Interactive Placement Test

Teacher’s Guide
This placement test is designed to help teachers decide at which level of Interactive new students should be placed.

The test contains:

• 80 written multiple-choice questions. The questions focus on the language taught across the four levels of Interactive (covering
CEFR levels A1–B2).

• an Oral Test, designed to be used in conjunction with the Written Test. The questions in this test are linked to the topics in the
Interactive Student’s Books. The Oral Test is designed to be flexible. This should allow teachers to get an overview of students’
speaking ability in order to ‘fine-tune’ their assessment of the correct level at which to place students.

• keys and tables for interpreting scores.

Written Test procedure

1 Ask the student to start at the beginning of the Written Test and stop when the questions become too difficult.

Allow 30 minutes for the test.

2 Mark the test and use the table below to place the student provisionally at one of the four levels of Interactive.

3 Use the Oral Test to confirm or adjust this placement (see Oral Test procedure below).

Elementary Pre-intermediate Intermediate Upper Intermediate

(level 1) (level 2) (level 3) (level 4)
Written Test score 0–19 20–39 40–59 60+

Written Test key

1 B 21 B 41 D 61 B
2 C 22 C 42 B 62 A
3 C 23 A 43 C 63 D
4 B 24 A 44 D 64 B
5 A 25 C 45 A 65 C
6 B 26 B 46 D 66 B
7 A 27 B 47 A 67 A
8 C 28 C 48 C 68 D
9 A 29 A 49 D 69 C
10 C 30 C 50 B 70 D
11 B 31 A 51 B 71 D
12 C 32 C 52 C 72 A
13 B 33 C 53 D 73 B
14 A 34 B 54 A 74 A
15 A 35 A 55 C 75 D
16 C 36 B 56 A 76 B
17 C 37 A 57 C 77 C
18 B 38 C 58 D 78 A
19 A 39 B 59 B 79 C
20 C 40 A 60 A 80 C

© Cambridge University Press 2012 Interactive Placement Test: Teacher’s Guide Photocopiable 1
Oral Test procedure

1 Check the student’s Written Test score and provisional placement.

2 Ask the student the introductory questions and note the information on the score sheet.

3 Ask the questions from the question bank that correspond to the level of the provisional placement.

4 Encourage the student to give full answers, by means of prompts rather than direct questions. Allow 5–10 minutes per question,
depending on level.

5 Award a score for each question, using the band descriptors below, interpreted at the relevant level.

Band descriptors Score

Insufficient sample of spoken language. Student fails to understand question, even when repeated. 0
Evidence of understanding at a basic level, but frequent inaccuracies in grammar and vocabulary may obscure the 1
message. Significant hesitation and inaccuracies in pronunciation impede understanding. Utterances left unextended.
Clear evidence of comprehension. Grammar and vocabulary sufficient to convey intended meaning and extend 2
answers effectively. Utterances are reasonably relevant and coherent with only occasional hesitation. However,
complex vocabulary and grammatical structures are avoided (except in obviously well-rehearsed utterances).
Questions fully understood. Accurate and appropriate use of a range of simple and complex grammatical forms and 3
vocabulary to develop responses fully. Utterances intelligible and linked coherently and logically without undue hesitation.

6 Place the student as follows:

Oral score Level

Mainly 1s – One level below Written Test
Mainly 2s – At same level as Written Test
Mainly 3s – One level above Written Test

7 Where there is a significant discrepancy between the student’s written score and oral performance, teachers should use their
professional judgement to place the student at the correct level.

8 Teachers may like to ask students for their own assessment of their level of English, bearing in mind, however, that this
judgement is likely to be very subjective.

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