Placement Test
Elementary to Intermediate
Introduction
This placement test is intended to help teachers decide which level of Solutions (Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, or
Intermediate) is the most suitable for their students. It should be given at the beginning of the school year.
The Solutions placement test has been developed after consultation with teachers and is designed to assess
students’ knowledge of the key language as well as their receptive and productive skills. This will enable teachers
to have a greater understanding of what level their students are at.
The test contains:
50 multiple choice questions which assess students’ knowledge of key grammar and vocabulary from
elementary to intermediate levels.
a reading text with 10 graded comprehension questions.
an optional writing task that assesses students’ ability to produce the language.
The 50 multiple choice questions and the reading task are designed to be done together in a 45-minute lesson.
The writing task can be done in the following lesson and should take approximately 20 minutes.
Interpreting scores
Total Elementary Pre-Intermediate Intermediate
Grammar & Vocabulary 50 0–20 21–30 31+
Reading 10 0–4 5–7 8+
Writing 10 0–4 5–7 8+
This table acts as a guideline for teachers when choosing which level of Solutions is suitable for their students.
Reading and writing scores are included separately so that teachers who choose not to include these tasks in the
placement test can still make an accurate assessment of their students’ abilities.
Where there is a discrepancy in the level attained in the different parts of the test, a student’s score for grammar
and vocabulary should take precedence. Alternatively, a teacher may wish to conduct an additional oral interview
to confirm the result.
Students whose scores fall on the borderlines should be placed according to the level of the rest of the class and
monitored closely at the start of the course.
© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PHOTOCOPIABLE Solutions Third Edition Placement Test
Placement Test 16 My sister speak French when she was only
six years old.
A was B should C could D had
Grammar and Vocabulary 17 Did you shopping after school yesterday?
Circle the correct answers.
A went B goed C going D go
1 you interested in sport?
18 I five emails before school today.
A Be B Am C Is D Are
A sent B sended C did send D was send
2 My is a writer and his books are very popular.
19 Our teacher speaks English to us so that we
A aunt B uncle C sister D mother can understand her.
3 Paul is very . He’s very good at art. A slow B slower C more slow D slowly
A honest B friendly C polite D creative 20 Quick – get the food inside! It any moment.
4 We live in the city centre and our house have A rains B is raining C is going to rain
a big garden. D can rain
A doesn’t B isn’t C aren’t D don’t 21 I the new Batman film yet. Is it any good?
5 I arrive at school before nine o’clock. A haven’t seen B didn’t see C don’t see
A has to B have to C doesn’t have D am not seen
to D haven’t to 22 I hope you a good time at the moment in
6 The beach was very crowded Monday. Greece! Phone soon.
A in B on C at D to A are having B have C have had D had
7 You eat all that cake! It isn’t good for you. 23 I wanted to see Harry. How long ago ?
A don’t B may not C shouldn’t A he left B has he left C did he leave
D will not D could he leave
8 Cathy a game on her computer at the 24 Do students in your country have to stand
moment. when the teacher arrives?
A plays B is playing C to play D play A on B at C in D up
9 There a lot of people outside the school. 25 Which train for when I saw you on the
What’s the problem? platform on Sunday?
A are B is C be D am A did you wait B were you waiting
C have you waited D are you waiting
10 you like to come out with us tonight?
26 You hurry as we’ve still got twenty minutes
A Do B Would C Are D Will
before the film starts.
11 How time have we got to do this exercise?
A mustn’t B can’t C may not D needn’t
A long B many C much D quick
27 That car is dangerous to drive.
12 Turn and you’ll see the museum on the left.
A too B enough C not enough
A on the right B rightly C by the right D right D the worst
13 Don’t forget to get the bus at Station Road.
28 I you in the café at about 4.30 and we can
A out B off C over D down discuss our plans then, OK?
14 Tom got the marks in the class for his A ’ll see B am going to see C am seeing
homework. D see
A worse B worst C baddest D most bad 29 My father has been a pilot twenty years and
15 There wasn’t milk for breakfast this morning he still loves his job.
so I had toast and orange juice. A since B for C until D by
Aa B some C the D any
© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PHOTOCOPIABLE Solutions Third Edition Placement Test
30 I really enjoy new languages and I’d like to 41 By the time I hand in this project, I on it for
learn Italian soon. three weeks!
A to learn B learning C learn D learned A ’ll be working B ’ll have been working
31 If we in the countryside, we’d have much C have worked D ’ll work
better views than we do now. 42 Jonah’s just fallen down the steps outside and
A lived B were live C would live D live there’s everywhere.
32 I wish Joe to Hawaii on holiday. They’re A bone B blood C skin D cut
talking about an eruption there on the news. 43 I really wish people dump litter in front of our
A doesn’t go B didn’t go C hasn’t gone house. We have to clear it up every day.
