User:CN.CLES/Certificat de compétences en langues de l'enseignement supérieur

The Higher Education Language Skills Certification (French acronym: CLES) is a state certificate, accredited by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI). It assesses the skills of the candidates in one or several languages.

The CLES certification is based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) criteria of the Council of Europe.

Description
The CLES certification was created in 2000, in order to assess the language level of French University students. It is nowadays open to everyone (students and professionals) and evaluates 3 levels based on the CEFRL: B1, B2 and C1.

The candidates can enroll at the certification for a career advancement purpose, or an international mobility project. About fifty higher education institutions, accredited by the French MESRI, organize regular CLES exam sessions.

CLES exams are led in the form of a realistic scenario. The tasks to be completed are all based on social and professional situations, and candidates are evaluated on oral, written and interactional competences. It is not mandatory to get a specific training before taking the CLES Certification exam. The Certification has no lifespan.

As far as costs are concerned, every University can choose to charge the candidate (or not). However, CLES prices are regulated on a national basis and can not be above the following limits. To get more information on costs and exams sessions, please contact the nearest CLES examination center.

History

 * The CLES certification was created by the decree of May 22, 2000,
 * Since 2013, the National Coordination of the Certification sits at the University of Grenoble-Alps. It is determined by a tripartite convention, signed by the University of Grenoble-Alps, the Conference of University Presidents, and the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation,
 * Since 2016, the certification is opened to everyone, students and professionals,
 * In 2018, the CLES was one of the founding members of the Network of University Language Testers in Europe (NULTE). This network links more than 250 European Universities, and seeks closer cooperation and mutual recognition between university language certificates. The Network supports university language testing initiatives and enhance the quality of teaching, testing and learning modern language skills in Higher Education.

Skills evaluated
CLES Certification assesses 5 skills:


 * Listening
 * Writing
 * Speaking
 * Reading
 * Interacting.

These 5 skills must be validated and cannot balance each other out.

Levels
The CLES certification is available in ten languages: German, English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Modern Greek, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and French Foreign Language, and at three levels: B1, B2 and C1 (CEFRL levels).

CLES B1
CLES B1 certifies the learner’s ability to deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken.

CLES B2
CLES B2 certifies the learner’s ability to synthesize information and present points of view on subjects relevant to a mission that is connected to the working world and problem solving capability as well as reaching a compromise.

CLES C1
CLES C1 certifies the learner’s ability to communicate within his/her professional or scientific community.

Proceedings of a test
The candidate has to accomplish a mission inspired by a realistic situation. He/she has to analyze given audio-visual and written documents, select relevant information, suggest possible solutions and negotiate a compromise.

Languages available
The CLES Certification is available in 10 languages:


 * German
 * English
 * Arabic
 * Spanish
 * FLE
 * Modern Greek
 * Italian
 * Polish
 * Portuguese
 * Russian