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Cambridge English: First, also known as the First Certificate in English (FCE), is an English language examination provided by Cambridge English Language Assessment (previously known as University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations). It is an upper-intermediate, international English language qualification that focuses on Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).〔() http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/images/25091-fce-level-b2-document.pdf Retrieved 7 May 2014〕 Cambridge English: First was first developed as the Lower Certificate in English (LCE) during the 1930s and was intended to meet a demand for certification of English below that of the Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) exam.〔Hawkey, R. & Milanovic, M. (2013) ''Cambridge English Exams: The First Hundred Years'', Cambridge University Press, p.30〕 Cambridge English: First is one of the most widely taken of all the exams provided by Cambridge English Language Assessment and is accepted in commerce, industry, universities and higher education institutions as proof of everyday written and spoken English for work and study purposes.〔() http://www.britishcouncil.org/czechrepublic-exams-fce.htm Retrieved 7 May 2014〕 The exam is offered in two variations: Cambridge English: First (for adult learners) and Cambridge English: First (FCE) for Schools. Both versions assess at the same level, have the same exam format (four papers) and lead to the same qualification – the First Certificate in English. The only difference between the two versions is that the topics in the ‘for Schools’ version have been targeted at the interests and experiences of school-age learners. Cambridge English: First (FCE) for Schools is part of a suite of qualifications designed specifically for school-aged learners, which includes Cambridge English: Key (KET) for Schools, focused on CEFR Level A2, and Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) for Schools, focused on CEFR Level B1. ==History== Introduced in 1939, the Lower Certificate in English (LCE) was the second English language exam developed for speakers of other languages by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, the organisation that would later be known as Cambridge Assessment. The arrival of thousands of refugees from the Spanish Civil War and occupied Europe into the UK had created a growing need for language assessment. The LCE was intended to meet a demand for the certification of an English proficiency level below that of the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). One hundred and forty-four students sat the first LCE exam on 21 June 1939.〔Hawkey, R. & Milanovic, M. (2013) ''Cambridge English Exams: The First Hundred Years'', Cambridge University Press, p.30〕 The exam was divided into three sections: # Oral (Dictation, Reading Aloud, and Conversation) # English Composition and Language (2 hours for a free composition on a choice of subjects and various tests on the correct use of simple English) # Prescribed Texts (2 hours on Dickens, Swift, Shaw and/or the Oxford English Course book).〔Hawkey, R. & Milanovic, M. (2013) ''Cambridge English Exams: The First Hundred Years'', Cambridge University Press, p.28-33〕 By 1943, LCE included a choice between ‘either prescribed texts or a paper in translation from and into English’. By 1944, 18 languages were catered for in the translation paper, including Polish, Arabic, Hebrew, Czech, Persian and Swedish.〔Hawkey, R. & Milanovic, M. (2013) ''Cambridge English Exams: The First Hundred Years'', Cambridge University Press, p.32〕 Many of those who took LCE served on active duty during World War II: the LCE December 1943 Pass List includes candidates from the Polish Army, the Polish Institute of Air Force Technology (RAF), the Netherlands Fleet Air Arm, and the Czechoslovakian RAF Squadron. On one day in 1948 over 2,500 men and women of the Polish Resettlement Corps took LCE.〔Hawkey, R. & Milanovic, M. (2013) ''Cambridge English Exams: The First Hundred Years'', Cambridge University Press, p.40-42〕 A special version of LCE was also made available to prisoners of war detained in Britain and in occupied Europe. The test was made available to 1,500 prisoners of war in Britain, 900 of them Italians. In Germany, the test was offered at seven prisoner of war camps, with Indian prisoners of war encouraged to take LCE or School Certificate exams. After the war, LCE proved to be the most popular Cambridge English exam of the time, with over 4,000 candidates in 1947, compared to 2,028 candidates for the Certificate of Proficiency in English, now known as Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE).〔Hawkey, R. & Milanovic, M. (2013) ''Cambridge English Exams: The First Hundred Years'', Cambridge University Press, p.52〕 In 1975, driven by evolving principles of communicative language teaching and testing, LCE was revised and renamed as the First Certificate in English (FCE). The exam was updated to have five compulsory papers: Composition (free writing task); Reading Comprehension; Use of English (testing grammatical structures and vocabulary); Listening Comprehension (multiple-choice items); and an Interview (oral tests).〔Hawkey, R. & Milanovic, M. (2013) ''Cambridge English Exams: The First Hundred Years'', Cambridge University Press, p.77〕 The qualification was further updated in 1984 and 1996. Following the 1996 revision, FCE covered a greater range of writing, listening and speaking micro-skills. Its Speaking test format used two candidates and two examiners and the five papers were equally weighted, each representing 20% of the available marks.〔Studies in Language Testing (SiLT), Volume 28, Hawkey, R. (2009) ''Examining FCE and CAE: Key issues and recurring themes in developing the First Certificate in English and Certificate in Advanced English exams.'' Cambridge University Press〕 In January 2015, another set of revisions were introduced. The main changes are: the overall exam is now 30 minutes shorter; there are four exam papers, instead of five; and the Reading and Use of English papers have been combined into a single paper. Further information can be found in the revised (Exam Specification ). In addition, a new way of reporting results has been introduced (effective from January 2015), with Cambridge English Scale scores replacing the standardised score and candidate profile used for exams taken pre-2015. The Cambridge English Scale was developed to provide exam users with more detailed information about their exam performance than was previously available.〔http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams/first/exam-update-for-2015/ Accessed 18 January 2015〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cambridge English: First」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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