TOCFL test takers to top 200,000 worldwide

2014-09-15

Taiwan-based Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language is projected to boast an accumulated base of over 200,000 examinees by year-end, according to the Ministry of Education Sept. 11.

“TOCFL is rapidly developing into one of the most widely recognized Chinese-language tests in the world, attracting 7,881 overseas learners to date,” an MOE official said. “This year alone, 21,718 candidates have undergone TOCFL assessment.”

The test will strengthen its capacity as a basis for recognizing language qualifications across national boundaries, the official said. “A new version of TOCFL measures six levels of proficiency in traditional and simplified Chinese, all corresponding to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment guidelines.”

TOCFL was launched in 2008 as an upgrade on the Chinese Proficiency Test. It was developed by Taipei City-based National Taiwan Normal University under the auspices of MOE’s Steering Committee for the Test of Proficiency-Huayu.

Assessed in listening and reading, speaking and writing formats, the test is administered at 21 locations in 19 countries across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania.

“Leveraging the latest advances in linguistic science, the completely computerized TOCFL maintains fair and unbiased assessment of language proficiency,” the official said. “It is expected that the increasing popularity of the test with overseas learners will enable TOCFL to become the standard in Chinese-language education worldwide.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=221535&CtNode=413)