The Modern Languages Programme of the Council of Europe as a background to the English Profile Programme

Abstract

The history of language teaching from the nineteenth century to the modern day is discussed including the initiatives of the Council of Europe following ratification of the Convention on Cultural Cooperation in 1954. It was this post-war initiative that paved the way for development of the Threshold level as a marker for language competency. More recently Waystage and Vantage levels have been added, and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages now provides a six level framework for testing language proficiency. The English Profile Programme is an innovative undertaking to develop these achievements further.