D hadn’t gone A won’t B wouldn’t C haven’t D don’t
33 Could I possibly some money for the bus fare 44 You should be very proud what you’ve
home? I’ve lost my bag. achieved over the last year.
A lend B owe C borrow D need A of B on C to D for
34 Sam asked me if I a lift home after the 45 people know this but our school is being
concert. inspected today.
A had wanted B wanted C would want A Little B Any C None D Few
D want
46 That’s the office my dad works.
35 People say that an avalanche by loud noises
A who B where C that D which
in the area but I don’t know if that’s true.
47 The studio lights went out while the footballer
A causes B has caused C is causing
D is caused .
36 Look at the news! Three cars _ in a bad A had been interviewed B was interviewed
accident on the motorway at Dartford. C was being interviewed D was interviewing
A are involving B involve C have involved 48 Last Tuesday the company told Ruth that they’d
D have been involved emailed her the job details the day.
37 I for arriving so late but I was caught up in a A last B before C previous D earlier
traffic jam in the town centre. 49 I must remember Ed to take notes for me
A sorry B regret C apologise D afraid while I’m away next week.
38 Look out for a petrol station because I think A ask B to ask C asking
we’re going to run of petrol soon. D for asking
A down B out C off D through A it had been B it was been C it was being
D it is been
39 It was great to see you at the party. I didn’t
realize how long since we last met. 50 If I’d gone to the sales yesterday, I one of
those cheap bags before they sold out.
A it had been B it was been C it was being
D it is been A could have bought B had bought
C would buy D bought
40 The girls to each other since the film started.
A talked B were talking C are talking
D have been talking
Mark: / 50
© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PHOTOCOPIABLE Solutions Third Edition Placement Test
Placement test 1 Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?
1 The article is from a magazine.
2 The writer says that women are better referees
Reading than men.
Read the text. 3 Pat Dunn is still alive today.
4 Pat didn’t get her referee certificate
An unusual job! immediately.
5 Bibiana Steinhaus played in a football final.
Have you seen a football match recently? If you have,
I’m sure that you heard lots of comments about the 2 Choose the best answers.
referee as well as about the players! Referees have 1 Referees have a difficult job because …
a very difficult job. They have to make quick and
A they need to run fast.
important decisions in the middle of a fast-moving
game. And, of course, there are thousands of people B the players shout at them.
shouting at them too. The crowd is never happy when C they have to think quickly.
the ref sends off their favourite player. Also, in football
today there still isn’t the same technology as there is 2 In the sport of tennis …
in other sports, like tennis. The job can get even more A they use more technology.
difficult when you’re a woman who is refereeing B there are more women players.
a men’s match!
C there are bigger crowds.
There is no reason why there should not be the same
number of male and female referees in the sport 3 Who was Pat Dunn?
today. However, the number of female refs is still very A A woman football player.
low – particularly at the highest levels of professional B A nurse at football matches.
football. This is something that one woman, Pat Dunn,
who died in 1999, would have been very sad about. C An important member of the Ladies’ Football
Association.
Pat was the first woman in the UK to referee a men’s
football match but she wasn’t allowed to do this for 4 When was the first female referee in the UK
a long time. Pat was a strong supporter of women’s appointed?
rights in sport and became President of the Ladies’ A 1969
Football Association in 1969. Then she decided to
B 1976
train to be a referee. For a long time the Football
Association refused to give her a certificate although C 1999
she had passed the exams. But Pat continued fighting 5 Bibiana Steinhaus …
and she finally got permission in 1976. The next
month she became famous when she refereed her A wanted to be a referee when she was a
first official FA game. Pat became a very good and teenager.
successful referee and even saved a footballer’s life. B recently refereed a men’s football final.
She helped him when he was injured during a match!
C plays in the top women’s league.
Today there are some famous female referees, like
Bibiana Steinhaus from Germany who has just
refereed the final of the Women’s Football World Cup. Mark: / 10
Bibiana decided to become a referee at the age of
sixteen and later was the first female referee in the
German men’s professional league. But there are only Writing
a few like her. Imagine you went to your capital city on a day trip.
Football is still mainly a men’s game – both for players Write an email to your friend telling him/her about the
and referees. But for how long? Will we see more day. Include information about the journey there, the
women referees in the future? We’d like to know what people you went with, what you did and what you
YOU think. So, please go online and leave a comment bought.
on our website. We’ll print the most interesting ones in
the magazine next week. Mark: / 10
Total: / 70
© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PHOTOCOPIABLE Solutions Third Edition Placement Test
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© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PHOTOCOPIABLE Solutions Third Edition Placement Test
NAME
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© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PHOTOCOPIABLE Solutions Third Edition Placement Test
