The English Profile Studies series publishes volumes which explore aspects of the CEFR, English language learning and teaching, and any research which contributes to our understanding of the way learners progress through the six levels of the CEFR. This includes specific case-studies as well as more general explorations of the CEFR, its use/impact, and ways of building on the Framework. The series also presents findings from English Profile research and other related projects, and is designed to be of interest to a wide range of users including teachers, curriculum designers and educational policy-makers, as well as language test developers, academic lecturers and researchers.
The series is jointly produced by Cambridge English Language Assessment and Cambridge University Press. A list of titles in the series can be found below, click on each title to buy.
Volume 1: The first in this series of publications is Criterial Features in L2 English by John Hawkins and Luna Filipovic. This volume introduces the concept of criteriality, i.e. the properties of learner language which are characteristic and indicative of L2 proficiency at each level of the CEFR.
Volume 2: The second volume in the series, Language Functions Revisited by Anthony Green, introduces the theoretical and empirical bases for defining English language learning levels in functional ‘Can Do’ terms. It includes tables mapping the progression from A1 to C2 for English including new 'Can Do' statements, based on the CEFR theoretical model, for the C levels.
Volume 3: Immigrant pupils learn English, by Bronagh Catabusic and David Little. This volume reports on a longitudinal study of the acquisition of English L2 by children from immigrant families in Ireland. The study explored the extent to which these children's L2 development confirmed the learning trajectory hypothesised in the English Language Proficiency Benchmarks (pdf), the officially sanctioned framework developed for Irish primary schools. The Benchmarks are an adaptation of the first three levels (A1 - B1) of the CEFR.
Volume 4: The CEFR in Practice by Brian North. This volume combines an overview of the background and practical impact of the CEFR with a discussion of the contentious and varied debate the framework has provoked. With its knowledgeable insight into the CEFR's inception, development and potential future, this should be a valuable resource for researchers, teachers and policy-makers throughout the language learning profession.
Volume 5, English Profile in Practice, written by members of the English Profile team including Julia Harrison, Annette Capel, Fiona Barker and Ben Knight. This book presents an introduction to English Profile, including the English Vocabulary Profile and the English Grammar Profile, and explains how EP findings can be useful to teachers, syllabus designers and other ELT professionals. It also includes practical suggestions and activities designed to familiarise the user with English Profile.
Volume 6: Critical, Constructive Assessment of CEFR-informed Language Teaching in Japan and Beyond is edited by Fergus O’Dwyer, Morten Hunke, Alexander Imig, Noriko Nagai, Naoyuki Naganuma and Maria Gabriela Schmidt, Fiona Barker. The volume focuses on the implementation of the CEFR in language education institutions in Japan and beyond, and stresses that the CEFR and its 'Can Do' statements must be adapted and changed to suit the specific context they serve. This work is complementary to English Profile Studies volume 4, and provides a fresh focus on pedagogical practices where policy issues have been dominant.
Volume 7: The Discourse of the IELTS Speaking Test is written by Paul Seedhouse and Fumiyo Nakatsuhara. The volume provides a unique dual perspective on the evaluation of spoken discourse in that it combines a detailed portrayal of the design of a face-to-face speaking test with its actual implementation in interactional terms. Using many empirical extracts of interaction from authentic IELTS Speaking tests, the book illustrates how the interaction is organised in relation to the institutional aim of ensuring valid assessment. The relationship between individual features of the interaction and grading criteria is examined in detail across a number of different performance levels.
Volume 8: Defining Integrated Reading-into-Writing Constructs: Evidence at the B2-C1 Interface is written by Sathena Chan. A considerable gap remains in the understanding of integrated reading-into-writing skills, which are so important to the kinds of academic and professional written language use involved at the higher levels of the CEFR. This volume provides the theoretical bases and empirical evidence for establishing an integrated reading-into-writing construct for English Profile at upper levels of proficiency. The study investigates both the contextual features of a range of real-life academic writing tasks and reading-into-writing test tasks, and the cognitive processes required to complete the integrated task type successfully.
Volume 9: Pluricultural Language Education and the CEFR is written by Judith Runnels and will be available to purchase in November 2021. You can also download a pdf the volume here. To meet the needs of adult language learners in modern communicative contexts, pluralistic approaches to language education such as Pluricultural Language Education (PLE) are emerging. These approaches aim to recognise and build on individuals’ full linguistic and cultural repertoires and trajectories throughout the language learning process. Based on the CEFR’s perspectives on pluriculturalism, autonomous learning and the action-oriented approach to language use, this volume’s interpretation of PLE involves enhancing language learners’ knowledge and awareness of diversity and individual perspective in communicative situations, and developing mediation and autonomous learning skills. This volume mobilises teachers, managers, curriculum and materials developers, and other stakeholders to incorporate CEFR-informed pluriculturalism into language education practice in a flexible, stepwise and contextualised manner.
