ELPA aims to:
determine candidates' proficiency levels across core language skills
ELPA aims to assess officers' speaking, reading, and writing abilities, providing a comprehensive profile of their English language competence aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
support professional language readiness
ELPA evaluates whether candidates have the necessary English language skills to function successfully within public service contexts, ensuring effectiveness in both national and international work-related situations.
enable candidates to set informed language learning goals based on the results
The assessment provides candidates with current proficiency levels in speaking, reading, and writing, empowering them to personalise learning plans or seek relevant support to enhance their English proficiency.
The purpose of the reading component is to assess candidates’ ability in:
reading for information and argument
reading for orientation
reading instruction
reading correspondence
skimming and scanning
The writing component aims to assess candidates’ ability to write an essay related to the civil service.
The speaking component aims to assess candidates’ ability to discuss their professional knowledge and/or experience as civil servants.
Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments, and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.
Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for impressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics, which are familiar, or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g., very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.
Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.