The ALTE Item Writing Course - Getting to know the basics aims to help participants get started as item writers or develop already existing item writing skills.  After introducing theory basics, we’ll get down to looking at examples and doing some item writing.
There are three sessions of this course: 

Saturday, 3rd June, 9:00-12:00 pm CET - Introduction to the principles of assessment  
Thursday, 8th June, 9:00-16:00 pm CET (including a lunch break) - Reading and Writing 
Friday, 9th June, 9:00-16:00 pm CET (including a lunch break) - Listening and Speaking 

Most sample tasks are in English but the course is structured in a way that all of the techniques are applicable to other languages too. Although the sessions are divided into Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking, we will also briefly discuss item writing for integrated skills.

Course tutor: Annie Broadhead

Annie Broadhead is an Assessment consultant, ESOL teacher trainer, test developer and ELT author based in Cambridge, UK. Annie has run online courses in the Principles of Testing and ALTE Item Writer courses in several countries.

She has experience of writing tests for all ages and at all levels. She is passionate about helping people produce good tests that have a positive washback effect on teaching and learning.

We very much look forward to seeing you on the course!

Payment and Cancellation policy: Payment is in full when registering. Payment can only be made online using a Visa, MasterCard or American Express. 

Please notice that if you cannot pay with a credit/debit card please contact the Secretariat immediately (secretariat@alte.org). In such a case we will have to issue an invoice first, and only then a bank transfer will be possible.

In case of cancellation up until one month before the start of the events, the full amount will be refunded minus a €50 administration fee. However, in the case of cancellation after this date, no refunds can be made. 

ALTE is organising another online session of the  ALTE Introductory Course in Language Testing which will take place from Monday 18^th  to Saturday 30^th  September 2023. Normally the course runs for two weeks, Monday to Friday.
However, for the September 2023 course, there is an amendment to the schedule, to give participants the opportunity to take part in an all-day online even ton Friday 29^th September.  

The online event is the CRELLA Colloquium on the CEFR: The CEFR: a Road Map for Future Research and Development, on Friday, 29^th September, from 10.00 – 17.00 UK time. The event is organised by the University of Bedfordshire, Luton, UK. The event is free of charge, and the course tutor, Prof. Anthony Green will be happy to see you there.  
ALTE believes this event is worthwhile your participation, as it raises important issues when it comes to the CEFR and the future of language testing. 
For this reason, the final session of the course is on Saturday 30^th September.
More information about the Colloquium can be found below.  
 
The course will be presented by  Professor Anthony Green (CRELLA, University of Bedfordshire) and Jane Lloyd (Cambridge University Press and Assessment).
The course will consist of a mix of recorded lectures and downloadable exercises, alongside a 'live' element where participants meet for an hour and a half a day over the two week-period.  The programme of the course will be available nearer the time.  

Information about the Colloquium:  
This one-day Colloquium is a follow-up to The CEFR: a Road Map for Future Research and Development, the 2020 conference hosted by the British Council in London and sponsored by EALTA and UKALTA.  
One of the outcomes of that conference was Aligning Language Education with the CEFR: a Handbook, published jointly by ALTE, the British Council, EALTA and UKALTA in 2022 and freely available from their websites. You can find the document on the ALTE website, clicking here. 

The Colloquium is part of the preparation for a two-day European conference planned for the autumn of 2024; a major feature of the conference will be case studies that report on the use of the Handbook in a variety of language education contexts.  

The Colloquium will be hosted by CRELLA at the University of Bedfordshire and it will begin by focusing on a key point of reference in the Handbook, the comprehensive learning system (CLS; O’Sullivan 2020), and on the importance of constructively aligning the three dimensions of the system: curriculum, delivery and assessment. The next three sessions, each with an invited presenter and discussant, will focus on each of these dimensions in turn, and the day will conclude with a plenary panel discussion. A follow-up report will record the events of the day and will include practical support and guidance on conducting alignment case studies for anyone interested in presenting at the 2024 conference. 

ALTE is co-funding an one day Colloquium together with EALTA, British Council and UKALTA.

The Colloquium will take place at CRELLA, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, UK and it will be a follow-up to The CEFR: a Road Map for Future Research and Development, the 2020 conference hosted by the British Council in London and sponsored by EALTA and UKALTA.

One of the outcomes of that conference was Aligning Language Education with the CEFR: a Handbook, published jointly by ALTE, the British Council, EALTA and UKALTA in 2022 and freely available from their websites. 

The Colloquium is being organized by the Handbook steering group (Neus Figueras, David Little, Barry O’Sullivan, Nick Saville, Lynda Taylor) in close cooperation with Anthony Green and his team at CRELLA, University of Bedfordshire.

In-person attendance at the event will be limited to 50, but it will also be possible to participate online. Both modes of participation will be free of charge. Advice on travel to and accommodation in Luton will be sent to all in-person participants.

The Colloquium programme will be published in June 2023 and registration will open on 1^st September 2023.

More information about this will be sent around in due course.

ALTE's 59th Meeting and Conference will take place in Rome, Italy from 8th - 10th November 2023.

More details about this event will be available soon. 

ALTE's 60th Meeting and Conference will take place in Bad Homburg, Germany, from 10th - 12th April 2024.

More details about this event will be available soon.