Language Exam: Celpe-Bras

Portuguese. Portuguese and Spanish. Spanish and Portuguese. Portuguese and Galician.

Wow, what a mix of languages. Everyone told me that as a Galician I would find it a lot easier to speak Portuguese. And sure, as far as vocabulary goes it was way easier to hear some of the words and expressions. When speaking I was able to say whatever I wanted, that is, say words that I do not know in Portuguese, by saying the word in Galician instead, since they are often similar. However, although this is an advantage, on the other hand, in my opinion, it's more difficult for a Galician to correctly speak Portuguese than it is for someone who only speaks Spanish. Why is this? Because we know more Galician, it prevents us from advancing and improving in Portuguese, and also creates confusion in our heads between the words that Portuguese language has taken from Galician with those taken from Castilian.

Although I went with very limited Portuguese capabilities, it didn't end up being very difficult for me. The only contact I had had with the language had been a course carried out in the UDC, in the language centre. It is a free course for all those doing Erasmus or with a bilateral agreement. It consisted of attending 4 hours of classes a week, (every Tuesday evening from 4pm to 8pm) until completion of 30 hours of classes, for which you were accredited after having done the corresponding exam, at A2 level, the minimum required in order to be able to go to the country and the University in question (UDESC).

Depending on which University you're from, they can be more or less fussy about obtaining this qualification. They can ask you to take an exam to obtain a certain level (although they will never ask for a B2 level, A2 is sufficient). Other places may give you the opportunity to take the exam there, by doing a course offered by the faculty. For example, the UFSC gives courses to everyone who wants them including those who aren't students at the University for 300 Brazilian reales.

At the language centre, A Coruña

In our case, all of us who had gone to my University, UDC, reached A2 level. Some of us had done this course in the language centre, however, places are limited and of course, also taking part are people only interested in learning the language because they want to, or are going to work in a Portuguese speaking country, or for whatever other reason. Together with this, my faculty's schedule coincided with that of the language centre (forcing us to miss two classes), which I didn't notice until the last minute, when there were almost no places remaining, but some of my peers decided to rearrange their life so as to not miss classes.

At one point they were on the verge of not being able to obtain the title, but eventually they took up an online course.

Of course, if you have the option to choose, I recommend you take a course in person, as you will better develop and refine your communication, conversation and language interaction skills, plus you can get to know and spend time with people - some who you might end up being in the Erasmus destination with! There will always be an organised dinner (another excuse to get to know people and go out to party).

Online course

This course gives you the option of obtaining the title without fixed hours, meaning you have more flexibility. On portuguesonline you will find Portuguese courses (for Brazil or Portugal) for 80 euros for a period of 3 months, which consists of 60 hours of study, and gets you to the A2 level of Portuguese. Three months is the time which I had to do it although in reality they told me that it could have been done perfectly in a week.

Portugues Online Link

They were satisfied, so it is a good option for those who don't have time, but if you have the chance to do it in a face-to-face class it's much better, above all for the pronunciation and conversation practise.

This course was structured by themes and each one had a vocabulary and grammar sections, as well as exercises. It also had some audio files so you can listen to conversations. The exercises generally consisted of filling in gaps or putting together phrases from scratch, which were send online and fairly quickly they would be corrected by someone and sent back to you with the necessary corrections.

And off you go abroad...

Nothing is as it seems.

This gives you the option of going to the country with a minimal idea of the language and only a few expressions on which to get by. However, it becomes evident upon first arriving that you have no idea what is happening and are only able to speak the language with a lot of mistakes. When I arrived, some people, in their 20s, came to meet me at the airport (we had been speaking on Facebook) and the first conversation we had ended up being quite tedious, as my contribution to it was scarce and almost more in Galician than Portuguese, so they had to speak at a much slower rate for me to be able to understand. I will always be grateful to them for all the patience they had with me, because thanks to spending the first few days with them, my ear was tuned to the language and the accent (words that are spelled the same in Spanish and Portuguese, when spoken, can be surprisingly different due to the Portuguese accent). For example, the world 'tipo' is written the same in both languages, yet they pronounce the letter 't' as 'tch', and the last 'o', for those with the more closed accent is pronounced almost as 'u' which makes the word sound something like 'tchipu'.

This group of guys all made friends with eachother whilst they were working in the Air Force (in the camps) and were from various places such as Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo or Grande do Sul. I knew that I already was able to somewhat speak Portuguese, when I began to differentiate between the accents of each region. To them, an Andalusian person and Galician person speak in exactly the same way. It was the very first day for me, and little by little I found myself understanding the tendencies of each one of them and the characters of their distinct accents.

