Test Your English

Languages International Pre-entry Test

The purpose of this test is to give our Academic staff information about your level of English, so that we can give you accurate advice about the courses you should take. The test will take at least 1 hour to complete. It has four parts:
- A self-assessment, where you tell us what you think about your level of English.
- A placement test, which measures your ability to recognise correct English grammar and vocabulary.
- A writing sample, which shows us how well you can produce written English.
- A speaking sample, which shows us how well you can produce spoken English.
Before you start the tests, please complete the section below with information about yourself.
Part 1: Information about yourself
Family name
Given name(s)
Email*
- I have an agent.
- I do not have an agent.
What is the name of the agency?
Are you in New Zealand now?*
- Yes
- No
Courses (Please select all of the courses you would like approval to enrol in)
Courses
- General English (GE)
- English for Business (EB)
- English for University EU
- Executive course (EXE)
- Cambridge FCE
- Cambridge CAE
- Cambridge CPE
- Cambridge BEC Preliminary
- Cambridge BEC Vantage
- Cambridge BEC Higher
- IELTS
- IELTS Academic Writing Evening Class
- Preparation for the TOEFL ® Test
- Preparation for the TOEIC ® Test
- OET
- Online course: Conversation
- Online course: English for University – Step
You do not need to take this test for TESOL. Please complete the TESOL Pre-test (0.06MB PDF file) and online application form instead.
You do not need to take this test for Delta. Please email us for application materials.
You do not need to take this test for CELTA. Please download the CELTA application form instead.
Have you followed a course to prepare for a Cambridge exam before?
- Yes
- No
Please indicate which of the following Cambridge exams you have previously taken, and your grade:
- None
- FCE
- CPE
- KET/PET
- CAE
FCE Grade
CPE Grade
KET/PET Grade
CAE Grade
Part 2: Self-Assessment *
Instructions: You are going to read some statements about English ability in 5 different areas. You should choose the statement in each area that describes your level of ability and put the answers in the 5 boxes below. Please click on one of the language icons below to read the self-assessment statements in:
NOTE: You will need the free Adobe PDF viewer or Microsoft Word to read the guidelines
Country
Listening
Reading
Speaking (interaction)
Speaking (production)
Writing
*Self-assessment © Council of Europe, used with permissionReference: Common European Framework of reference for Languages:Learning, teaching, assessment. 2001, Cambridge University Press.
Part 3: Languages International Placement Test
Instructions: From the drop down lists, choose the best answer to complete each text. There are 60 questions. Please make sure you answer all questions. Please also make sure you complete the "Free Writing" task at the bottom of the test. Click the 'Send Test' button at the bottom when you have finished.
Choose the correct answers

