Cambridge English Skills Test Schools: Sessions – English Skills Test

This article explains what test session are and describes how to add them, as well as naming conventions and relevant deadlines.

This article describes the process of setting up sessions for the Schools variant of the Cambridge English Skills Test. If you want to set up a session for the General or Business variants, please follow the steps in this article.

Click on the headings below for more information.

What are Sessions?
A brief summary of what "Sessions" means for the Cambridge English Skills Test

In the Cambridge English Test Portal (Metrica), Cambridge English Skills Tests are arranged into sessions.

Each session should be set to a maximum of 90 days and has unlimited capacity. After the 90 days have lapsed the session will move into the Complete folder.

Complete Tab.png

Candidate results are provided instantly for Reading and Listening, and after 48 hours for the Speaking and Writing components.

Please also see details on large sessions below.

Naming your session in Metrica

We recommend you use a naming convention when you create your sessions for ease of reference on the session management screen. The session name will display to candidates when they login. Please remember that your invigilators will also need to find the sessions that they are invigilating.

We recommend:

Short Venue Details
Skills Test/Skills Test Schools/Skills Test Business
The date in the format DD MM YYYY
Whether it is a morning (AM) or afternoon session (PM).

For Example: TLC Skills Test Schools 30 04 25 PM

When naming the session please ensure you do not include the name of a candidate, your name or the name of the invigilator.

How to add a session
The steps to follow to add a new session in Metrica

1. Log into the Cambridge English Test Portal, Metrica.

2. Click Sessions. The session list opens.

Menu Sessions.PNG

3. Click Add Session.

4. Complete the Basic Settings:

Select the Group from the available options. You will only see products you are eligible for.
If you are an Institution you can create the session for your Client or set the session up for your own Institution. Select either A Client and select the Client Name from the options, or My Institution.
Add the test Venue where candidates will be sitting the test. We recommend that Venues are created before you set up the Session.
The Invigilation Method will default to EST/EST For School.
Select the Session Size. If you know that a test venue can only accommodate a certain number of candidates then you can specify the capacity here, otherwise click Unlimited capacity.

Basic settings.PNG

5. Set the Start Date and time for the session. The End Date and time will be completed automatically. For the Cambridge English Skills Test the session window is 90 days.

Start and End Date.PNG

Session timings are determined by the institution’s or client's configured time zone in Metrica and start and end times reflect local time.

It is not possible to assign different time zones to venues. Where a venue is in a different time zone from the institution or client of the institution, the session start and end times will still reflect the institution’s or client's local time.

Daylight Savings changes are automatically managed by Metrica.

6. Add Test Components.

Click on the blue link.

Add test component.PNG

All four components will be shown. The Test Slot Time defaults to the Session start time for all components.

You can now

remove one or more Test Components
amend the Test Slot Time

If you have removed any Test Components by mistake, simply click on the blue link to revert back to all four components.

All four modules.png

7. Add the Session Name.

8. Although the Advanced Settings options will show for all variants of the Cambridge English Skills Test, candidates for the Schools version of the test will never be able to access their results in Metrica. The results option will be removed from Schools session set up in a future release. Until then, select the No results option.

Advanced settings no result.PNG

9. Click Create Session. The session will now appear in the session list.

Session list.PNG

Once you have created sessions you can start making entries.

Instructions for making entries can be found here.

Large Sessions
Please check this guidance if you plan on running Speaking and/or Writing sessions with more than 499 candidates

Please check the table below for guidance on running a large Speaking and/or Writing session.

These volumes can be for one test day or alternatively a combined total over consecutive days. Giving us advanced notice allows us to assign examiners for marking to your Speaking and Writing sessions. The Writing and Speaking tests (Schools) will be 100% examiner marked at launch. We will review this guidance as we establish auto-marking with the aim to reduce these timeframes.

Candidate volume	Notice needed	Results released in *
Up to 499	None	2 Days
500-1,499	7 days	10 Days
1,500-2,999	14 days	15 Days
3,000+	Please contact us

*On occasions where large sessions have been requested by more than one institution or testing volume is very high for the same test dates, results releases may take longer than advertised. In these cases, the MLT Delivery Team will advise.

To inform us or to request support for a large speaking session then please contact us at: MLTDeliveryTeam@cambridgeenglish.org

This article explains what test session are and describes how to add them, as well as naming conventions and relevant deadlines.

This article describes the process of setting up sessions for the Schools variant of the Cambridge English Skills Test. If you want to set up a session for the General or Business variants, please follow the steps in this article.

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