For example the word 'dos', in Portuguese is pronounced 'doix'. Someone from Foripa will pronounce it as 'dois', whereas a person from Rio de Janeiro will pronounce it as 'doix' (the 'X' gives it that Galician sound). With an isolated word, it may not be a problem, but at first I heard predominantly 'x x x x x x x x', haha.

Now with the introduction out of the way, the next part will primarily focus on the Celpe-Bras exam, which I took upon returning to Spain

What is the Celpe-Bras exam?

From my point of view, being able to live in another country is an amazing opportunity to learn another language, and you should not get lazy speaking Portuguese if others already understand Spanish or Galician, instead you should take the opportunity to talk with local people so you can improve and improve every time you speak. In my case, having to deal with patients on a daily basis, including small children, whilst living with people from there and having several groups of Brazilian friends, I had no choice but to work hard (and I was very grateful to have continuous contact with Brazilians ), However, many of the exchange students only hang out with people from their home country and do not make much effort to get improve at the language, which in my view, is a mistake.

It is a Portuguese language exam, of the Brazilian dialect, through which you obtain a certificate of proficiency in Portuguese language for foreigners. The board which organises this is the MEC of Brazil. It is an official title, equivalent to the DELF for French, or the Cambridge English qualification.

This is the only qualification of its type that is recognised by the Brazilian government, and furthermore, it's recognised internationally (such as in companies or other institutions).

It's not an exam that Brazilian people can take, it is only suitable for foreigners or for those who's maternal language is something other than Portuguese.

As for my future professional life, I want to have a qualification which states that I have a certain level of Portuguese, and that I have lived in Brazil for 6 months, during which I have developed, learnt and improved my communication skills in this language.

However, if you plan to validate any of the qualifications you have obtained in other country, you must prove to have the Celpe-Bras title as a requirement, either to apply to do some type of postgraduate studies, masters or get a job.

Where and when can the exam be taken?

You can take it in Brazil or elsewhere, by agencies authorized to conduct them. Some of our exchange partners did it there after about 6 months. From my point of view, it is better to do it there because you are more accustomed to listening and speaking Portuguese. Once you have returned to Spain, you have a break from speaking Portuguese and although it doesn't seem so, you lose some of the habits and certain abilities such as fluency of conversation.

In Spain, the exam can only be taken in Salamanca and Madrid, if I remember correctly, with two sittings per year (around March and the other in October, although it varies year by year). We were called up to take the exam taking place between the 22nd and 23rd of October, 2013 in Salamanca. The exam comprised of a written section and an oral exam, which you can take at 2pm the same day, or you can opt to take the two parts of the exam on separate days (depending on your request). If you are outside of the city you can request to take both on the same day, so that you can take the written part in the morning and the other part in the evening.

Later on I will explain the different parts which make up this exam

Registration in order to take the Celpe-Bras exam

Registration to take the exam can be done online. In fact I did it in summer while working as an activities instructor and could not leave the premises.

Also, on the exam's website, you will find a seperate section for enrollment, (http://celpebras.inep.gov.br/inscricaoCelpeBras/), where you will have to fill in a form with the infomation they require. The questions include personal info, location and time of which you want to take the exam, a series of personal questions which will act as the starting point for the oral section of the exam; later on I will cover in more depth the parts of the exam in more detail.

I would recommend enrolling as soon as possible (and of course well before the deadline), as in Salamanca, for example, the spaces are very limited and you may find that they don't accept your application, if the limit of applicants has already been reached.

Before you receive confirmation of the exam, you have to pay for it at the bank, as indicated on the registration form (the bank is indicated on the form but now I do not remember which one it was, I think perhaps Santander). The registration fee is about 54 euros.

Lastly, after having paid, the applicant is given a proof of registration that must be submitted on the day of the examination, together with the document (or a copy) of the proof of identity used when registrating. I. E, if you put in your passport remember to take it with you on the day of the exam; but an identity card is perfectly valid and I suppose you would use that.

The Proficiency Exam... what does it mean?

Like I was, you may not be very clear about this concept. I will explain to you what it means next.

This is not like the exams which you are used to taking, either in language school or at University, in which they give you false friends, vocabulary and lots and lots of grammar exercises.

The aim of this exam is to evaluate a person's ability in coping in different situations where they would be required to use the language, in this case Portuguese. It tries to objectively assess what level the person is when communicating, reading, speaking and writing in the language, as well as their understanding of written and audiovisual media.

It measures the ability of the examinee to cope in situations that occur in real life and integrate their vocabulary and grammar knowledge when writing texts or have a conversation.