Text 1: The Christmas Holidays
1. A: You've just come back from your holiday over Christmas. Where
you go?
2. B: Well I went back to England. At first I went for a
,
3. which was
the end of November, and then I decided to stay for Christmas because it's such a long way back to England.
4. I
a really good time.
5. A:
did it feel going back to England?
6. B: Great. It was really good to
all my friends and family and it was also quite nice
7.
my boyfriend who's a New Zealander came to visit.
8. It
the first time he'd been to England, so it was great to
9. show
all the tourist sights
10.
London. We also went to Paris.
Text 2: Computers
11. I wrote my first program for a computer when I
thirteen years old.
12. A program
a computer to do something. My program told the computer to
13. play
game. This computer was very big and slow.
14. It didn't
have a computer screen. But I thought it was wonderful. I was just
15. a kid, but the computer
everything I told it to do. And even today, that's
16.
I love about computers. When I write a good program, it always
17.
perfectly, every time.
18. The computer was our toy. We grew up
it. And when we grew up, we
19. brought our toy with
. Now the computer is in our homes and in our offices.
20. It
our lives and it is changing them again, because
21. now the computers
together to make a new system.
22. In
system, computers all over the world are beginning to work together.
23. Our computers
our telephones, our post office, our library, and our banks. When we talk about this new system, we call it the Internet.
Bill Gates The Road Ahead. Penguin 1995. © Microsoft Corporation. Permission sought.
Text 3: Tramping - walking in New Zealand's forests and mountains
24. New Zealand's
tourist season is generally in the warmer months from around November to
25. April, though of course there's some exceptions - ski resort towns,
, will be
26. packed out in winter. The most busy time to be travelling in New Zealand is
the summer school holidays from around 20 December to 30 January. To a lesser extent Easter weekend, Labour Weekend in late October, and the May and August
27. school holidays
also busy periods. If you're travelling during
28. the school holidays, when New Zealanders as well as visitors are out on the road, remember that
29. type of accommodation and transport is
to fill up, especially the more
30.
places, so plan ahead. It may be more pleasant to visit New Zealand
31.
before or after this hectic period, when the weather is still warm and there
32.
as many other travellers around.
33. New Zealand is not like some other countries, though,
the weather is so miserable at some
34. times of the year that there's no
in going.
35. You
need warmer clothes in winter but there are
36.
other things to see and do in New Zealand all year around.
Peter Turner et al. New Zealand Travel Survival Kit. 8th edition. © Lonely Planet 1996. Reproduced with permission of Lonely Planet Publications.
Text 4: Planning a night out
A: Hi. How are you?
B: I'm good
37. A: Very good. So, listen. We
out tonight. That's the plan, right?
B: Yeah, that's the plan.
38. A: OK. So have you thought about what sort of thing
to do?
B: Well, I rather fancy seeing a movie actually and maybe have dinner.
39. A: Yes, food
good. I was actually thinking about
40.
a play.
B: Oh really?
41. A: Yeah, I
anything live for a long time.
B: That's a good idea. What would you like to see?
42. A: Well, it's funny. The other day on Sunday I
to the radio. Amanda Jones came on. She's directing a play called 'The Birthday Party'. B: I've heard it's really good.
43. A: And I thought it could be a good bet. It's also on at the Maidment, so it's a
price.
B: Oh right. So how much is that?
A: Umm, well, it's $18 if you're under 25
B: That's not us then, is it?
A: No, it doesn't really matter
44. B: We could
something to eat first.
45. A: Yeah, yeah, that'd be good. We
go to Ken's Yakitori quite early, like, round 6:30
46. B: Ok, well,
great. So what time would you like to meet?
47.
we meet in town or
48. should I
you up?
A: We'll meet at Ken's.
Text 5: The Case for an Increased Greenhouse Effect
49. The earth has an average surface temperature of about 15°C, although the temperature on the surface
from -60°C to 80°C.
50. The planet is in a heat balance. Light energy released by the sun
the surface of the earth;
51. as a result, heat energy is
from the earth's surface into space, cooling the earth down.
52. If the earth had
atmosphere around it, the surface would be about
53. 33°C colder
. This is
54.
the gases trap heat energy. Light energy can pass through the gases but heat energy
55. cannot get out again
. As with the glass in a gardener's greenhouse
56.
lets in light but holds back heat, the earth's atmosphere warms up. This is known
57.
the greenhouse effect. The power of the greenhouse effect is
58.
by earth's neighbour, the planet Venus. Venus is nearer to the sun than we are and if it
59. lacked an atmosphere, it
an average surface temperature of 37°C.
60. However, its atmosphere
96% carbon dioxide. When a recent space craft landed, it found a surface temperature of 428°C!
Tomkins, S., M.J. Reiss & C. Morris Biology at Work. © CUP 1992. Reproduced with the permission of Cambridge University Press

Part 4: Writing Task

Instructions: Please write 100 - 200 words in the box below describing:

Your education and work experience
Your reason for studying English
Your plans for after your English course

Word count:

Part 5: Speaking Task

After you submit this first part of the test, you will see instructions for how to do the speaking task. We will also email the instructions to you.

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