Co-certification: a new direction for external assessment?

The major European testing agencies have calibrated their exams to the levels of language proficiency described in the Common European Framework. In Italy, where the Framework has been enthusiastically embraced, external exams are now frequently used within the state education system as they are believed to provide reliable, widely recognized independent assessment. But although these exams vary greatly, it is not always easy to find one which is entirely appropriate for a specific learning context. This article describes an experiment in 'co-certification', in which the University of Venice worked with Trinity College London to make an existing exam more appropriate for university students. This involved replacing 'creative writing' with 'critical writing' in the portfolio and the controlled written exam, and ensuring a 'university dimension' for the oral interview. The article reports on the modifications, and considers candidates' results from the perspectives of validity, washback and impact. It concludes that there may be other contexts in which co-certification is both possible and desirable.