TOLES

Last updated

The Test of Legal English Skills (TOLES) is a series of practical and profession-led English examinations for lawyers and law students. The TOLES exams are issued by Global Legal English, who are members of the International Division of the Law Society of England and Wales. The TOLES exams are designed to be vocational legal English exams rather than exams written by or intended for academics. [1] The TOLES exams are not formally placed on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages as the legal content of the exam is too high for them to be seen as purely English language exams.

Contents

Introduction

The TOLES exams were started in 2000 in response to demand from law firms and other employers of lawyers. The exams are offered at 3 levels. These are TOLES Foundation, TOLES Higher and TOLES Advanced. All of the exams focus on developing commercial awareness as well as accuracy and the development of a specialist commercial legal vocabulary. The stated aim of TOLES is to meet the English language skills standards of the group of law firms known as the Magic Circle (law) and other leading commercial enterprises. The exams are not a test of English law but test knowledge of legal English within the context of English and international law. The main topics of the exams include commercial contracts drafted in English, forms of business and the vocabulary of finance. [2] TOLES courses are offered around the world [3] [4] and in the UK [5]

Three levels

TOLES Foundation is the first level in the TOLES series. It is for beginners/elementary level students of legal English. This exam tests reading and writing skills. The exam takes 90 minutes.

TOLES Higher is the second level in the TOLES series. It is for intermediate level students of legal English. This exams tests reading, writing and listening skills. The exam takes 120 minutes.

TOLES Advanced is the highest level in the TOLES series. It is for advanced level students of legal English. This exam tests reading and writing skills. The exam takes 120 minutes.

Candidature

The TOLES exams are suitable for international lawyers and law students who are seeking employment in the field of international commercial law. This includes law students who are looking for employment in top level international law firms, the law departments of international corporations and local government. The majority of TOLES candidates between 2000 and 2018 have taken the exams at a British Council school or at a private or public university. [6] The exams are not suitable for native-English speakers.

Related Research Articles

Test of English as a Foreign Language is a standardized test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enroll in English-speaking universities. The test is accepted by more than 11,000 universities and other institutions in over 190 countries and territories. TOEFL is one of several major English-language tests worldwide, including IELTS, Duolingo English Test, Cambridge Assessment English, and Trinity College London exams.

A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction.

The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native speakers. It is intentionally designed to measure the everyday English skills of people working in an international environment.

Cambridge Assessment English or Cambridge English develops and produces Cambridge English Qualifications and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The organisation contributed to the development of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the standard used around the world to benchmark language skills, and its qualifications and tests are aligned with CEFR levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination</span>

The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination, or more commonly known as the A-level, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), was taken by senior students at the end of their matriculation in Hong Kong between 1979 and 2012. It was originally the entrance examination in University of Hong Kong until the introduction of the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) in 1992, which made it the major university entrance examination until academic year 2011/2012.

The Legal Practice Course (LPC) – also known as the Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice – is a postgraduate course and the final educational stage for becoming a solicitor in England, Wales and Australia. The course is designed to provide a bridge between academic study and training in a law firm. It is a one-year, full-time course, and tuition fees range from £8,000-£17,300 a year. A small proportion of students may have their fees and some living expenses paid for by future employers under a training contract.

Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Language and Culture is a course and examination offered by the College Board in the United States education system as part of the Advanced Placement Program.

B1 Preliminary, previously known as Cambridge English: Preliminary and the Preliminary English Test (PET), is an English language examination provided by Cambridge Assessment English.

Advanced Placement (AP) French Language and Culture is a course offered by the College Board to high school students in the United States as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level French course. The AP French Language test is widely compared to a final examination for a French 301 college course. Enrollment requirements for AP French Language differ from school to school, but students wishing to enter it should have a good command of French grammar and vocabulary as well as prior experience in listening, reading, speaking, and writing French and a holistic cultural knowledge of francophone regions. The AP French Language and Culture exam underwent a change beginning in May 2012 designed to better test interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational communication skills.

