CRELLA

Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment

Director: Professor Cyril Weir profile...

CRELLA was set up in 2005 at Putteridge Bury, the Business School postgraduate campus of the University of Bedfordshire, by Professor Weir.

The centre offers scholars, examining boards and government organisations both domestic and foreign a centre in Britain that can provide and assist in quality research and development in the areas of English language learning and assessment.

Since its inception CRELLA has won national and international recognition as a centre for research into language testing and as the source of a socio-cognitive validation framework that governments can base their English examinations on.

In the recent 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), CRELLA’s research outputs were rated as 20 per cent 4* world-leading; 35 per cent 3* internationally excellent; 25 per cent 2* internationally recognised; and 20 per cent 1* nationally recognised.

A major area of Centre activity is funded research into the nature of English language proficiency, and improving methodologies for measuring this.

Research consultancies provided by the centre in English language testing and evaluation are currently helping to develop foreign language testing in a number of countries.