The Council of Europe released a preliminary version of the Manual for Relating Language Examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in 2003. Over the next 5 years a wide range of institutions and individuals undertook case studies to pilot this draft version. Towards the close of the piloting phase, a two-day colloquium was held in Cambridge, UK enabling pracititioners and academics to reflect on and share their experiences of applying the Manual procedures. Insights from this colloquium informed the Manual revision project during 2008/2009.

This volume features selected case studies presented at the Cambridge Colloquium in December 2007. They include the linking of a single test to the CEFR, the CEFR-linking of suites of examinations at different levels and large scale national projects undertaken by examination boards and specialist research institutes. Some studies focus on part of an examination, while others involve all test components. Some apply one or two of the procedures - familiarisation, specification, standardisation, and empirical validation. As well as describing their studies and reporting their findings. contributors reflect and comment on their experience of using the draft Manual. A clear and comprehensive introductory chapter explains the development of the CEFR and the draft Manual for linking tests, and discusses its relevance for the future.

The volume will be of interest to examination boards, language test developers and educational policy-makers, as well as academic lecturers, researchers and graduate students interested in the principles and practice of aligning tests to the CEFR.

A series of twenty non-fiction science readers which engages children in the world around them.