Legal English is the type of English as used in legal writing. In general, a legal language is a formalized language based on logic rules which differs from the ordinary natural language in vocabulary, morphology, syntax, and semantics, as well as other linguistic features, aimed to achieve consistency, validity, completeness and soundness, while keeping the benefits of a human-like language such as intuitive execution, complete meaning, and open upgrade. However, Legal English has been referred to as a "sublanguage", as Legal English differs from ordinary English. A specialized use of certain terms and linguistic patterns governs the teaching of legal language. Thus, "we study legal language as a kind of second language, a specialized use of vocabulary, phrases, and syntax that helps us to communicate more easily with each other".

C2 Proficiency, previously known as Cambridge English: Proficiency and the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), is an English language examination provided by Cambridge Assessment English (previously known as Cambridge English Language Assessment and University of Cambridge ESOL examination).

C1 Advanced, previously known as Cambridge English: Advanced and the Certificate in Advanced English (CAE), is an English language examination provided by Cambridge Assessment English (previously known as Cambridge English Language Assessment and University of Cambridge ESOL examination).

B2 First, previously known as Cambridge English: First and the First Certificate in English (FCE), is an English language examination provided by Cambridge Assessment English (previously known as Cambridge English Language Assessment and University of Cambridge ESOL examinations).

Trinity College London, established in 1872, is a leading international exam board, publisher and independent education charity. Since 1938 Trinity has been offering English language assessments taken by over 850,000 candidates in over 60 countries each year.

Pearson Language Tests is a unit of the Pearson PLC group, dedicated to assessing and validating the English language usage of non-native English speakers. The tests include the Pearson Test of English Academic, the PTE General, and PTE Young Learners. These are scenario-based exams, accredited by the QCA and Ofqual, and are administered in association with Edexcel, the world's largest academic examining body.

Language assessment or language testing is a field of study under the umbrella of applied linguistics. Its main focus is the assessment of first, second or other language in the school, college, or university context; assessment of language use in the workplace; and assessment of language in the immigration, citizenship, and asylum contexts. The assessment may include listening, speaking, reading, writing, an integration of two or more of these skills, or other constructs of language ability. Equal weight may be placed on knowledge and proficiency, or greater weight may be given to one aspect or the other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox College of Business</span>

Fox College of Business is a private business college in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Fox provides business programs including diploma, certificate, seminar, workshop and custom corporate training. The motto of the college is "Stop at Perfection".

A2 Key, previously known as Cambridge English: Key and the Key English Test (KET), is an English language examination provided by Cambridge Assessment English.

Advanced Placement (AP) International English Language is an AP Examinations course managed by Educational Testing Service (ETS) with the sponsorship of the College Board in New York. It is designed for non-native speakers to prepare for studying in an English-speaking university, particularly in North America. The course also gives students a chance to earn college credit. The three-hour exam assesses four language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The test paper has two sections: multiple-choice questions and free-response questions. APIEL committee consists of high school and university English teachers from Belgium, China, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Tests of English Language Proficiency</span> English language test for foreigners

General Tests of English Language Proficiency (G-TELP) are English language tests, developed by the International Testing Services Center (ITSC) in 1985. They comprehensively evaluate the practical English use ability of test takers who do not speak English as their native language.

References

  1. ↑ "TOLES - About TOLES". www.toles.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2012-02-16.
  2. ↑ "TOLES - TOLES Advanced". www.toles.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2010-02-13.
  3. ↑ "TOLES – Test of Legal English Skills | by Hello Languages". Archived from the original on 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
  4. ↑ "EMG Associates (UK) Limited > TOLES". www.emguk.net. Archived from the original on 2010-06-27.
  5. ↑ "TOLES (Test of Legal English Skills) - London School of English". www.londonschool.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-19.
  6. ↑ "TOLES - TOLES Examination Centres". www.toles.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2010-02-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.