The Centre for Greek Language has announced the dates and registration periods for the upcoming exams for the Certificates of Attainment in Greek. Candidates can register from February 1st until May 18, and the exams take place on May 15-17 (detailed timetables here in Greek). There are 21 examination centres in Greece and more than 190 worldwide.
The Centre for Greek Language is the official institution of the Greek Ministry of Education responsible for the administration of Certificates of Attainment in Greek, which were established in 1998. There are examinations for six levels of attainment, linked to the corresponding levels of the Common European Framework (CEFR). Exam questions are meant for the general public and the content is of general interest. The examination is communication-oriented; it emphasises not only on grammar knowledge, but also on the candidate’s ability to use the language efficiently in a specific place and within a specific linguistic context, whether formal or informal.
These certificates provide users of Greek with an evaluation of their knowledge and serve as proof of the candidate’s level of attainment in Greek in the work market. Recent decades were marked by a steady increase of foreigners living and working in Greece, but the Certificate is also addressed to anyone who wants accreditation for their knowledge of Greek, such as immigrants living in Greece or Greeks and Greek-Cypriot expatriates abroad. Apart from its usefulness to those who wish to work and study in Greece and Cyprus, it is of profound educational value for students who are interested in Greek as a second language.
CGL is also responsible for conducting examinations for the Certificate of Attainment in Greek for Professional Purposes for professionals of European Union or third countries who wish to work in Greece and thus need to prove their proficiency in Greek, and for the Certificate of Attainment for candidates from Vocational Training Centers, for unemployed repatriates/immigrants/refugees and unemployed persons for whom inadequate knowledge of the Greek language is a hindrance to social assimilation.
Learning Greek as a Foreign Language
The Centre for Greek Language is also responsible for a number of publications containing teaching material for the learning of Greek as a foreign language. Each book is specially designed for different levels: children, adults, basic and independent language users. They come with CDs featuring audio material and provide access to the online courses offered at the Portal for the Greek Language. The material is often revised and enriched.
Other options for Greek language learners include the courses offered by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, aimed at students but also designed for special purposes. Both institutions also organise exams for the certification of knowledge of the Greek language. One more initiative of the Aristotle University is the Online Greek Course, a user-friendly online programme for learning Greek as a foreign language. There are also language courses offered by a number of institutions in various regions, such as the Intercutlural Education Centre in Patras, the cultural centre Greek House in Athens and the Institute of Balkan Studies in Thessaloniki.
Centre for the Greek Language
The Centre for the Greek Language was established in 1992 in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is a non-profit organization supervised by the Greek Ministry of Education and in cooperation with the Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs. CGL’s goal is to promote the Greek language, regulate the teaching of Greek as a foreign language in Greece and abroad, support Greek language teachers in Greece and abroad and produce all relevant materials that may contribute to the spreading of Greek language.
CGL has four academic divisions: Lexicography, Linguistics, Support and Promotion of the Greek Language and Language and Literature. The researchers at these divisions have undertaken a significant number of projects in the field of language education. Through its Portal for the Greek Language, aimed for teachers, students and researchers of the Greek language, CGL provides a useful digital environment for the dissemination of the Greek language.
Read also via Greek News Agenda: Certificates in Greek; Certificate of Attainment in Greek: New Teaching Material ; Routes in Teaching Modern Greek as a Foreign Language; Learning Greek in Greece; University of Athens Greek Courses for Non Greek Speakers; Odysseas Online Greek Language Tutor; On Not Knowing (Modern) Greek
Useful Links: Guide to the examination for the certificate of Attainment in Greek (2002); The School of Modern Greek Language of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; Modern Greek Language Teaching Centre-University of Athens; More information in English on the Centre for the Greek Language Examinations via the Hellenic American Union
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