What are the common CCL mistakes?
The marking rules point to the usual traps: dropping or adding details, slipping into "he says" instead of the first person, and long pauses12. Close behind come the wrong level of formality1, numbers said the wrong way3 and using up your repeats2.
Why do small details matter so much?
Accuracy marks come off for anything left out, added or changed1. A date, a dose or a dollar amount is a whole idea, not decoration. Note numbers and names first; the rest you can rebuild.
What is wrong with "she says"?
Indirect speech loses marks, and a whole dialogue in third person can invalidate your test2.
| Do not say | Say |
|---|---|
| She says she has had a headache for two weeks | I have had a headache for two weeks |
| He is asking if you have Medicare | Do you have Medicare? |
How formal should you be?
Match each speaker1. In Filipino, keep the po and opo a respectful speaker uses. In Malayalam, keep a polite form of address for a doctor or officer, and a warmer one when the speaker is warm.
How should you say numbers in Malayalam?
In Malayalam words, not English. NAATI penalises English or Hindi numerals, and millions must become lakhs or crores3. One and a half million dollars becomes പതിനഞ്ച് ലക്ഷം ഡോളർ (fifteen lakh dollars). Our Malayalam business dialogue drills this.
Can you use English words?
- Malayalam: a few common English words are fine, but use the Malayalam word when one is in common use3.
- Filipino: English words that Filipino speakers in Australia commonly use are not penalised3.
Neither is a licence to dodge vocabulary. Learn the terms in our word lists.
How do you recover from a slip?
Correct yourself once, with a short lead-in, then move on. Long pauses and repeated corrections cost marks2. One repeat per dialogue is free; after that every repeat costs2.
What about the clock?
Start within 5 seconds of the chime12 and keep the whole performance under 20 minutes2. Our drill mode shows a 5-second ring after you hide each segment. Treat it as a habit trainer, not a scorer.
Sources
Written with AI from the official sources listed on this page, and checked word for word against them. Every fact above links to its source, and we stored a copy of each on the date shown.
- Source 1: Credentialed Community Language (CCL) Test. NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters), checked 31 October 2026.
https://www.naati.com.au/migration-assessments/ccl/ - Source 2: Credentialed Community Language (CCL) Test Candidate Instructions. NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters), checked 31 October 2026.
https://www.naati.com.au/resources/candidate-instructions-ccl/ - Source 3: Language Policy for Credentialed Community Language (CCL) Tests. NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters), checked 31 October 2026.
https://www.naati.com.au/resources/language-policy-ccl/
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