سیستەمی تاقیکردنەوەی توانستی زمانی کوردی
A Comprehensive Assessment of Kurdish Language Skills
The Kurdish Language Proficiency Testing System is a comprehensive language assessment designed to evaluate an individual’s ability to communicate effectively in Kurdish across the four major language skills: speaking, writing, listening, and reading.
The assessment is designed according to established language-proficiency principles and standards. It evaluates not simply what a candidate knows about Kurdish grammar or vocabulary, but what the candidate is able to do with the language in real communication. This approach is consistent with modern proficiency-based assessment frameworks, which evaluate language ability across speaking, writing, listening, and reading and consider factors such as communicative functions, accuracy, context, content, and the complexity of the language produced or understood.
The test is particularly appropriate for individuals who need to demonstrate their Kurdish proficiency for academic, professional, educational, employment, research, or personal purposes.
Please complete the registration form below and remain in contact after submitting the form so that your testing date and time can be confirmed.
Four-Part Assessment
The Kurdish proficiency assessment consists of four components:
1. Oral / Speaking Assessment
Approximately 10–15 minutes
The oral portion evaluates the candidate’s ability to communicate spontaneously and effectively in spoken Kurdish.
During the interview, the candidate will be asked questions and given opportunities to discuss familiar and more complex topics. The assessment may include:
- Personal and professional background
- Everyday situations and experiences
- Academic or professional topics
- Description and narration
- Opinions and explanations
- Discussion of social, cultural, or current issues
- Follow-up questions requiring spontaneous responses
The examiner evaluates the candidate’s ability to communicate meaning, maintain a conversation, organize ideas, use appropriate vocabulary and grammar, and respond appropriately to questions and situations.
The speaking assessment is intended to measure functional oral proficiency, rather than memorization of vocabulary or grammatical rules. Proficiency-based speaking assessment generally focuses on what a speaker can accomplish with the language and the complexity and accuracy of the language they can produce.
2. Writing Assessment
Approximately 40 minutes
For the writing portion, the candidate will receive two topics and will select one topic to write about.
The candidate will be expected to develop a coherent written response demonstrating their ability to:
- Organize and develop ideas
- Express opinions and provide explanations
- Use appropriate Kurdish vocabulary
- Construct grammatically appropriate sentences
- Connect ideas logically
- Demonstrate control of written Kurdish
- Adapt language to the assigned topic
- Produce an appropriately developed written text
The writing assessment is not intended to test memorized essays. The candidate must produce an original response to the assigned topic within the allotted time.
The evaluation considers both linguistic accuracy and the candidate’s ability to communicate effectively through written Kurdish. Modern proficiency frameworks evaluate writing in terms of what a person can accomplish through written communication, including the length and complexity of the text they can produce.
3. Listening Assessment
Approximately 15–20 minutes
The listening portion evaluates the candidate’s ability to understand spoken Kurdish.
The candidate will listen to Kurdish-language material and answer questions or complete tasks demonstrating comprehension. The material may include conversations, descriptions, explanations, interviews, announcements, or other forms of spoken communication.
The assessment evaluates the candidate’s ability to:
- Understand the main idea
- Identify important details
- Understand specific information
- Follow explanations and descriptions
- Interpret meaning from context
- Understand different levels of spoken language
- Demonstrate comprehension without relying on translation
The purpose is to determine how effectively the candidate can understand Kurdish as it is actually spoken, rather than simply recognizing isolated words or grammatical structures.
4. Reading Assessment
Approximately 40 minutes
The reading portion evaluates the candidate’s ability to understand written Kurdish texts.
Candidates will read one or more Kurdish passages and respond to questions or tasks designed to evaluate their comprehension.
The assessment may examine the ability to:
- Identify the main idea of a text
- Locate specific information
- Understand supporting details
- Interpret vocabulary from context
- Understand relationships between ideas
- Identify the author’s purpose or perspective
- Draw reasonable conclusions from a text
- Understand different types of written Kurdish
The reading component focuses on functional comprehension rather than translation word-for-word.
What Is Being Evaluated?
Across the four sections, the assessment considers several dimensions of language proficiency, including:
Communication: Can the candidate effectively accomplish communicative tasks in Kurdish?
Accuracy: How accurately does the candidate use grammar, syntax, vocabulary, and other linguistic features?
Context and Content: What topics and situations can the candidate successfully handle?
Text Type and Complexity: How much and how complex a language can the candidate understand or produce?
These principles correspond closely to the four criteria identified in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines: Functions and Tasks, Accuracy, Context and Content, and Text Type.
Kurdish Varieties
The assessment can be conducted in the Kurdish variety appropriate to the candidate, including Central Kurdish (Sorani) and Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji), depending on the purpose of the assessment and the candidate’s linguistic background.
The specific language variety to be tested will be established before the examination.
Test Duration
The approximate testing time is:
| Component | Approximate Time |
|---|---|
| Oral / Speaking | 10–15 minutes |
| Writing | 40 minutes |
| Listening | 15–20 minutes |
| Reading | 40 minutes |
| Total | Approximately 105–115 minutes |
Additional time may be required for instructions, technical preparation, transitions between sections, and verification of the candidate’s testing environment.
