Why is ELAO a reliable language test?

For over 15 years, the ELAO language test has been used by companies, universities and official bodies to assess candidates’ and students’ language levels against the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). But what makes so many organisations trust it? This article explains why.

Why does your language test need to be reliable?

Whether you are a university, a training centre or a business, you will need to administer language tests for a range of reasons.

As a university, you may need to verify that students have the required level to follow courses taught in a foreign language. As a training centre, you need to assess learners’ existing skills and build consistent, homogeneous level groups. As a company, you need to identify candidates who meet the language requirements of the role you are recruiting for.

The results of these language tests must be accurate and dependable. When they are not, the financial risks can be significant. Hiring a candidate who lacks the required skills for a role can lead to lost time, reduced efficiency and, ultimately, restarting the recruitment process from scratch. Similarly, placing a learner in a group whose level is too high or too low will reduce the return on your training investment — they will learn less, and you will have wasted both time and money.

How ELAO’s reliability is measured

Does the ELAO test meet the reliability standards expected by educational institutions, businesses and official bodies? To answer this, we draw on three sources of evidence: a statistical study, recognition by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the satisfaction of our clients.

The Le Forem reliability study

Le Forem is the public service responsible for professional training and employment in the Walloon Region of Belgium. To help jobseekers acquire the skills they need to find work, Le Forem offers language courses and immersion programmes. To do this effectively, it needs to accurately measure each person’s language level for group placement, indicate language proficiency on CVs, and verify the language level of individuals seeking Belgian nationality.

To assess the reliability of our language test, we conducted a study in collaboration with Le Forem. For comparison purposes, 18,026 tests were taken twice during language assessments organised by Le Forem — once on the ELAO platform, and once through a spoken expression assessment carried out by professional trainers.

The results were clear: in 86% of cases, the difference between the ELAO test result and the trainer’s assessment was less than half a level (for example B1.1 and B1.2). This is a remarkably narrow margin, and it demonstrates that the ELAO language test is highly reliable — even without including a spoken expression component.

Reliability is also monitored on an ongoing basis by Accent Languages, the training organisation behind ELAO. Their trainers administer over 1,500 tests per year to independently verify learner levels and cross-check the platform’s results.

Recognised by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Belgian law requires newly arrived individuals seeking Belgian nationality to demonstrate proficiency in at least one of the country’s three official languages — French, Dutch or German — at a minimum level of A2.

To verify this, a number of recognised institutions organise official language tests. In Wallonia, each territorial branch of Le Forem conducts these assessments using the ELAO platform — a clear mark of institutional trust in the tool’s accuracy and credibility.

Accent Languages is also an associate member of ALTE (the Association of Language Testers in Europe), a European body dedicated to language assessment providers and committed to fair and accurate evaluation of language competence.

Tested and approved by our clients

Perhaps the most compelling evidence of the quality and reliability of our language test is the number of organisations that rely on it — and the feedback they give.

Universities, higher education colleges, training centres, businesses and official bodies all use ELAO to accurately measure the language levels of candidates and learners.

Viviane Robic, Head of Language Training at the Banque de France, puts it clearly: ELAO is built on the CEFR and delivers quarter-level precision. Beyond that accuracy, she highlights the platform’s strong reliability, the ease of use for both learners and administrators, and the adaptive format that gives test-takers a sense of progress regardless of their level.

Other clients regularly point to the accessibility of reports, the speed of the test and the quality of technical support as key strengths of the ELAO platform.

Want to try ELAO for yourself?

If you would like to form your own view of ELAO’s reliability, get in touch to request a free demonstration. Our team will be happy to walk you through the platform and answer any questions about how it could work for your organisation.