Recently, more and more English courses have been promoted using the Cambridge name. For parents this creates confusion: a course can sound excellent in its advertising, yet that does not automatically mean the pupil will sit an official Cambridge English exam or receive an internationally recognised certificate.
That is why PlusKids takes on the job of informing parents properly. We believe every parent should know what to check before choosing an English course for their child — especially before investing significant money and a whole year of the child's time in preparation that ought to produce a real result.
1. Ask plainly what status the centre holds
Is it a Cambridge English preparation centre? Is it an authorised exam centre? Or does it simply use the Cambridge name in its advertising? The difference matters enormously.
PlusKids is an authorised Cambridge English preparation centre, and the official exams are taken through our partner EECentre, a Platinum Authorised Exam Centre. The children follow the official Cambridge preparation syllabus, sit mock exams through the school year in a format identical to the official papers, and take the final exam at PlusKids itself — the only educational centre in Măgurele offering this to its pupils.
2. Ask how exam registration works and which level your child will sit
An official Cambridge English exam involves real registration, official documents and results that can be verified. It is not enough for a course to have the word Cambridge in its name.
The levels follow a clearly defined path: Pre A1 Starters → A1 Movers → A2 Flyers → A2 Key → B1 Preliminary → B2 First → C1 Advanced → C2 Proficiency.
At PlusKids, before enrolling, children take an initial English assessment to establish their true level and place them in the right group. A child is not enrolled by guesswork or by age alone, but starts from the level that suits them, with a clear goal for the exam ahead.
3. Check the certificate
An official Cambridge English certificate carries visible security features, including a hologram and a watermark. A diploma produced in-house by an educational centre or an after school, even if it bears the word Cambridge or a similar logo, is not the same thing.
A document without official security features, without verification data and without a result that can be confirmed through Cambridge systems is not an internationally recognised certificate. It therefore cannot be used for the recognitions provided for in the Romanian education system — such as the modern language assessment for admission to bilingual or intensive classes, or the language competence test at the Baccalaureate.
At PlusKids, every child who passes receives an official, internationally recognised Cambridge certificate.
4. Check who teaches the course and which materials are used
Preparing for an international exam is not just worksheets, games and vocabulary. The teacher's experience, the working method, familiarity with the structure of the exams and the materials used all matter.
At PlusKids the courses are taught by Olga Testova, a Cambridge CELTA certified teacher — one of the most widely recognised international qualifications for teaching English. The children follow the official syllabus and work from official Cambridge coursebooks and materials, matched to each child's level.
5. Ask where the exam is held
For the second year running, PlusKids hosts the Cambridge English exam at our premises in Măgurele. The examiners come with the necessary materials and equipment, and the children sit the exam in a place that is familiar, calm and safe for them.
In recent years, more than 200 pupils have taken Cambridge English exams organised at PlusKids, with a pass rate above 98%.
The questions worth asking
Who teaches the course and what qualifications do they hold? How does official exam registration work? Will the child sit an official Cambridge English exam? Will they receive a Cambridge certificate or an in-house diploma? Does the document carry a hologram and verification data? Can the results be checked online on the official Cambridge site?
Children's education deserves transparency, seriousness and respect.
More about Cambridge English preparation at PlusKids: https://pluskids.ro/en/courses/cambridge-english