English placement test

Before you start

About 50 minutesplus a short speaking conversation with a teacher afterwards
4 partsLanguage use, Reading, Listening, Writing
Headphonesor speakers for the listening part

The questions get harder as you go. Answer what you can. If you don’t know an answer, leave it blank: guessing makes your result less accurate. Please do the test on your own, without a dictionary or translator.

This test is for learners aged about 12 and over. For younger children, book a placement test at the centre.

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I agree that Edusphere may keep my answers and contact details to give me my result and advise me on a course, and that my writing may be marked with the help of an AI tool (Claude, by Anthropic) and checked by a teacher. If I am under 18, my parent or guardian agrees. *

1. Language use

Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence.

My sister ___ a teacher.
am is are be
There ___ two books on the table.
is be are am
I get up ___ seven o’clock every day.
at in on to
___ you like coffee?
Does Are Is Do
We ___ to the beach last weekend.
go went goes gone
This film is ___ than the book.
boringer most boring more boring as boring
I’m going ___ my grandparents next Saturday.
to visit visit visited visiting to
How ___ money do you need for the trip?
many lot few much
I ___ in this city since 2019.
live have lived am living lived
If it rains tomorrow, we ___ the match.
will cancel cancelled would cancel cancel
The museum, ___ was built in 1920, is closed today.
who where what which
You ___ wear a uniform at my school. It’s optional.
mustn’t can’t don’t have to shouldn’t
By the time we arrived at the cinema, the film ___.
already started had already started has already started was already starting
I wish I ___ more time to study last year.
had had have had had would have
He has lived abroad for years, so he’s used to ___ in English.
work have worked worked working
The new bridge ___ by the end of next year.
will complete has completed will have been completed is completing
___ had I sat down than the phone rang.
Hardly No sooner Barely Scarcely
She is a brilliant scientist, but she is not one to ___ her own trumpet.
play beat blow sound
Had I known about the delay, I ___ a later train.
would have taken would take will take took
It is high time the government ___ action on this issue.
takes has taken will take took

2. Reading

Read each text and answer the questions. The texts get longer and more difficult.

Text 1: A message

Hi Sara,
I’m at the café near the station. I have your bag! Please come before 5 pm. I go home at five.
Nadia

Where is Nadia?
At home At a café At the station
What does Nadia have?
Sara’s bag Sara’s phone A book
When must Sara come?
After 5 pm At 7 pm Before 5 pm

Text 2: A holiday by the sea

Last summer, my family and I went to Essaouira for a week. We stayed in a small hotel near the beach. Every morning, my father went fishing with a local man, and my brother and I took surfing lessons. The water was cold, but the lessons were fun. On the last day it rained, so we visited the old town and bought presents for our friends.

Where did the family stay?
With friends In the old town In a hotel near the beach
Who took surfing lessons?
The writer and their brother The father The whole family
Why did they visit the old town on the last day?
To meet friends Because it rained To go fishing

Text 3: The recycling club

When sixteen-year-old Yasmine noticed how much plastic was thrown away in her school canteen, she decided to do something about it. She asked her teachers for permission to start a recycling club, and at first only four students joined. The group put coloured bins in the canteen and made posters explaining what could be recycled. Within three months, the club had more than forty members, and the amount of rubbish the school sent to landfill had fallen by half. “The hardest part was changing people’s habits,” Yasmine says. “Once students saw the results, they wanted to be involved.”

Why did Yasmine start the club?
Her teachers asked her to. She saw how much plastic was wasted. She wanted to win a competition.
What had happened after three months?
The club had more than forty members. The canteen stopped using plastic. Four students had left the club.
According to Yasmine, what was most difficult?
Getting permission Making the posters Changing people’s habits

Text 4: Working from home

Working from home was once seen as a perk enjoyed by a lucky few. Today, many companies treat it as standard practice, and the debate has shifted from whether remote work is possible to whether it is desirable. Supporters point to the time saved on commuting and the freedom to organise one’s own day. Critics, however, argue that something less measurable is lost: the chance conversations in corridors that spark new ideas and help junior staff learn from experienced colleagues. The evidence so far is mixed. Some studies suggest that people working at home complete more tasks, while others find that they collaborate less and feel more isolated. What seems clear is that neither extreme suits everyone, which is why many organisations are now experimenting with hybrid arrangements.

