International TEFL InstituteLevelling & Placement Testing
When a new student arrives to join the school, the school will need to test his English ability to better understand which group would be best suited for him/her. To do this, the school normally starts by giving the student a grammar test. It’s known as placement testing. The test covers most aspects of grammar, ranging from questions for beginners to questions for advanced students. The result normally is a good gauge of the level of the student.
Unfortunately, assessing a student’s level doesn’t stop there. Many students communicative ability differs from their ability on paper. There are as many students who are better on paper as there are that are better communicators. It is often the native teacher’s job to help level the student by carrying out a levelling interview. The interview involves you asking questions about the students life, their plans and their experiences looking for signals to their level.
The Levelling Interview
The interview normally lasts 5-10 minutes. You should cover the present, past and future tenses as well as present perfect, idioms and conditionals. Examples of some of the questions you could ask:
Present
- Where do you work/What is your job? What is your favourite ………?
- Describe a normal day
Past
- Describe your last holiday · Explain your life history
Future
- What are your plans for next weekend?
- What are your plans for your next holiday?
Conditionals
- If you won the lottery, what would you spend it on?
- If you were having a dinner party and could invite anybody dead or alive, who would you invite?
Present perfect
- Have you ever been to…..? · Have you ever…?
*Another option available to teachers and schools is the Oxford Placement Test.
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