ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the frameworks that have influenced and shaped the practice for assessing L2 competence in Chinese. Amongst those frameworks are the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR); the American Council on the Teaching Foreign Language (ACTFL); the European Benchmarking the Chinese Language (EBCL); and the International Curriculum for Chinese Language Education (ICCLE). The CEFR and ACTFL have been influential general guidelines followed by L2 programmes in many parts of the world. The EBCL and ICCLE are the language-specific benchmarks that have been applied as the standards for CFL curriculum development, teaching, learning and assessment mainly in Europe and China. The ICCLE has been mainly followed by the CFL programmes in China and the Confucius Institutes outside of China for curriculum development, teaching and assessment. The CEFR and ACTFL guidelines have significantly influenced the learning objectives and assessment of a CFL programme and standardised the CPTs to a great extent.
