Commercial English language education penetration
Erika Uribe & Jaime Casado
Introduction
Berlitz, Harmon Hall, International and The Anglo are language centers that have a nationwide presence and strong brand recognition due to considerable marketing efforts. Their largest customer group was 25 35 year olds that wanted to improve their English for employment. Across Mexico, English learners take TOEFL, IELTS and Education First tests to evaluate their levels of English.
TOEFL
The TOEFL test was perceived as the most popular English testing service. A large number of Mexican students take TOEFL tests to be able to study abroad and graduate from university. The standardized TOEFL test gives reading, listening, speaking and writing scores between 0 30 to give a combined score of 0 120. When comparing the total TOEFL scores for Mexico with the equivalent Common European Framework level, 86 is equivalent to between B2 and C1 level.
IELTS
IELTS publish data for both Academic and General training and all scores for Mexico are within band 6 which is described as a competent user that has generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies and misunderstandings. When comparing IELTS to the Common European
Framework level, 6.5 is equivalent to C1 level.
Comparative English language levels
