THE DEVELOPERS
PLYMOUTH UNIVERSITY
Plymouth University is globally renowned for its
Marine Institute and its research and teaching in
the field of Maritime Studies. Plymouth University
is the home of the first standardised maritime
vocabulary 'Seaspeak', which was adopted by the
IMO and became the Standard Marine
Communication Phrases (SMCP). Continued
international research into Maritime English
teaching and learning coupled with top of the
range simulators makes Plymouth University the
leading institution in its field.
MAYFLOWER COLLEGE
Mayflower College has 20+ years experience of
English language training and testing. It is the
developer of Test of English for Aviation (TEA), one
of the leading tests for pilots and air traffic
controllers required to meet the industry
language proficiency standards.
Mayflower College also operates the only IELTS
testing centres in Plymouth, Exeter and Torquay.
PLYMOUTH, UK
A CITY WITH A LONG AND PROUD MARITIME HISTORY
IMETS
INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ENGLISH TESTING SYSTEM
THE CREDIBLE NEW APPROACH TO
MARITIME ENGLISH ASSESSMENT
The Manila amendments to the STCW came into force in
January 2012. These amendments require reliable and
transparent evidence of the Maritime English
communicative competency level of all seafarers. Ship
owners are currently under great pressure to ensure
that "...at all times on board ships there shall be effective
oral communication" and also that their crews hold
appropriate certificates demonstrating their
competencies.
Built on a successful test of Aviation English and
developed with Plymouth University, IMETS is a Maritime
English proficiency testing and certification solution.
In such high-stakes testing, security
is of vital importance. IMETS
contains numerous security
features including identity checks
and a photograph of the candidate
on the certificate.
IMETS is suitable for all seafarers at
STCW support, operational and
managerial levels. Its unique proficiency
levels were developed to aid compliance
with the STCW convention
requirements.
The IMETS public descriptors provide
ship owners with a concise and
transparent guide to each test score.
IMETS is suitable for testing the
Maritime English proficiency of both
deck and engineering ratings, cadets,
and junior and senior officers.
The International Maritime English
Testing System (IMETS) is designed to
assess a candidate's overall oral
communicative efficiency.
IMETS is conducted in the form of a one
to one interview between the candidate
and the examiner under secure test
conditions.
The test comprises 4 sections lasting
about 25 minutes. An Overall
Proficiency Score of 1 - 9 is awarded
based on Pronunciation, Coherence,
Resource, Task Response and Flow.
Further information for candidates is
available here.