Learn about Portuguese proficiency tests
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Intro |
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| Michael: What are some common Portuguese proficiency tests? |
| Ana Clara: And how do I choose the right one for me? |
| Michael: At PortuguesePod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Emma Espinosa is talking to her friend, Paula Pereira, about how she motivates herself to study Portuguese. She says, |
| "I have to take the CELPE-Bras exam." |
| Emma Espinosa: Eu preciso prestar o CELPE-Bras. |
| Dialogue |
| Emma Espinosa: Eu preciso prestar o CELPE-Bras. |
| Paula Pereira: O Certificado de Proficiência em Língua Portuguesa para Estrangeiros? |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Emma Espinosa: Eu preciso prestar o CELPE-Bras. |
| Michael: "I have to take the CELPE-Bras exam." |
| Paula Pereira: O Certificado de Proficiência em Língua Portuguesa para Estrangeiros? |
| Michael: "The Certificate of Proficiency in Portuguese for Foreigners?" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In the dialogue, Emma Espinosa and Paula Pereira are talking about the "CELPE-Bras" exam, an official certification exam for proficiency in Brazilian Portuguese. It is the only such certification recognized by the Brazilian Ministry of Education and is essential for students planning to study at a Brazilian institute of higher education or for professionals needing to validate a certificate from their own country. |
| The exam applies to all levels of proficiency, with successful test-takers being classified as having acquired one of four possible levels. The highest possible score on the exam is 5.00, and no certification is given for scores between 0.00 and 1.99. For those who do well, the four levels of certification are as follows: |
| Ana Clara: Intermediário |
| Michael: or "Intermediate," for scores from 2.00 to 2.75, |
| Ana Clara: Intermediário superior |
| Michael: or "Upper intermediate," for scores from 2.76 to 3.50, |
| Ana Clara: Avançado |
| Michael: or "Advanced," for scores from 3.51 to 4.25, and |
| Ana Clara: Avançado superior |
| Michael: or "Highly advanced," for scores from 4.26 to 5.00. |
| Michael: In terms of content, the exam evaluates its candidates' Portuguese skills in listening, reading, writing, and speaking and is composed of two main parts: One of these parts is the |
| Ana Clara: Parte escrita |
| Michael: or "written part," which consists of four tasks to be completed within three hours. The first task involves vídeo and the second task involves audio. Together, these first two tasks are to evaluate listening skills. The third and forth tasks, on the other hand, evaluate reading skills, and since all of the tasks require a written response, they are all parts of the writing component of the exam. |
| The other part of the exam is the |
| Ana Clara: parte oral |
| Michael: or "oral part," which consists of a total of twenty minutes of conversation with an evaluator, along with an observing evaluator who does not interfere with the exam. |
| The first five minutes of the conversation are about the candidate who is taking the test. Questions are asked based on responses to a questionnaire that was filled out when registering for the exam. The last fifteen minutes focus on three main themes and utilizes texts and pictures of various current events that are in the news at the time of the exam. |
| Michael: The CELPE-Bras exam is held twice a year and can be taken in Brazil or at select test centers abroad which were validated by |
| Ana Clara: "Inep." |
| Michael: "Inep," which organizes and administers the CELPE-Bras exam, is an abbreviation for the institution responsible for assessing basic and higher education in Brazil. It stands for |
| Ana Clara: Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira, |
| Michael: "National Institute for Educational Studies and Research 'Anísio Teixeira'." |
| Michael: Registration for the CELPE-Bras exam is made online, for a fee. Inep's website has materials from previous tests that you can use as a reference to prepare for the exam. Inep also has a YouTube channel with videos related to the tasks you must complete in the exam. For more information, please see the links we added in the Lesson Notes PDF. |
| Michael: While the CELPE-Bras exam is appropriate for testing Brazilain Portuguese, those focusing on European Portuguese should instead consider the tests offered by "CAPLE," which is an acronym for |
| Ana Clara: Centro de Avaliação e Certificação de Português Língua Estrangeira, |
| Michael: "Centre for Evaluation and Certification of Portuguese as a Foreign Language." |
| Michael: CAPLE is a division of Lisbon University's Faculty of Letters. It offers exams to evaluate Portuguese skills on the six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, or CEFR, for short. The standard version of the exams is offered for candidates 16 years old and over. There is also a "school version" or |
| Ana Clara: versão escolar |
| Michael: which is specifically designed for students between 12 to 15 years old but has fewer assessment levels. |
| CAPLE's exams assess all four major language abilities: reading, writing, listening, and speaking; and have a minimum passing score of 55%. Registration is done online, with a fee, and the test can be taken in Portugal or several other countries. |
| As one might guess, proficiency in European Portuguese may be required for work, for studying at an institute of higher education in Portugal, or for obtaining Portuguese citizenship. |
| For more information on CAPLE and its exams, see the link we added in the Lesson Notes PDF. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, you've learned about a common proficiency test for Brazilian Portuguese, the CELPE-Bras exam offered by "Inep," and proficiency tests for European Portuguese which are offered by CAPLE, the Centre for Evaluation and Certification of Portuguese as a Foreign Language. All of the exams are offered in the country of their origin as well as overseas. |
| The Brazilian Portuguese exam is just one test which is taken by all proficiency levels, with the candidates' certified level depending on their performance on the exam. |
| The European Portuguese exam, on the other hand, has different certification levels, equivalent to CEFR levels A1 to C2. Candidates can apply for the exam that suits their level or needs. |
| Expansion/Contrast |
| Michael: Another Brazilian Portuguese proficiency exam which has had wide acceptance by the countries that form |
| Ana Clara: Mercosul |
| Michael: a South American trade bloc, is CILP, which is an acronym for |
| Ana Clara: Certificado Internacional de Língua Portuguesa, |
| Michael: meaning "Portuguese Language International Certificate." It is offered by |
| Ana Clara: Universidade de Caxias do Sul, |
| Michael: or "Caxias do Sul University," which is one of the largest universities in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. |
| CILP exams can be taken in Brazil as well as abroad and are offered in two varieties: CILP and |
| Ana Clara: CILP Escolar, |
| Michael: meaning "School-CILP." |
| The standard CILP exam offers the certification levels of A2, B1, B2, and C1 of CEFR, and can be taken by anyone of any age. The "School-CILP" test, however, is reserved for those between 11 and 17 years of age and has only two offered levels: A2 and B1. |
| You can see more details about this exam by following the link in the Lesson Notes PDF. |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the sample conversation: Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud, and then listen carefully as Ana Clara models the correct answer. Repeat after her, with the focus on your pronunciation. Are you ready? |
| How do you say, "I have to take the CELPE-Bras exam." |
| Ana Clara: Eu preciso prestar o CELPE-Bras. |
| Michael: Did you get it right? Listen again and repeat. Remember to focus on your pronunciation. |
| Ana Clara: Eu preciso prestar o CELPE-Bras. |
| Ana Clara: Eu preciso prestar o CELPE-Bras. |
| Michael: Let's move on to the second sentence. How do you say, "The Certificate of Proficiency in Portuguese for Foreigners?" |
| Ana Clara: O Certificado de Proficiência em Língua Portuguesa para Estrangeiros? |
| Michael: Did you get it right this time? Listen again and repeat. |
| Ana Clara: O Certificado de Proficiência em Língua Portuguesa para Estrangeiros? |
| Ana Clara: O Certificado de Proficiência em Língua Portuguesa para Estrangeiros? |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Michael: For those interested in obtaining Brazilian citizenship, the Brazilian government published new rules in 2018 that allowed other alternatives for proving one's fluency in Portuguese, besides the previously established "CELPE-Bras" certification. |
| For example, a certificate of conclusion of a higher education course at a Brazilian institution acknowledged by MEC, an acronym for |
| Ana Clara: Ministério da Educação |
| Michael: meaning "Ministry of Education"; or completing a Portuguese for immigrants course offered by a Brazilian University that was acknowledged by MEC. |
| There are now many accepted documents for proving proficiency in Brazilian Portuguese. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Ana Clara: Até a próxima! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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