UN Levels Pilot Exams

Specifications and Practice Exams

With the creation of the exam specifications and the marking schemes for the UN I-Basic and UN II-Intermediate levels, a first step was made to acknowledge staff language skills.

Based on these documents, exams were constructed in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, then trialled and adjusted following results and feedback.

The UN I & UN II Language Exam Specifications Report lists the deliverables produced throughout the project and provides insight into the lessons learned along the way.

The 12 exams - one for each official language at the UN I and at the UN II levels - will gradually be made available as practice exams.

An organization that values languages, honouring the investment of time and resources in the ability to overcome linguistic barriers, not only demonstrates its commitment to fostering multilingualism, it also places diversity and inclusion at the heart of its mandate and recognizes languages as enabling skills for organizational impact.

By piloting the UN I Basic and UN II Intermediate examinations, the Language Training Programme at the UN Office in Geneva UNOG and the Language and Communications Training Unit at UN Headquarters provide the means to acknowledge staff language skills. Earning a UN language certificate is no longer just for advanced language learners.

UN Level II Intermediate Pilot Examination in English, French, Spanish

The UN Level II Examination Pilot will be implemented in 2024 by the Language and Communications Training Unit (New York), with the expected collaboration of the Language Training Programme (Geneva) and the continued generous support of l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.

The UN II exam assesses intermediate proficiency and provides the opportunity to earn a certificate of achievement at UN level II - Intermediate Language Competence, according to the UN Language Framework.

Secretariat staff will be among the first to participate in - and benefit from - this new language assessment opportunity. Offered in English, French and Spanish, the exams are tentatively scheduled for October 2024. Application dates will be announced, and applications processed in the order in which they are received.

To be eligible for the exam, applicants must:

  • be a UN Secretariat staff member, regardless of duty station, on the date of the exam. No other personnel are eligible for the 2024 UN II pilot edition, even if they are actively enrolled in language courses.
  • have completed at least 300 hours of study in their selected language, either at a UN Language Programme or an equivalent course of study.

Active participation in language courses is not a requirement to apply for the 2024 UN II Examination Pilot.

Applications for the exam pilot will be available on inspira.un.org once the application window opens.

  • English UN Level II Exam Pilot (2024) LMS code to be determined
  • French UN Level II Exam Pilot (2024) LMS code to be determined
  • Spanish UN Level II Exam Pilot (2024) LMS code to be determined

Registered applicants will receive regular updates and tips to prepare for the exam.
Questions regarding the 2024 UN II Examination Pilot can be sent to languageexampilot@un.org.

UN Level I Basic Pilot Examination in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian

The UN Level I Examination Pilot in 2023 was offered by the Language and Communications Training Unit (New York) and the Language Training Programme (Geneva), and with the generous support of l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.

All Secretariat staff had the opportunity to be among the first to participate in a new language assessment opportunity, the UN I Examination Pilot.

Offered in Fall 2023 in four languages - Arabic, Chinese, French and Russian - the UN I exam assessed basic proficiency and was an opportunity to earn a certificate of achievement at UN level I - Basic Language Competence, according to the UN Language Framework.

Exams were held 10 and 11 October 2023. Applications were processed in the order in which they were received. A total of 124 staff (20 in Arabic, 14 in Chinese, 71 in French and 19 in Russian) took the exam, out of 170 applicants who met the criteria and volunteered to participate in the pilot.

To be eligible for the exam, applicants had to:

  • be a UN Secretariat staff member, regardless of duty station, on the date of the exam. All other personnel were not eligible for the 2023 UN I pilot edition, even if they were actively enrolled in language courses.
  • have completed at least 150 hours of study in their selected language, either at a UN Language Programme or an equivalent course of study.

Active participation in language courses was not a requirement to apply for the 2023 UN I Examination Pilot.

Applications for the exam pilot (inspira.un.org) are now closed.

  • Arabic UN Level I Exam Pilot (2023), LMS-7397 - Closed
  • Chinese UN Level I Exam Pilot (2023), LMS-7396 - Closed
  • French UN Level I Exam Pilot (2023), LMS-7399 - Closed
  • Russian UN Level I Exam Pilot (2023), LMS-7398 -Closed

Questions regarding the UN I Examination Pilot can be sent to languageexampilot@un.org.