What Is Art of Speaking?
More than an English level.
Most people think improving English means reaching the next CEFR level. We believe meaningful progress begins by understanding how your English actually works.
Art of Speaking is the English assessment and communication platform developed by Language Consultants – The English Grammar Club S.r.l.
We help learners, professionals, teachers and organisations understand, measure and improve real-world English communication through CEFR-aligned assessment, speaking evaluation and practical educational resources.
Helping people understand how their English really works
Art of Speaking was created to replace uncertainty with clarity.
A placement-test score can provide a useful estimate of language level, but it cannot fully explain how confidently someone speaks, how quickly they retrieve vocabulary or how consistently they communicate under pressure.
Our purpose is to help people build a clearer picture of their English profile, understand the reasons behind their communication difficulties and choose an appropriate path forward.
Why do so many learners feel that their English disappears when they need it?
Many people study English for years, pass examinations and learn large amounts of grammar and vocabulary, yet still struggle to communicate in real situations.
I understand, but I cannot speak
Recognition and comprehension may develop more quickly than the ability to retrieve and produce language spontaneously.
I forget words I already know
Vocabulary can be stored in memory without being sufficiently accessible for fast, confident use in conversation.
I freeze under pressure
Stress, time pressure and self-monitoring can interfere with language that feels available in calmer situations.
My English changes from day to day
Performance is influenced by familiarity, energy, confidence, context, topic and the people involved.
Knowing English and using English are not always the same thing.
Successful communication depends on more than knowledge
At Art of Speaking, we believe language ability should not be measured only by how much a learner knows.
It should also consider how confidently, quickly and consistently that knowledge can be used when communication matters.
Real communication brings together comprehension, vocabulary retrieval, grammatical control, pronunciation, fluency, confidence, social awareness and the ability to adapt language to different people and situations.
Real-world communication may depend on
- Understanding connected speech
- Retrieving vocabulary quickly
- Using grammar automatically
- Speaking without excessive translation
- Managing unfamiliar accents
- Adapting tone and politeness
- Communicating under pressure
- Maintaining confidence when mistakes occur
Why one English level cannot describe the whole learner
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages provides an internationally recognised way of describing language ability from A1 to C2.
CEFR levels are valuable
They provide shared reference points for assessment, course design, examination preparation and communication between learners, teachers, organisations and institutions.
A CEFR estimate can help identify an appropriate starting point and provide a framework for measuring development.
But a level is not a complete profile
Two people assessed at B2 may communicate very differently.
One learner may speak fluently while making frequent grammatical mistakes. Another may write accurately but hesitate during conversation. Someone may read at C1 while finding spontaneous speaking much more difficult.
You do not have only an English level. You have an English profile.
Your profile reflects how your skills interact across reading, listening, writing, speaking, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, confidence and context.
We ask more than “What level are you?”
A useful assessment should create a richer picture of what a learner can understand, produce and manage in real communication.
Comprehension
How well do you understand written and spoken English across different topics, speeds and accents?
Retrieval
How easily can you access vocabulary and grammatical structures while speaking or writing?
Automaticity
Which parts of your English happen naturally, and which still require conscious thought?
Confidence
How does pressure, uncertainty or fear of mistakes affect your performance?
Consistency
Does your English remain stable across different people, settings and communication demands?
Practical use
Can you use your English effectively for work, study, travel, examinations or everyday communication?
Assessment, explanation and guidance in one connected platform
Our tools are designed to work together, helping learners move from a general estimate towards a more useful understanding of their communication profile.
Placement Tests
Our CEFR-aligned placement tests provide an accessible estimate of current language level and help identify a suitable starting point for further learning or evaluation.
Speaking Check
The Speaking Check explores communication skills that cannot be measured adequately through multiple-choice questions, including fluency, interaction, pronunciation, retrieval and confidence.
Knowledge Centre
The Knowledge Centre explains why common language difficulties happen and helps learners understand the relationship between knowledge, memory, performance and communication.
Assessment is the starting point, not the destination
A test result should not simply place a label on the learner.
It should help clarify what the learner can already do, where difficulties may be occurring and what kind of support or practice is likely to be most useful.
Better assessment helps learners set realistic goals, teachers design more relevant pathways and organisations make better-informed training decisions.
