What does “quality” actually mean in language tests?
Quality is a familiar term in everyday life – but when it comes to language tests, it often seems abstract and difficult to grasp.
What exactly makes a language test "good"? And how do you know whether a certificate is truly meaningful?
When using language proficiency as a basis for decision-making, it is crucial to know whether a test really measures what it claims to measure and whether the results are reliable and understandable.
Professional language tests therefore follow clear rules and quality criteria that ensure that results are not only formally correct but also meaningful in terms of content.
Common misunderstandings
In our discussions with various institutions, we repeatedly discover that there are numerous misunderstandings surrounding the topic of "language testing." Terms such as "accredited," "certified," "verified," and "licensed," as well as standards, certification bodies, and reference systems, are often misinterpreted. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a descriptive document—a book, not a body—and by no means an authority that "verifies" or "certifies" test providers and thus makes a quality statement.
Likewise, all existing language test providers are not certification bodies, but rather, depending on their sales strategy, often licensors who grant licenses to testing locations as part of a distribution model. This licensing primarily serves to organize and distribute the testing program—not to provide independent quality control.
And even educational providers who, for example, have a BAMF provider approval do not automatically have the professional or institutional competence to independently develop, conduct or assess language tests.
Quality is the key
As the recipient of a language certificate, you want to be confident that it accurately reflects the language level of your applicant, candidate or employee in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
This includes not only ensuring that the language test is standardized, independent, and properly administered, but also that the results are comprehensible and transparent. Equally important are fairness, reliability, and comparability—that is, the certainty that all participants were tested under comparable conditions and that the results are independent of chance or bias.
A good language test also ensures that the results can be interpreted appropriately – that is, they provide realistic information about the language skills of the person being tested and reliably support you in your decision.