The university's English language institute is currently implementing the Cambridge learning system for all its English courses, which will give UPS students an international accreditation as stated in the agreement signed between UPS and Cambridge University.

With the Cambridge system students from level one to level six use Interchange, those in level seven and eight use Passages and in levels nine and ten they use First Objective. The contents of the later prepare students for the international exam First Certificate in English (FCE).

Adriana Guanuche, director of the language institute in the university's branch in Quito, says this system has lots of benefits for learning English. "This system also generates changes in the curriculum so that students can have proficiency in English with international standards once they pass exams such as KET, PET and FCE", she said. Students in level four could take the KET (basic user), in level six they would take KET (independent user) and in level ten the FCE (high intermediate).

According to the common European framework, the FCE exam certifies an upper intermediate English level and means students can write and speak English in an everyday academic or work situation. For professor Guanuche, "the FCE is very important since it allows students to have a B2 English level and it will give them an additional element for their professional career."

In the last semester, students in levels 4 and 5 took a "mock", a simulation of the real KET exam. There have also been informative talks for professors given by EF (Education First) representatives and students who got high scores in the KET exam. There are currently 20 students who have signed up to take the KET, PET and FCE exams on October 8th. In the meantime they are taking free preparation classes to prepare in reading, writing, listening, conversations, vocabulary and grammar.

English teachers must also have a B2 English level and have therefore taken a placement exam and started taking training courses with foreign EF teachers.