It can also be taken by someone who had lived in Portugal, who is fluent in Peninsular Portguese, however watch out, because there are some differencdes between them, which will count against you - like the inclusion of expressions not used in Brazillian Portuguese (as much in written as in spoken Portuguese), as well as the accent you speak with.

The Celpe-Bras exam is for non native speakers of Portuguese

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Levels

We are accustomed to sitting an exam at a determined level and if we pass, we reach level 10, and if not, we re-take it another time.

In this exam you are presented with one chance to complete the proposed questions in the best possible way, and your score will determine you level. There are four levels of proficiency: intermediate, superior intermediate, advanced and superior advanced. Generally speaking, you should get a similar level in all parts of the exam, although if someone is very able to hold a conversation, but is not able to demonstrate this in the exam, they will not obtain an 'advanced' level, as the mark is determined through an equilibrium of all the sections, as opposed to a mere calculation of the average mark obtained from each of the different parts.

There are three aspects which assess the written and oral skills, and they relate to whether you will get one level or another. They take into account the outcome of a translated text and language comprehension: adaptation of context, logic and linguistics.

This probably does not pose a problem for someone who has learnt the language in an academy, for example in a language school, however I came to a different obstacle. Although, as expected, I spoke better than people who had just attended the language school (after spending the last six months in Brazil, speaking with the locals), I probably had less of a grasp on grammar and writing. So to speak, my conversations were not formal in nature, except for some relaxed conversations between colleagues. As for conversations with patients, there was not an air of authority, it was more as if speaking with an acquaintance at work.

For example, when speaking with my colleagues, I only referred to them as 'oh cara' (Portuguese word similar to 'dude') or 'legal' (similar to cool'). For example, 'o cara, o dia de ontem foi muito legal', which translates to 'hey dude, yesterday was really cool'. In Spanish I am much more conscious of the difference between these words and their incorrect usage in a more formal setting, however in Portuguese these terms are expected normally, and I think that a word along thse lines might have made it into conversation with one of my examiners. On the flipside, when having conversations with my patients (although they were somewhat colloquial and distended) it never occurred to me to address to them like "cara", as respect is a very important quality which can give you more importance, so even if I was laughing with my patient I would always address them as "sir" or "madame".

On the other hand, I also improved my written language by having to submit daily reports on the progress of my patients to my supervisor, in order to prepare a final study on the pathology I was treating and the research I had carried out on it, and the progress of the patients from beginning to end. So through my teachers reading and correcting of my work, I improved my written constructions, became familiar with some of the most frequent expressions, and learnt more about the use of accents.

It is strange that in Brazil (and in the Portuguese language) there is no normal strict ruling organisation such as the RAE in Spain (Real Academia Española), except for certain norms which are followed out of tradition, and even those change quite often, which makes daily life there more difficult.

Without further ado, I am going to explain the different levels and the correlation between the scores and the different levels you can be awarded (A1, A2, B1, B2, and C1).

Levels and scoring

• 1. No level obtained, score between 0 and 1. 99.
• 2. Intermediate: between 2 and 2. 75 (A2 level).

This level indicates that you have a partial knowledge of the language, and you are able to hear and produce texts but of low quality and about limited topics, so to speak, only about themes with which you are already familiar or encounter in day to day situations. Another aspect which is taken into consideration is if other words from the person's native language slip into conversation, which can make their Portuguese incomprehensible.

• Intermediate Superior: between 2. 76 and 3. 5 (B1 level).

This level indicates a better understanding of the language than the lower level, and is characterised by less interference from other languages, and better written, conversational and pronunciational skills than at A2 level.

• Advanced: between 3. 5 and 4. 25 (B2 level).

This level indicates a decent knowledge of the language in such a way that the person can defend themselves in almost all situations they are faced with, and in a fluid manner. They also have a good understanding of the language as they can use more complex constructions and are able to adapt to the current context, whilst maintaining coherence with the theme.

• Advanced superior: between 4. 26 and 5 (C1 level)

This level indicates that the person has a perfect grasp of the Portuguese language, and fully achieves all the necessary requisites to cope well in the language, with great adaptation to the situation without interference from other languages.

What are the different parts of the Celpe-Bras exam?

As I said before, the exam consists of an oral section and a written section, which you have the option to take on the same of different days.

The skills they evaluate are: written and oral comprehension, as well as the ability to produce written texts and hold a conversation. So, the exam is split into two parts:

• A. The Written Section

Firstly, you will have to go through to a communal room, with the other people who are being examined, and here you will do the written section.