What is the main idea of the text?
Remote work is clearly better than office work. The advantages and disadvantages are still debated, so mixed solutions are being tried. Companies should stop allowing people to work from home.
According to critics, what is lost when people work from home?
Informal conversations that create ideas and help people learn Time spent travelling to work The freedom to organise the day
“Neither extreme suits everyone” means that…
nobody enjoys working from home. everybody prefers a hybrid arrangement. working fully at home or fully in the office is not right for all people.

Text 5: Attention

It has become fashionable to lament that smartphones have shattered our capacity for sustained attention. Yet the claim, however intuitively appealing, rests on surprisingly thin evidence. Much of the research cited in its support measures how often people switch between tasks, not whether they are able to concentrate when it genuinely matters. A more plausible reading is that our attention has not so much declined as been redistributed: we skim where skimming suffices and reserve deeper focus for what we judge worthwhile. The real question, then, is not whether we can still pay attention, but whether the environments we inhabit reward us for doing so.

What is the writer’s attitude to the claim that smartphones have destroyed our attention?
Fully convinced Sceptical Indifferent
According to the writer, much of the research…
proves that attention has declined. was carried out before smartphones existed. measures something other than the ability to concentrate.
In this text, “redistributed” is closest in meaning to…
allocated differently reduced increased

3. Listening

Press Play to listen to each recording. You can listen twice. Read the questions first.

The listening part needs JavaScript. If the Play buttons do not work, tell the teacher.

Recording 1: A phone message

2 plays left

When is Karim’s class this week?
Monday Tuesday Wednesday
What time does it start?
Six o’clock Five o’clock Seven o’clock
What should Karim bring?
A dictionary A laptop His book

Recording 2: At the train station

2 plays left

Which platform does the train leave from?
Platform four Platform five Platform two
Where is the café?
In coach five On platform two In the station
How long is the journey?
About two hours About three hours About four hours

Recording 3: A volunteering day

2 plays left

What will the volunteers do?
Teach children about the environment Clean the beach and plant trees Build a new park
What should volunteers bring?
Gloves Tools A water bottle
How can people sign up?
By writing their name on a list in the library By sending an email By phoning the speaker

Recording 4: Sleep and exams

2 plays left

What is the speaker’s main message?
Studying all night is the best way to prepare. Sleep helps memory, so revision should be planned ahead. Naps can replace a full night’s sleep.
What does the speaker say about naps?
Short naps can help, but long naps may not. They are always helpful. They should be avoided before exams.
What does the speaker advise?
Study only in the morning. Take a long nap before the exam. Spread revision over several days and sleep well.

Recording 5: Tourism and local economies

2 plays left

What is the speaker’s main point?
Tourism should be reduced. Foreign investment is always harmful. Attention should focus on how the gains and costs of tourism are shared.
What do the usual figures tend to hide?
Who actually receives the money How many visitors arrive The cost of building hotels
What is the speaker’s view of tourism itself?
They are opposed to it. They are not against it. They have not decided.

4. Writing

Everyone writes Part 1. If you feel comfortable, also write Part 2. Your teacher marks your writing.

Part 1 (40–60 words)

Write an email to a friend inviting them to an event (for example a birthday, a match or a concert). Say what the event is, when and where it is, and what your friend should bring.

0 words

Part 2 (optional) (120–180 words)

Some people say that learning a language online is as good as learning in a classroom. Do you agree? Give your opinion with reasons and examples.

0 words

When you send the test, you cannot change your answers.