Aiming to improve Estonia's English language assessment options, Cambridge University Press & Assessment and the ministry of education and research have launched a new agreement.

This deal is established upon the 2019 partnership agreement, which has already allowed almost 15,000 Estonian school-leavers to take the English C1 Advanced examination instead of their regular school-leaving test.

In Estonian schools, the usual test is set at the B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages standard.

Hanan Khalifa from Cambridge University Press says, “We’re delighted to be continuing our work with the Ministry of Education in Estonia, and with our colleagues in Harno.”

The first intake of C1 Advanced tests under the new agreement is scheduled to take place in Estonia in the spring of 2023.

Over the next four and a half years, more than 18,000 Estonian students will be eligible to take the English C1 test, earning an English language qualification recognised by universities in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries.

The Education and Youth Board (Haridus- ja Noorteamet, usually known as Harno), a government agency of the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research responsible for implementing the country's education and youth policies, will carry out the language examinations.

“In the previous round of the project, Estonian students consistently achieved results which were significantly higher than the global average for this high-level English exam,” Khalifa added.

Khalifa applauded the outcomes due to the project's many stakeholders' motivation and devotion, including parents, students, teachers, and the Estonian Ministry.

“This new phase of the project is even more ambitious, which shows the Ministry's confidence in Estonia’s students,” she added.

Representatives from Cambridge joined Harno at a special event held in Tallinn in December 2022 to celebrate the successful outcome of the first four-year partnership and mark the beginning of the new project.