They start off by giving you all the necessary sheets needed for the later exercises, with the maximum allowed being one sheet per task. This is when you can ask any questions you may have, as you will not be permitted to do so once the exam has started. You have 20 minutes for the first two tasks and 30 minutes for the following two.

The first two questions focus on a document (visual information and audio information) and a report to listen to (only audio information). Each one will be repeated twice and then the rest of the 20 minutes will be left for the completion of the task. This will consist of answering some questions that are in the exam paper about what you have listened to, for which you will have to provide objective data which is contained in the text as well as your own personal opinions.

In the second part there are two texts (generally articles taken from a newspaper), which you have to read and make sense of, followed by writing a text that follows the given instructions.

Once you have finished the paper, and checked it if necessary, you can hand in your exam paper and leave the room until it is time to take the oral exam.

• B. The Oral Section

The various examinees will be called up every half an hour for this part. Upon arriving you will be seated next to the person with whom you will be conversing and a voice recorder will be set upon the table to record the conversation. At the back of the room is the person taking notes, an external examiner who will have no interaction with you.

To break the ice, in the first minutes the examiner will ask some questions about why you are taking the exam, as you have revised how to introduce yourself. Also, they already know the answers to this as in the registration form you have to answer a series of personal questions in relation to the language and your experiences. This will act as a starting point (in my case fo example, I was asked about my experience in Florianópolis, where I was studying and what I did there, for how long, etc).

Then the examiner will present you with some sheets containing images and messages (generally they are very simple) and they will ask you questions about them to which you will have to respond, for example: 'How does this make you feel? ', 'What do you think it is trying to say? ', 'What is your opinion on this? '.

In my case I was presented with images of the countryside surrounding a Brazilian town encouraging older people to do physical activity. Another image had the phrase '¿Queres deslanchar na tua carreira? ' (do you want to kickstart your career? ). I had to explain the meaning of the word 'deslanchar' and the meaning of the phrase as a whole. Another one, with which I agreed with, featured a photo of a bike in a forest and for this I had to speak about recycling and renewable energy.

On the website for the exam (which I have linked at the end of this post), you can find all the resources for the past papers to practise. For example, this year a new person started at my faculty who comes from Minas Gerais (a state in Brazil) with whom I was partnered up with (as I was also abroad, I do my best to make him feel welcome, show him around the faculty and help him with any questions he may have). Anyway, this boy is very nice and he has also been helping me with the exam. I have written some texts which he has kindly corrected for me. As I said beofre, what let me down the most was that I used terms and expressions that are very colloquial and not suitable for an exam setting.

The Celpe-Bras exam has two parts: oral and written

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Do I need to prepare for the exam?

Evidently and as for all exams, yes. Of course, the manner in which each person prepares for an exam is different. Many of those who take the exam, do so because they have lived in a Portuguese-speaking place and want a title that recognizes their level at the language.

Others come from language schools and other academies, where they already give you the necessary training to pass this exam.

As I said before, online you can find the past exams, in case anyone was interested in practicing their production of texts and talking with someone about some of the slogans that were used in previous years.

The way in which you prepare for the exam should be your personal preference, I can't say one way is better than another. It is important not to start your preparation only one month before the exam (as for any language) because this is insufficient time to acquire the skill and ability to communicate in Portuguese in any situation you may be presented with.

It is important to prepare for the Celpe-Bras exam

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In our call to take the exam in October 2013, in Salamanca, came an invite for an intensive online course, organized by the Center for Brazilian Studies at the USAL (University of Salamanca) for about 120 euros.

http://www.usal.es/webusal/node/29226

Correction of the Celpe-Bras exam

The grade from the exam takes a while to be published as the written texts are sent to Brasilia (the capital of Brazil), so that they can be corrected by professional, trained people.

The oral exam is marked at the same time and with the help of the voice recording taken. In this part, the examinee is with two other examiners (specially trained to perform this type of evaluation) but only interacts with one. This will be the one that evaluates the face-to-face interaction and the fluency of the conversation, the other is responsible for the more analytical evaluation (interference of other languages, vocabulary, coherence, pronunciation... ) both examiners give their notes separately.

The texts done in the first part are sent to Brasilia, where each section is corrected by two markers specially trained for this task.

You find out what note you have got after about one or two months, generally speaking (we took the exam at the end of October and we did not find out our marks until January, which can only be done by going to the web page http://portal.inep.gov.br/celpebras-resultados.

After having taken the exam in October, to this day I know that I have got an Intermediate superior level, after spending 6 months in the country. However I still do not have the actual certificate of language... Patience.