Recognised Qualifications

Why take a recognised qualification?

International students generally learn English for two reasons. The first is to gain admittance to a university or college programme at an Irish or other English speaking institution and the second is to develop extra English language skills to improve their career prospects.

Irish universities have stringent admission requirements for international students. Candidates must be able to demonstrate in advance that they have the necessary proficiency in English to play a full part in their college programme.

Employers will also usually seek proof that potential new recruits have a high enough standard of spoken and written English to be able to carry out their relevant tasks and duties. Also, many government, licensing, and certification agencies and exchange and scholarship programs use recognised EFL qualification scores to evaluate candidate’s English language proficiency.

Irish English language schools offer preparation programmes for the major international English language examinations including TIE, TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge ESOL, and Trinity College London. Schools will usually register the student with the examining body automatically, while individual candidates can also apply to take a course independently.

Test of Interactive English
The Test of Interactive English (TIE) is an international English language proficiency examination developed in Ireland and recognised by the Irish government. The TIE is offered in Junior and Senior formats and can be taken by learners at any level.  The test consists of two parts – a spoken test (OTIE) and a written test (WTIE). In the oral test candidates present a project and talk about either a book or news story. The writing test asks candidates to write about a book or news story they have read, plus a subject for which they have not prepared.

Test of English as a Foreign Language
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) was first introduced in 1964 and is accepted by institutions worldwide, with almost 20 million students having already taken the test. It is administered worldwide by Educational Testing Service (ETS). The TOEFL tests all four language skills that are important for effective communication: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The TOEFL test is offered in Internet-based Testing (iBT) format at authorized ETS test centres.  TOEFL specifically concentrates on ‘American English’.

International English Language Testing System
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test of English language proficiency is jointly managed by the University of Cambridge, the British Council and IDP Education Australia. It was introduced in 1989 and is now accepted by over 3,800 educational institutions, government agencies, and professional organisations across 120 countries around the world. Over 500,000 IELTS tests are now taken every year.

The IELTS comes in two distinct modules. The Academic Module is intended for those wishing to enroll in universities and the General Training Module is aimed at candidates planning to undertake non-academic training, to gain work experience, or for immigration purposes.

University of Cambridge ESOL
The University of Cambridge offers a recognised English language qualification – the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). The exams cover general English, business English, academic English and English for young learners. Cambridge ESOL examinations are taken by around 1.75 million learners in more than 150 countries each year. The
Cambridge ESOL also offers teaching qualifications such as CELTA and DELTA.

Trinity College London ESOL
Trinity College London also accredits a recognised English language qualification – the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). The ESOL includes twelve grades spanning four stages - Initial, Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced. Trinity has also recently introduced the Integrated Skills in English examinations (ISE), which assess all four language skills – Speaking, Writing, Listening and Reading.