Complete Guide to English Certifications for HR

Written by Coralie P | Jul 31, 2024 1:37:40 PM

TOEIC, TOEFL, Cambridge, ... Do you know the differences between English language certifications? We explain it all in this article!

English is the most widely used language in theprofessional world, and as an HR professional you need to :

Understand thelevel presented by your candidates on their CVs.
Evaluate theirlevel of competence, if necessary, as well as that of your colleagues.

For this purpose, there are severalEnglish language certifications that attest to a candidate 's language skills. But what are these certifications? What are the differences between TOEFL ,TOEIC,IELTS, Cambridge English and LinguaSkill? What do their scores mean? How do they compare with theCEFR?

We've put together a comprehensive guide to help you better understand these different certifications.

TOEFL

TheTest of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL, offers different certifications depending on the target audience (children, teenagers, students/adults). We'll concentrate here on the tests for students/adults:TOEFL IBT and TOEFL ITP.

TOEFL IBT

This onlineEnglish certificationmeasures the ability to use and understandacademic English, based on four skills:

Oral comprehension.
Written comprehension.
Oral expression.
Written expression.

Scores range from0 to 120 points, with 0 being the lowest and 120 the highest. TheCEFRequivalences are as follows:

Level A2 CECRL: N/A
Level B1 CECRL : 42 à 71
Level B2 CECRL: 72 to 94
Level C1 and C2 CEFR : 95 to 120

TOEFL ITP

This test takes place in a dedicated testing center, on paper, and measures :

Oral comprehension.
Written comprehension.

The total score obtained with thiscertification in English is between 310 and 677 points maximum. The equivalences with theCEFR are :

Level A2 CECRL: 337 to 459
Level B1 CECRL : 460 to 542.
Level B2 CECRL : 543 to 626.
Level C1 CECRL: 627 to 677.

An academic test with limited validity

TOEFL (IBT or ITP) is designed forstudents wishing to pursue their studies in an English-speaking country, or for professionals wishing to work in anacademic environment.

As anHR professional, this certification may not always be relevant to your sector of activity. When recruiting, you can look at it to get an idea of the level, but it won't reflectlanguage competence in aprofessional context.

Also note: the score obtained thanks to these English certifications isvalid for2 years only . So be sure to validate the date on which the candidate took the test, to see if the stated level corresponds to his or her current level.

TOEIC

TheTest of English for International Communication, orTOEIC measures the ability tocommunicate in English in aprofessional context.

TOEIC Listening and Reading

This is the most common test, measuringlanguage skills in :

Oral comprehension.
Written comprehension.

The total score ranges from 10 to a maximum of 990 points. TheCEFR equivalents are :

Level A1 CECRL: 120 to 224.
Level A2 CECRL : 225 to 549.
Level B1 CECRL : 550 to 784.
Level B2 CECRL : 785 to 944.
Level C1 CECRL : 945 to 990.

TOEIC Speaking and Writing

This is acomplementary test to the Listening and Readingcertification, which evaluates :

Oral expression.
Written expression.

The score is obtained between 0 and 400 points. TheCEFR equivalents are :

Level A1 CECRL: 80 to 159.
Level A2 CECRL: 160 to 239.
Level B1 CECRL : 240 to 309.
Level B2 CECRL : 310 to 399.
Level C1 CECRL : 400.

The TOEIC 4 Skills test

This test combines theListening and Reading and Speaking and Writing tests, to assess all fourlanguage skills in one go.

Scores range from 10 to 1,390 points. Listening and Reading and Speaking and Writing scores must be matched with theCEFR levels above .

TOEIC English certifications: what HR needs to know

WhicheverTOEIC test you choose , it's designed for people whowork or are looking for work in an international company, or who want to improve their career prospects. It is therefore an interesting indicator oflanguage proficiency in theworkplace.

But beware! As with the TOEFL,TOEICresults are only valid fortwo years. You'll need to check the date on which you took the test at your interview.

IELTS

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) measures the ability touse English in a general or academic context according to four skills:

Listening comprehension.
Written comprehension.
Oral expression.
Written expression.

This English certification is designed for people who want tostudy, work or immigrate to an English-speaking country, or who want to prove theirlevel of English for personal reasons.

Scores range from 0 to 9 bands, with the followingCEFR equivalents:

Level A1 CECRL: 2
Level A2 CECRL : 3
Level B1 CECRL : 3.5 - 4.5
Level B2 CECRL : 5 - 6
Level C1 CECRL : 6.5 - 7.5
Level C2 CECRL : 8 - 9

This test isvalid for 2 years. Once again, you'll need to check the date on which the candidate took the test.

Cambridge English

Cambridge English includes a range of qualifications that measure the ability touse English in different contexts (school, general, academic, professional). These certifications assess four skills:

Oral comprehension.
Written comprehension.
Oral expression.
written expression.

Cambridge English certifications are categorized according to the following levels:

PET (Preliminary English Test), which assesses the ability to communicate in English in simple everyday situations.
The"First" or FCE (First Certificate Examination), which attests to the ability to use English effectively, both orally and in writing, in a variety of contexts.
Advanced" or CAE (Cambridge Advanced English), which attests to a mastery of English at an advanced level, enabling you to express yourself with ease and precision in complex or specialized situations.

The score obtained ranges from 80 to 230 points, with the following equivalences:

Level A2 CECRL: 120 to 139
Level B1 CECRL : 140 to 160.
Level B2 CECRL : 160 to 180.
Level C1 CECRL : 180 to 200.
C2 CEFR level: 200 to 230.

There isno time limit to the score obtained, so you need to be particularly careful about the date on which the candidate took the test.

LinguaSkill

ThisEnglish certification measures the ability touse English in a general or professional context, according to four skills:

Oral comprehension.
Written comprehension.
Oral expression.
Written expression.

It is designed for people who want to certify theirlevel of English for personal or professional reasons .

The score obtained hasno validity limit, and ranges from A1 to C1+ according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Evaluate the English level of your employees and candidates

When recruiting, you can get a good idea of a candidate' s level of English from the results obtained in one of the above-mentioned English language certifications.

However, it will not be easy, using only the results on the CV, to :

establish correspondences between the levels of different candidates
Know the actual current level, according to the date on which the test was taken.
Validate the level of candidates in a professional context.

We therefore recommend that youcarry outyour own language assessment according to the CEFR system. This will enable you to :

Have homogeneous results for each candidate, but also be able to compare them with the results of your employees.
Know the current effective level.
Make sure you have a good command of the language in a professional context.

You'll then have an overview of the level of each future employee, and can draw up an English training plan tailored to your real needs.

Speak'Pro: the most effective way to evaluate and train your employees in English

Speak'Pro offers alinguistic benchmark enabling you to :

Define the level required for a candidate or employee.
Assess the current language levelof a candidate or employee.
Establish a personalized training planbased on the learner's current and required level, learning preferences and your business sector.

Once the benchmark has been carried out, your employee will be able to take advantage of our 100% customized English courses, reducing his or her training time by 20%!

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