In societies following a meritocratic ideal, educational certificates and examinations play a key role in allocating life chances to individuals. Procedures for allocating life chances need to be perceived as fair by those concerned if examinations and certificates are to possess legitimacy. This article traces and compares basic conceptions of…

The Certificate of the People's Universities is an examination organized in different European countries. The students are generally adults in evening courses. A description of the system in Germany is given; and principles of the examination, test content, and educational perspectives are discussed. References are included. (Text is in French.)…

The two issues of volume 5 and one issue of volume 6 of the newsletter contain articles on conferences and programs concerning language testing in Europe. Articles topics include: description of proficiency levels for a Council of Europe testing program; adult education and language testing in Germany; tests of Norwegian as a foreign language; the…