Updated on: Saturday, September 22, 2012
To help business organisations and other institutions assess English communication skills of its employees or students, the British Council has now come up with a unique international test which can be given either online, on pen and paper and even on the telephone.
With Aptis, one can assess the ability of an adult in all four English skills speaking, listening, reading and writing.
Mark Walker, director of Examinations at British Council, told reporters here, "It is uniquely flexible and accessible test. It allows you to test the skills relevant to your requirements accurately, and get results within 24 hours."
Integrating the medium of computer, telephone and pen and paper delivery, the assessment tool allows candidates to take the test from many locations around the world.
Available in 15 different packages, it allows the user to choose which skills need to be tested.
Walker said that the test can be used as a diagnostic tool for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of students or employees.
The content of Aptis can be adapted to suit a specific domain, such as teaching or travel and tourism, as well as customized to suit specific cultural contexts and variants of English.