Well
designed placement tests give teachers an idea of where their students need to start their English course. There are a few international tests which determine students
English language level.
IELTS
International
English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test of English language proficiency. It is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, British Council and IDP Education Australia. Candidates may choose either the Academic Module
or the General Training Module:
The
Academic Module is intended for those wishing to enroll in universities and other institutions of higher education.
The
General Training Module is intended for those planning to undertake non-academic training or to gain work experience, or for
immigration purposes.
IELTS
is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, Irish, New Zealand
and South African academic institutions, by an increasing number of academic institutions in the USA, and by various professional organisations.
IELTS
characteristics
The
IELTS incorporates the following features:
A variety
of accents and writing styles are presented in text materials in order to minimise linguistic bias. The test focuses on "International
English", which includes British English, American English and other varieties. The results are therefore considered more
authoritative than TOEFL.
IELTS
tests the ability to speak, read, listen and write in English.
Two
test formats can be chosen from - Academic and General Training.
Band
scores are used for each language sub-skill (Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing).
The Band Scale ranges from 1 ("Non User") to 9 ("Expert User").
Locations
and test dates
There
are around 300 test centres worldwide. The number of candidates has grown from about 100,000 in 1999 to more than half a million
in 2005. The top three locations in which candidates took the test in 2003 were China, India and the United Kingdom
for the Academic Category, and India, China and Australia for the General Training Category.
There
are up to 48 test dates available per year. Each test centre offers tests up to four times a month depending on local demand.
More about IELTS: http://www.ielts.org
TOEFL
The
Test of English as a Foreign Language (or TOEFL, pronounced "toe-full", or sometimes just "toffle") evaluates the potential
success of an individual to use and understand Standard American English at a college level. It is required for non-native
applicants at many American and English speaking colleges and universities. The TOEFL is the product of the Educational Testing
Service (ETS), which is contracted by the private, non-profit firm, the College Board to administer the test in institutions
in the US; they also produce the SAT.
The
test is usually taken on a computer in a test center, although paper versions are available where it is not possible to take
it this way. TOEFL is administered worldwide.
The
Computer Based Test for TOEFL called the CBT, is an adaptive test; meaning that your next question's difficulty level depends
on the correctness of your response to the current question. This helps TOEFL to grade the person's knowledge on the English
language; by assuming him/her to be of an average capability at the beginning of the test, and with the responses received
at the every question the program decides to give you a tougher or easier question based on whether your question was answered
correctly or not. The CBT follows computer adaptive test strategy for the Listening and Structure section alone. The reading
comprehension and essay writing are not computer adaptive.
The
test consists of four sections:
Section
I: Listening Comprehension
Section
II: Structure and Written Expression
Section
III: Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary
Section
IV: Essay Writing
More
about TOEFL: http://www.toefl.org
TOEIC
Test
of English for International Communication (TOEIC) measures the ability of non-native English-speaking people to use English
in everyday work activities. The TOEIC was developed by the ETS (Educational Testing Service) in the USA following a request from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry (MITI). There are an estimated 3 million
test takers per year.
The
TOEIC test is a two-hour multiple-choice test that consists of 200 questions divided into 100 questions each in listening
comprehension and reading comprehension. Each candidate receives independent marks for written and oral comprehension on a
scale from 5 to 495 points. The total score adds up to a scale from 10 and 990 points. The TOEIC certificate exists in five
colours, corresponding to achieved results: orange (10-215), brown (220-465), green (470-725), blue (730-855) and gold (860-990).
More
about TOEIC: http://www.toeic-europe.com
ETS
The
Educational Testing Service (or ETS) is the world's largest private educational testing and measurement organization, operating
on a annual budget of approximately $900 million. ETS develops various standardized examinations primarily in the United States, but they also administer tests such as TOEFL in most nations. Many of the assessments they develop
are associated with entry to US tertiary and quaternary education institutions. As well as test development, they also carry
out internationally recognised educational research.
Their
international campus-like headquarters is in Lawrenceville, New
Jersey (with a Princeton
mailing address); Processing, shipping, customer service and test security nearby Ewing; and European headquarters
is in Utrecht in the Netherlands.
ETS employs about 2,700 individuals, including 240 with doctorates and an additional 350 others with "higher degrees."
ETS
is a non-profit organization. However, the organization is also self-supporting, meaning that they need to charge for assessments.
Some test-takers find these prohibitively high, although test fee waivers or reductions are available for individuals who
can prove financial hardship.
Much
of the work carried out by ETS is contracted by the private, non-profit firm the College Board. The most popular of the College
Board's tests is the SAT, taken by more than 3 million students annually.
Tests
administered by ETS
Graduate
Record Examination (GRE)
SAT
(formerly: Scholastic Aptitude Test)
PSAT/National
Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT)
College
Level Examination Program (CLEP)
Test
of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Test
of English for International Communications (TOEIC)
Certified
Professional Electrologist (CPE)
More
about ETS: http://www.ets.org
Good English tests can clearly indicate students’ level of English.
Free EFL/ESL Tests Online
