International Medical English Testing System

The aim of the project was to develop a computer-based language assessment system testing English for medical purposes in accordance with the new CEFR descriptors. The project continued the research in the field initiated by the sTANDEM project and investigated the new models of EMP test development, delivery and assessment with the use of ICT tools. The international consortium comprised members of two medical universities from Poland, Hungary and Romania as well as one association from Spain and two training institutions. The medical universities provided the expertise required for developing and validating IMETS examination papers, while the other partner institutions contributed with their expertise of developing innovative online training materials and supporting the consortium in recognition of qualifications at the European level and with the formulation of required dissemination and promotional strategies. The project comprised three distinct stages: research, development and validation. These stages related to all project results. The research was carried out in order to define the profiles of future test-takers according to their linguistic needs and relate them to the new extended CEFR descriptors. The exam specifications were developed to select the format of the most relevant task for the computer-based examinations. On the basis of the research results and experience of the consortium members the following main intellectual outputs were developed during the project lifetime: - Online training modules for IMETS exam developers and examiners - Sample examination materials implemented in the interactive form online The International Medical English Testing System comprises tests for listening comprehension, reading comprehension, speaking and writing. Test materials were developed at three levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL): B1 (threshold or lower intermediate), B2 (vantage or upper-intermediate) and C1 (effective operational proficiency or advanced) and they were tailored to test language competence of medical university students and health care professionals including in different domains (medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, physiotherapy, etc.) The IMETS consortium developed the internationally standardised certification system which provides both the educational sector and the professional medical sector with standardised assessment tools, which measure linguistic competence for professional purposes in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The IMETS is a unified assessment system that allows recognition of the linguistic competence of medical professionals by means of an international certificate.