Testing News

Recent news from the Office for Language Assessment:

New Sample Test for the Revised BCCE Examination

Hellenic American University is pleased to announce that the Basic Communication Certificate in English (BCCE™) has been revised and a Sample Test is now available.

The BCCE 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 has been reduced to provide a more efficient instrument to assess language competency. The Listening section has been reduced to 25 items, while the RUL section has been reduced to 45 items. In the Listening Section, candidates are given time to preview the questions before listening, and all listening parts are now 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.

The first administration of the revised examination is scheduled to take place in September 2024.

Log in