.
- writing: may include one or more exercises (multiple choice / completion of a sentence, etc.) that assess the candidate's grammatical correctness and lexical richness; in addition, it must include a free composition of a determinate length on a theme (given or at choice from several variants).
All components of the written test shall state the score required to obtain the desired grade and also the duration of the test.
ORAL TEST – 2 skills assessment tests (10-20 minutes):
- speaking: the free oral expression of the candidate, starting from a proposed topic or from a series of images;
- spoken interaction: a dialogue with the evaluator or another candidate at the same level.