Good assessment should help you
- Identify an appropriate starting point
- Understand strengths and gaps
- Recognise differences between skills
- Set realistic objectives
- Select suitable learning pathways
- Measure progress more meaningfully
- Reduce uncertainty and wasted effort
Understanding why English feels difficult
The Knowledge Centre explores the questions learners frequently ask but traditional coursebooks do not always answer.
Speaking and fluency
Why understanding often develops before speaking and why some sentences become automatic while others do not.
Listening and accents
Why natural speech sounds fast, why accents vary and why listening becomes more difficult on the telephone.
Vocabulary and retrieval
Why familiar words disappear under pressure and why learning a word does not guarantee that it will be available in conversation.
Grammar and accuracy
Why learners continue to make mistakes even when they understand the relevant grammar rule.
Tone and pragmatic English
Why grammatically correct English may sound rude, distant or inappropriate in a particular social context.
Levels and assessment
What CEFR levels mean, what they cannot show and why language ability is better understood as a profile.
Different goals require different kinds of understanding
Professionals and executives
Companies and HR departments
Teachers and language trainers
Schools and educational organisations
University students
IELTS candidates
International examination candidates
Parents and young adult learners
Anyone seeking a clearer picture of their English
Created by Language Consultants – The English Grammar Club S.r.l.
Art of Speaking was developed by Language Consultants – The English Grammar Club S.r.l., an educational and professional-training organisation operating from Milan and Monza.
Language Consultants designs language training, professional-development programmes, assessment pathways and educational resources for companies, professionals, schools, teachers, institutions and individual learners.
Art of Speaking brings that experience into a dedicated digital platform focused on assessment, communication performance and educational understanding.
More than thirty years of teaching, assessment and programme design have shown us one consistent truth.
People often know more English than they can use.
Art of Speaking was created to help explain why and to show what can be done next.
The ideas that guide every assessment, article and recommendation
Our resources are developed through practical educational experience, learner feedback and continuing engagement with language assessment, applied linguistics and professional education.
Clarity before judgement
Assessment should help learners understand their current position without creating unnecessary anxiety or attaching value to a single score.
Communication before completion
Learning should be connected to what people need to understand, say, write and achieve in real situations.
Profiles before labels
A CEFR level is useful, but meaningful guidance must also consider differences between skills, contexts and performance conditions.
Evidence before assumption
Training decisions should be informed by assessment, observation, learner needs and measurable objectives.
Progress before perfection
Successful communication does not require error-free English. It requires increasing control, confidence, flexibility and effectiveness.
Application before accumulation
Language knowledge becomes valuable when learners can retrieve it, adapt it and use it confidently when communication matters.
Understanding Art of Speaking
Is Art of Speaking an English school?
No. Art of Speaking is an English assessment and communication platform developed by Language Consultants – The English Grammar Club S.r.l. It helps learners understand their English profile and identify appropriate next steps.
Does Art of Speaking provide official English qualifications?
No. Art of Speaking placement tests provide CEFR-aligned estimates and practical guidance. They do not replace official examinations or internationally recognised language qualifications.
What is the difference between a placement test and the Speaking Check?
A placement test provides an initial estimate based on structured questions. The Speaking Check explores spoken communication directly, including fluency, interaction, pronunciation, vocabulary retrieval and the ability to respond in real time.
What does CEFR-aligned mean?
CEFR-aligned means that an assessment uses the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages as a reference when estimating ability from A1 to C2.
What is an English profile?
An English profile is a broader description of how a learner performs across different skills and situations. It may include reading, listening, writing, speaking, grammatical control, vocabulary, fluency, confidence, retrieval and consistency.
Who created Art of Speaking?
Art of Speaking was developed by Language Consultants – The English Grammar Club S.r.l., a language-training and professional-development organisation with operational bases in Milan and Monza.
Can companies and schools use Art of Speaking?
Yes. Art of Speaking can support companies, HR departments, schools, teachers and educational organisations that need an initial understanding of learner levels, communication profiles or training needs.
What should I do after completing a placement test?
You can use the result as an initial reference, explore the Knowledge Centre to understand specific difficulties or book a Speaking Check for a more detailed evaluation of spoken communication.
Discover how your English really works
Understanding your current profile is the first step towards choosing the right learning pathway and making meaningful progress.
Take a placement test, explore the Knowledge Centre or book a Speaking Check to build a clearer picture of your real-world communication.
Understand where you are.
Discover where you can go next.
