Our Services

We provide support to individuals and institutions to help choose the right examination for their needs:

• detailed guidance in using Cambridge ESOL / IELTS examinations and our vocational and academic examinations.
  
• through our wider work in ELT Consultancy and Support for Institutions we provide advice on how to align to the Common European Framework and ensure that the examinations institutions meet Ministry of Education guidelines and standards.
  
  
• teachers and Institutions can also access Cambridge ESOl Teachers support services including the very useful Cambridge ESOL Teach website, used for preparing students and teachers for Cambridge ESOL Examinations.
  
  
• in Bogotá and selected dates in other cities, we run free British Council Examinations Services seminars and presentations for teachers to help prepare students for exams British Council Colombia Cambridge ESOL Teacher Support programme (PDF 53K) (for more information on how you can take advantage of these  seminars please contact us directly).
  
  
• if your institution registers more than 100 candidates for specific exams sessions we also provide seminars and presentations for parents, teachers and students on Cambridge ESOL /IELTS exams.
  
  
• all institutions who register for examinations with the British Council receive a Institutional Examinations Services CD with everything you need to know about running exams, from becoming and exams venue to preparing students for the examinations, with full support (handbooks, sample papers, information for candidates and support materials).

HOW CAN MY INSTITUTION ADOPT EXAMS, WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

Worldwide British Council delivers more than 1,400,000 exams each year. We have over 50 years experience in administering examinations and providing expertise on the adoption and use of proven UK qualifications that are recognised worldwide and respected as valid and reliable measurement of candidates ability.

British Council Exam Services Department Colombia is committed to helping institutions make the right decisions in terms of choosing exams, training and resources.

We have summarised below what we consider to be some of the key benefits.  You are welcome to use the information below to guide students, parents and teachers in your institution.

• Benefits for your Institution’s English programme (PDF 104 KB)
• Benefits for your Students (PDF  91 KB)
• Benefits for your Teachers (PDF 85 KB)
• Benefits for your Student’s Parents (PDF 85 KB)
  

We have also provided a brief guide to adopting Cambridge ESOL examinations in your institution.

• A Guide to Implementing and Using Cambridge ESOL Examinations in Your Institution (PDF 178 KB)
  

For information on issues related to English language certification and language ability the two following articles offer good guidance:

• Certification and Language Ability (PDF 38 KB)
• Cambridge ESOL exams, ALTE and the Common European Framework (PDF 58 KB
  

If your insitution is interested in finding out about the IELTS examination, please refer to this document

• Recognising IELTS in your Insitution (PDF 119 KB)

registration procedures

On this webpage you will find all the information and links to specific exams webpages you need to register your students for the Cambridge ESOL examinations and IELTS.

In order to offer the best service possible we would like to draw to your attention the following guidelines and rules & regulations.  By following these guides we can ensure that an institution receive the best possible attention and can ensure that examinations sessions are run as smoothly as possible:

• Candidates Registering for the IELTS exam (PDF 58 KB)
• Checklist for Registering Candidates for Cambridge ESOL exams (PDF 52 KB)

For specific information on dates and prices for these examination please consult the following links:

• IELTS: Dates, prices and locations 2011
• Cambridge ESOL: Dates and Fees 2011

If you have any doubts or questions about registering candidates, or if you wish to discuss with us how your institution can use Exams offered by the British Council, please contact us:

Exams Sessions management

When your institution officially adopts exams offered by the British Council we offer a range of services to help you effectively administer the examinations:

• all the examinations offered by the British Council are administered by us, therefore you will not need to the run the exam yourselves, just be on hand to help when we run exams for you.
  
  
• the session administration provided by British Council examinations services include:
  
  
• Administration of the registration of candidates directly with the exams board, the institution will need to do is initially register candidates in an EXCEL format (provided by the British Council).  For IELTS each candidate must register by filling out an individual application from.
  
  
• Provision of venue staff to administer the written and oral examinations.  These people are trained British Council staff who will ensure the security and integrity of the exam session.
  
  
• Dispatch and receipt of results and certificates

If an institution registers more than 100 candidates for an examination in one session we provide written feedback and graphical breakdown of scores and student performance, so that the institution can make informed decisions on students performance in the examinations.