Language tests/certificates - English

Advice to students when deciding which English test to take

→  Please read this general information first before contacting us for further information and advice.

• Which test?
• What is the CEF?
• IELTS, Cambridge ESOL and TOEFL scores
• Preparation courses at the SLI
• Further placement advice

Which test? 

There are several tests available. You should familiarise yourself with them and choose one that suits your purposes. Below is a list (not exhaustive!) of tests available. For further information please click on the respective test link. Additional links to the relevant institutions will be provided where relevant.

• DAAD assessment / Englisch-Sprachzeugnis
• Oxford Online Placement Test
• IELTS
• Cambridge examinations
  
• TOEFL

Cambridge FCE, CAE and CPE, IELTS and TOEFL are accepted by Freiburg University and most universities in the English-speaking world for university entrance. (In the USA, TOEFL is historically the most well-known test, but many US universities, especially the internationally renowned ones, also accept IELTS.)

Before selecting a test you should find out which tests your proposed university, faculty or future employer recognises and what grades or scores they want.
 

Note:

DAAD assessment (all languages) and OOPT - ONLY available to students from one of the following institutions in Freiburg: Uni, PH, EFH,KFH, Musikhochschule. Please present your Unicard upon registration.

What is the CEF?

Most universities, institutes and faculties will measure your performance against the Common European Framework or CEF (German: Gemeinsamer Europäischer Referenzrahmen GER).

The scale ranges from A0 (total beginner) to C2 (near-native speaker of English).

The CEF language level required varies from one faculty and institute to another. Many bachelor programmes require B2, while most master programmes require B2 or C1.

The table below maps the CEF levels to the scores on the various internationally accepted tests.

Note: A student with a German Abitur (9 years of English) or “Leistungskurs Englisch“ will have reached B2. By the end of the 10th grade, students from German schools should have reached B1.

IELTS, Cambridge ESOL and TOEFL scores

Please note that these are the equivalences recognised by the SLI and the English Seminar. Our table does not imply recognition by IELTS or ETS.

Preparation courses at the SLI

The SLI offers preparation courses for CAE, FCE, IELTS and TOEFL which run parallel to the semesters at Freiburg University.

You can find a course overview here.

Practice material for these tests is available in the self-study language lab in KG 1, room 1030.

Further placement advice

Should you need further advice, please contact Sheila Gordon-Schröder:

e-mail: gordon-schroeder@sli.uni-freiburg.de

phone: 0761/203-8964