Le DCL (Diplôme de compétence en langue) de chinois et la certification des compétences langagières pour le CLE (chinois langue étrangère) : retour sur expérience et perspectives

Mariarosaria Gianninoto, Université Paul Valéry-Montpellier 3, Yan-Zhen Chen, Université Bordeaux Montaigne

Abstract: The Diplôme de compétence en langue (DCL; Language Proficiency Certificate) is a French national certification assessing language proficiency in a situation close to the reality of work. This certification adopts a "communicative-actional approach", providing a scenario as a support for evaluating language skills. This scenario is a complex task made up of a series of communicative micro-tasks, connected to the role assigned to the candidate in the framework of the test.

The receptive (reading, listening) and productive / interactive skills (writing, speaking) are not assessed separately but are all involved for the achievement of the mission (macro-task) assigned to the candidate. Moreover, a common scenario and common documentary materials (audiovisual and textual authentic resources) are provided to all candidates, whose proficiency level is assessed according to the degree of task completion (Bourguignon, 2011b).

The DCL is currently available in nine foreign languages, including Chinese, as well as in French sign language and two French regional languages. In all its versions, the DCL is based on the CEFR and adopts an action-oriented approach. The DCL thus differs considerably from other existing CFL (Chinese as a foreign language) certification tests.