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Examinations for Attainment in Modern Greek for Professional Purposes

T
he National Ministry of Education in Greece and the Centre for the Greek Language (CGL) have been authorized with the conduct of examinations for the certificate of attainment in Greek for special purposes.

These examinations are intended for professionals on the European Union who wish to work in Greece and, therefore, have to prove their proficiency in Greek. The examinations are conducted three times a year. The dates for registration and examination for the academic year 2010-2011 are the following:

a) November 2010
Examination date 5/11/08
Registration 13/9/2010 to 15/10/2010

b) January 2011
Examination date 14/1/2011
Registration 1/11//2010 to 17/12/2010

c) May 2011
Examination date 11/5/2011
Registration 1/2/2011 to 21/3/2011

Candidates are tested on level A΄ of linguistic proficiency corresponding to the first level of the certificate of attainment in Greek (see Certificate of Attainment in Greek: A Comprehensive Examination Syllabus – Πιστοποίηση Επάρκειας της Ελληνομάθειας. Αναλυτικό Εξεταστικό Πρόγραμμα) or level A2 as specified in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment of the Council of Europe. In this level the basic functions and notions, general and specific, which prove to empower learners to take part in practical transactions as well as in human interaction in a simple but effective way are described and specified. Successful candidates should be in a position to understand broadly a conversation between two native speakers or a simple text about common everyday matters, various simple press reports, radio or television broadcasts, or public announcements; to communicate or exchange basic information and write short simple texts. The examinations cover the following language skills: Listening, Reading and Speaking. Candidates are not examined in Writing.

More specifically, the language requirements for each skill are as follows:

Listening Comprehension
The duration of listening comprehension is 25 minutes. The medium used for the examination of listening comprehension is cassette and/or CD recordings of stories or dialogues as well as of the instructions on the way the examination is conducted. The total number of words that the candidates are required to comprehend is relative to the duration of the examination. For listening comprehension the total number of words is 500. The candidate should be able to comprehend the overall meaning of a conversation between two native speakers, in a variety of simple everyday matters, as well as to understand simple public announcements. The candidate is required to match pictures or other visual aids to the text he/she is listening to, to put the illustrations of a story in the right order, to fill in tables or diagrams according to given guidelines, or to select the correct response out of a possible four.

Reading Comprehension
The duration of reading comprehension is 30 minutes. The candidate should be able to comprehend the overall meaning of a short text on familiar topics, notes, timetables, simple instructions, etc. The total number of words that the candidates are required to comprehend is relative to the duration of the examination. For reading comprehension the total number of words is 500. The candidate is required to match pictures or other visual aids to the text he/she is listening to, to put the illustrations of a story in the right order, to fill in tables or diagrams according to given guidelines, or to select the correct response out of a possible four.

Production of Spoken Language
The duration of the production of spoken language is 12 minutes and the candidates are examined in couples. The candidates are required to talk about themselves, to answer the questions that the examiners pose and to participate in role-playing with their fellow candidates. The candidates should have a communicate competence in a variety of everyday situations that ask for a simple and immediate exchange of information. The production of spoken language is recorded It is essential to note that no preparation time is given to the candidates.

All those interested should fill in an Application form and submit it to the examination centers – and not directly to the CGL – on the specified dates. The registration fee is 65 euros.