ESOL - English for Speakers of Other Languages
For information on the approval of qualifications for funding in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, see the links to DCSF, DIUS, DCELLS, DELNI and DENI below.
When undertaking a qualification that does not appear on the governments' lists as eligible for funding for specific age ranges, users must be aware of legal requirements. Not all qualifications are suitable for all age ranges.
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The progression in financial English competence mirrors the development in linguistic competence demonstrated in other examinations designed for non-native speakers of English, such as the Cambridge ESOL Certificates in International ESOL. As such, it is therefore open to candidates to progress from the specifically financial context of ICFE to a demonstration of competence in a broader linguistic context through the different levels of the other Cambridge ESOL suite of English examinations for non-native speakers of English.
A candidate passing ICFE at B2 level will have proof of English language abilities at the level recognised by many institutions of higher and further education in the UK as suitable for foundation level and further education courses.
The four ICFE papers total 200 marks, after weighting. Each skill (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking) represents 25% of the total marks available. Grading takes place once all scripts have been returned to Cambridge ESOL and marking is complete.
The grade boundaries (the minimum score needed to achieve a grade) are set using the following information:
• statistics on the overall candidate performance
• statistics on individual items, for those parts of the examination for which this is appropriate (Reading and Listening)
• advice from senior marking personnel, based on the performance of candidates and recommendations of examiners, where this is relevant (Writing and Speaking)
• information on the candidature
• comparison with statistics from previous years’ examination performance and candidature, once these are available.
A candidate’s overall grade is based on the total score gained in all papers. It is not necessary to achieve a satisfactory level in each paper in order to pass the examination. Results are reported as three passing grades (C1 Pass with Merit, C1 Pass, and B2 Pass) and two failing grades (Narrow Fail and Fail). The percentage of marks needed to achieve each grade may vary slightly from session to session depending on the precise difficulty of the individual papers which make up the particular examination.
This is a single unit qualification.