ECCE – Certificate of Competency, Lower Exam
The ECCE is not a proficiency examination. For this reason, it is sometimes called the “lower exam.”
In fact, the level of the examination is upper intermediate.
It is referred to as the lower exam because it is not as difficult as the ECPE exam.
So, the ECCE should not be confused with the MTELP or the ECPE.
Visit the Hellenic American Union Website if you are taking the exam in Greece.
Format of the ECCE Test
Listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills are assessed with various tasks on the examination.
Speaking
The speaking test lasts for 15 minutes.
Students engage in multi-step speaking tasks with one examiner.
Listening
The listening test lasts for 30 minutes.
Parts 1 and 2 of the listening test are multiple choice.
In Part 1, the student will hear a short conversation and a question.
Answers are selected from the pictures provided.
Part 2 has short talks on different topics, with 4 to 6 questions per topic.
English Language Test (GVR)
The Grammar-Vocabulary-Reading (GVR) Test lasts for 90 minutes and is multiple choice.
For the grammar and vocabulary sections, the student will see an incomplete sentence and answer choices of words or phrases to complete it.
The reading test is multiple choice and has two parts.
Part 1 has a short reading passage and comprehension questions.
Part 2 has sets of four short texts which are related to each other.
There are 10 questions for each set of texts on part 2 of the reading test.
Essay
The essay writing section lasts for 30 minutes.
The student has to write a letter or essay to state an opinion about an issue.
You will need to have good grammar and know how to use informal expressions in English for your essay.
For more help with your essay, please click on the link below: