CCL tests are conducted from a recording which is played to the candidate by a testing officer. A chime will indicate the end of each segment. Candidates should wait until they hear the chime before providing their response in the other language.

The candidate’s responses are recorded for marking. The recording will include two dialogues. Each test dialogue is based on a conversation between an English speaker and a speaker of your LOTE (Language other than English).
The testing officer will pause the test recording at each chime and allow the candidate to complete their response to the segment.
The testing officer will restart the recording and play the next segment only when the candidate has finished.

The dialogues used within the test will reflect real-life domains which typically form part of daily life in Australian society. This may include health, legal, community, immigration/settlement, education, social services, financial, housing, business, employment, insurance or consumer affairs situations.
In the test, the candidate is required to transfer the meaning of what is said by each speaker into the other language (i.e. English into LOTE and LOTE into English). Each dialogue is about 300 words, approximately half in English and half in LOTE. These are divided into segments that do not exceed 35 words each.
The dialogues are designed to assess the candidate’s ability to serve as a channel of communication between two persons who do not speak the same language.

Two significant factors that contribute to the CCL Assessment Test are:

• Language Quality – Language Quality’ refers to a candidate’s competency in both English and LOTE and,
• Language Register

Language Register  refers to the level of formality with which a candidate transfers the meaning.
CCL test is assessed individually by two examiners using a Deductive Marking System. Here, the type of errors in a candidate’s performance is taken into account by the examiners. Based upon the impact of these errors on the actual meaning of a sentence or a dialogue, the marks are deducted.

Errors for which the examiners deduct a candidate’s score are:

• Accuracy (correctness of information)
• Distortions (misrepresentation of information)
• Omissions (removal of information)
• Insertions (addition of information)

If two or three of these errors are detected per dialogue, the examiner declares the result as FAIL.

• Participate effectively in exchanges where relatively simple information is exchanged without any great deviation from the norms of pronunciation, with reasonable accuracy, the standard of expression, style and register; and
• Give the sense of what is said by the speakers and demonstrate good quality language in both English and the LOTE.

How the test is marked
Each dialogue receives a mark out of 45. In order to pass, a candidate needs to score at least 29 out of 45 for each dialogue and score at least 63 out of 90 overalls.
When NAATI issues the result for the CCL test it will be based on the mark achieved:

• PASS: 63 or higher (out of 90)
• MARGINAL FAIL: between 55 and 62.5 (out of 90)
• CLEAR FAIL: less than 55 (out of 90)

In situations where a candidate achieves 23 out of 45 in Dialogue 1, 41 out of 45 in Dialogue 2 and an Overall Score of 64 out of 90, the result given will be CLEAR FAIL as the candidate hasn’t achieved the required score in Dialogue 1 (i.e. 29).

Compare to other NAATI tests, CCL enjoys many advantages; saving your time, money and effort.
You do not have to do the 1) ethical test 2) Intercultural test in CCL test

• You only need to do the interpreting test for approx. 20-25 minutes in CCL test (2 dialogues)
• CCL test doesn’t allow you to work as an interpreter. NAATI Test does allow you to work