Revisions to the Basic Communication Certificate in English (BCCE™) Examination
Hellenic American University is pleased to announce that the Basic Communication Certificate in English (BCCE™) is being revised, with the first administration of the revised examination scheduled to take place in September 2024.
The revisions to the BCCE are designed to reflect current methodology and good practice in English language testing. The examination continues to test communicative competence in all four skills, and comprises a Listening section, a Writing section, a Speaking section, as well as a Reading and Use of Language (RUL) section composed of tasks which test grammar, vocabulary, and reading skills.
All items in the Listening section and the Reading and Use of Language (RUL) section continue to be in multiple-choice format, but the number of items in the RUL Section has been reduced to 50 items to provide a more efficient instrument to assess language competency. In the Listening Section, candidates are given time to preview the questions before listening, and all listening parts are heard twice.
The Speaking Section remains similar to the previous format, except that it now has only three tasks instead of four, and the time has been reduced to 8-10 minutes. For the Writing Section, the time has been reduced from fifty minutes to thirty, and candidates write only one task, choosing one out of two options.
The overall scoring system of the BCCE remains unchanged. Candidates who obtain a scaled score of 650 or more out of 1000 in the examination overall receive a Certificate at B1 level.
A detailed description of the revised BCCE will be made available shortly, together with a sample test.