Online and Secure Testing
The Kurdish Language Proficiency Test is administered online in a protected testing environment.
Candidates will receive instructions regarding the technology and testing conditions before their scheduled examination. The online format allows candidates to complete the assessment remotely while maintaining an organized and controlled testing process.
Candidates should have:
- A reliable internet connection
- A government ID to prove their identity
- A computer with a functioning microphone and camera
- A quiet and appropriate testing environment
- The ability to participate in a video-based online examination
- Any required software or testing links prepared before the examination
The candidate may be required to remain visible on camera during portions of the assessment to maintain the integrity of the testing process.
Language Proficiency Evaluation
Following completion of all four sections, the candidate’s performance will be reviewed across the four language domains:
Speaking • Writing • Listening • Reading
The assessment is designed to provide a comprehensive picture of the candidate’s Kurdish language ability rather than relying on a single skill.
A candidate may demonstrate different levels of proficiency in different skills. For example, an individual may have stronger reading and writing abilities than speaking and listening abilities. The assessment therefore considers each skill independently while also providing an overall picture of the candidate’s Kurdish proficiency.
Letter of Support
Following successful completion of the assessment, Dr. Hewa S. Khalid, Ph.D. in Kurdish Language, will provide a letter of support documenting the candidate’s demonstrated Kurdish language skills.
Dr. Khalid has taught Kurdish at Indiana University Bloomington and Koya University and currently serves as a Language Partner at Yale University. His academic and teaching experience in Kurdish language and Kurdish studies provides the professional basis for evaluating candidates’ Kurdish language abilities.
The letter can describe the candidate’s demonstrated abilities in the four assessed areas:
- Speaking
- Writing
- Listening
- Reading
The letter is intended to provide a professional assessment of the candidate’s Kurdish language proficiency based on performance during the examination.
Important: This is an independent Kurdish language proficiency assessment and is not an official ACTFL examination or an official ACTFL-rated test. ACTFL states that official ACTFL proficiency ratings may only be issued through official ACTFL assessments administered through its authorized testing system.
Testing Fee
The complete four-part Kurdish Language Proficiency Assessment is:
$299
The $299 testing fee covers the administration of the complete four-part Kurdish language proficiency assessment and the preparation of the language proficiency support letter following completion of the testing process.
The completed letter will be sent by email to the individual who takes the test and, upon the candidate’s request, may also be sent directly to an institution or organization designated by the candidate.
A hard copy of the letter may also be requested. Hard copies will be mailed within two weeks of the request for an additional fee of $50 for mailing within the United States and $150 for international mailing.
Registration and Scheduling
Candidates must complete the registration form at least two weeks before their preferred testing date.
Early registration is important because sufficient time is needed to:
- Review the registration information.
- Confirm the appropriate Kurdish language variety.
- Establish the testing level and format.
- Schedule the examination.
- Provide technical and testing instructions.
- Prepare the protected online testing environment.
After submitting the registration form, candidates should remain in communication to confirm the exact date and time of their examination.
Please do not wait until the last few days before your preferred testing date to register.
Testing Process
The process is as follows:
Step 1 — Complete the Registration Form
Submit the required information at least two weeks before your preferred testing date.
Step 2 — Confirm Your Testing Date
Remain in contact to establish a mutually suitable examination date and time.
Step 3 — Receive Testing Instructions
You will receive information about the online examination, technical requirements, and testing procedures.
Step 4 — Complete the Four-Part Assessment
Complete the speaking, writing, listening, and reading sections.
Step 5 — Evaluation
Your performance will be evaluated across the four language skills using proficiency-based assessment principles, and the result will be sent within three days.
Step 6 — Letter of Support
Following completion and evaluation, Dr. Hewa S. Khalid will prepare a professional letter documenting the candidate’s demonstrated Kurdish language abilities.
Who Should Take the Test?
The Kurdish Language Proficiency Test may be useful for individuals who need to demonstrate Kurdish proficiency for:
- University or graduate-school applications
- Academic programs
- Language-related employment
- Teaching positions
- Research projects
- Translation and interpretation work
- Professional opportunities
- Language teaching requirements
- Personal documentation of Kurdish proficiency
A Comprehensive Measure of Kurdish Proficiency
The goal of this assessment is to provide a structured and professional evaluation of a candidate’s ability to use Kurdish, not simply their knowledge about Kurdish.
By assessing speaking, writing, listening, and reading, the examination provides a broader picture of the candidate’s functional language ability. This four-skill approach is consistent with contemporary proficiency assessment frameworks, which distinguish language proficiency from achievement in a particular course or curriculum.
Registration
Testing Fee: $299 (The $299 testing fee is inclusive of all applicable taxes. No additional tax will be charged.)
Registration deadline: At least two weeks before the requested testing date
Format: Online / Protected Testing Environment
Assessment Areas: Speaking • Writing • Listening • Reading
Language: Kurdish — Sorani or Kurmanji
Evaluator: Dr. Hewa S. Khalid, Ph.D. in Kurdish Language and Culture