The CLUC (Catalan Universities Language Certificate) is the collective name for the different language certificates issued by the language services of the Catalan universities. These certificates comply with specific criteria in accordance with the directives passed by the CIC (Catalan Interuniversity Council).
The Catalan universities organise common exams to test knowledge of the Catalan language. This is coordinated via the CIFALC (Catalan Interuniversity Commission for Language Training and Certification). The CIFALC’s system of certificates allows six levels of linguistic competence in Catalan to be accredited; Basic (A1, A2), Independent User (B1, B2) and Proficient User (C1, C1 for university teaching and research staff, C2), according to the standards established by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) adapted to a university context. In addition, accreditation is also offered in Catalan for Specific Purposes: The Certificate in Legal Catalan.
CIFALC Catalan Certificates
| Official CIFALC certificates | Equivalent CEFR level | Equivalent SPL level |
|---|---|---|
| Inicial Bàsic | A1 A2 | Inicial (A1) Bàsic (A2) |
| Elemental | B1 | Elemental (B1) |
| Intermedi | B2 | Intermedi (B2) |
| Suficiència i Suficiència per al personal docent i investigador (PDI) | C1 | Suficiència (C1) |
| Superior Llenguatge jurídic català | C2 — | Superior (C2) Llenguatge jurídic (J) |
The system of certificates issued by the universities within the CIFALC framework relating to general knowledge of the Catalan language, is recognized by the Language Policy Secretariat and regulated by Order VCP/233/210 of April 12 with regards to the equivalences and accreditation of Catalan. The recognition of the certificate of knowledge of legal language (level J) is regulated by Decret 218/2018 of October 9 which modified Decret 180/2014 of December 30.
Target audience
All university community members (students, teaching and research staff, administration and service staff) and the general public can take CIFALC Catalan exams, provided they have taken a prior training course at the level they wish to accredit in one of the universities. Furthermore, university community members are permitted to take an exam without prior training at an examination session organised by the university in which they study or work. It should be taken into account, however, that the number of exam places offered via this route is limited.
In the case of the legal language exam, as a result of its specific characteristics, the universities which offer exam sessions have different conditions regarding the criteria for taking the exam. They may require prior training in the same university or they may allow the exam to be taken without this requirement, even in the case of the general public.
CIFALC exams
The exams assess the four language skills to determine whether learners’ have adequate knowledge of Catalan for social and academic use: speaking (S), writing (W), listening (L) and reading (R).
Those interested can consult information on the exams’ structuring, marking and assessment or view sample papers. CIFALC exams for each of the officially recognised levels are split into two parts: one written and one oral.
Exam structure and description
This section describes the exams’ structuring, the areas, and the pass marks for each section and overall. It includes the aims, the skills that have to be demonstrated in each area, the total time allotted for each exam, and the type of exercises involved.
Sample exam
A sample exam for each of the levels can be consulted both for written and oral parts to get an idea of the content and the marking scheme.
Exam assessment
This document gives a brief summary of the assessment criteria and marking of the exams. Marking criteria are given for the elements that make up each exercise and area, and guidelines are given for the amount of time to be spent on each exercise.
Exam content (in Catalan)
Inicial level (A1) (from October 2022)
Bàsic level (A2) (from October 2022)
Elemental level (B1)
- Sample written and oral exam
- Sample correction
- Area 1 audio files: Sample 1, Sample 2, Sample 3
Intermedi level (B2) (from February 2019)
- Sample written and oral exam
- Sample correction
- Area 2 audio files: Sample 1, Sample 2