Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers


The Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers is an assessment examination for the language proficiency of teachers in Hong Kong. According to regulations, any teachers teaching English language or Putonghua in Hong Kong, where Cantonese Chinese is mostly spoken, must have passed the LPAT, i.e. achieved a grade of not lower than Level 3 in each part of the assessment.

Introduction

The LPAT examination is jointly held by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority and the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong Government. There are two assessment examinations held annually in March and September, candidates are required to apply for the examination in beginning of October before the examination commence and application is open to public. However, after 2006, the examination will be held once only in March. Since the Academic Year of 2004, all new language teachers are required to have the minimum requirement of LPAT met before they can start teaching full-time.
HKEAA administer the oral and written portion of the examination, while the classroom language assessment is administered by the EDB.

English Language

The English language examination consists of five papers:
  1. Reading,
  2. Writing,
  3. Listening,
  4. Speaking, and
  5. Classroom Language Assessment.

    Putonghua

The Putonghua examination consists of four papers:
  1. Listening and Recognition,
  2. Pinyin,
  3. Oral, and
  4. Classroom Language Assessment.