ELICOS Placement Test

  • Placement Test

  • Dear student,

    Welcome to Original Campus!

    We are excited to have you as part of our English language program. 

    You are about to begin doing a placement test.
    This test is used to decide the starting point of English proficiency level for any student coming to study English at Original Campus.

    The placement test has six (6) main sections.

    The first two sections include your personal details.

    The third section is the Grammar and Reading section and is composed of 50 multiple-choice questions, which require an adequate understanding of English reading and grammar skills in order to answer correctly.

    The fourth section is the Listening section of the test, that require carefully listen to audio recording, read each question and select the most appropriate answer. If needed, you can replay the audio second time to verify understanding.

    The fifth section is the written section of the test, which will require you to choose ONE TOPIC and then create a piece of writing regarding the chosen topic.

    The sixth section is the oral section of the test, where you will be asked a series of questions based on personal information regarding yourself and your life experience. This will be done in an online face-to-face meeting or in person.

    If you attain a low score in one section of the placement test but attain a high score in a different section, the assessor will decide how to weigh the scores in order to determine your final placement level.

     

    No internet research or communication with other students is allowed during the placement test. It is essential to strictly adhere to these guidelines, as the test aims to determine your skills and abilities accurately.

     

    Best luck with your placement test!

  • Format: 0000000000.

  • Student declaration Signature

    This is my original work, and no part of it has been copied from any other source. No part of this has been written for me by any other person.
    *   

  • Part 1 Grammar and Reading Section

  • 1.  I’m 18 and my brother is 20, so he’s ______ me.*
  • 2. Carl’s very ______ . He’s never late, and he never forgets to do things.*
  • 3. We stayed in a lovely villa ______ the sea.*
  • 4. Not until the 1980s ______ for the average person to own a computer.*
  • 5. Jan ______ her arm on a hot iron.*
  • 6. Tomorrow’s a holiday, so we ______ go to work.*
  • 7. I usually ______ swimming at least once a week.*
  • 8. My friend Siena ______ to Russia last year.*
  • 9. This is ______ area, with a lot of factories and warehouses.*
  • 10. If I ______ well in my exams, I ______ to university.*
  • 11. She was so upset that she burst ______ tears.*
  • 12. Where did you go ______ holiday last year?*
  • 13. Ocean currents ______ play an important part in regulating global climate.*
  • 14. My cousin ______ getting a job in Bahrain.*
  • 15. I can’t ______ your hair, because I haven’t got any scissors.*
  • 16. I wish I ______ have an exam tomorrow!*
  • 17. The government plans to ______ taxes on sales of luxury items.*
  • 18. When I first moved to Hong Kong, life in a different country was very strange, but now I’m used ______ here.*
  • 19. There ______ milk in the fridge.*
  • 20. Criminals are people who are guilty of ______ the law.*
  • 21. Why on earth isn’t Josh here yet? ______ for him for over an hour!*
  • 22. “It’s pouring down, and it’s freezing.” What are the weather conditions?*
  • 23. ______ feeling OK? You don’t look very well.*
  • 24. Daniel’s hair is getting far too long; he should ______ soon.*
  • 25. Mandy works for a computer software company. She got ______ recently, and so now she’s an area manager.*
  • 26. I can’t hear you – it’s ______ noisy in here.*
  • 27. Jamal has just sent me ______ to arrange plans for this weekend.*
  • 28. I promise I’ll call you as soon as ______ .*
  • 29. Photographers and designers need to be very ______ .*
  • 30. The global financial crisis, ______ is forcing lots of small businesses to close, does not look set to end soon.*
  • 31. There ______ a terrible accident if the pilot hadn’t reacted so quickly.*
  • 32. “Are you ready to order?” “Not yet – I’m still looking at the ______ .” *
  • 33. “My job is never boring.” The speaker’s job is always ______ .*
  • 34. I’ve been working here ______ about the last two years.*
  • 35. “It leaves from Platform 2 at 4.15.” The speaker is talking about ______.*
  • 36. I went to a lovely ______ last Saturday. The bride was my best friend when we were at school.*
  • 37. “I’ve got a headache.” “Maybe you ______ to take an aspirin.”*
  • 38. The patient had an ______ to insert metal pins in his broken leg.*
  • 39. She won a seat in parliament at the last ______ . *
  • 40. I’m surprised you didn’t get upset. If someone said that to me, ______ really angry. *
  • 41. This used to be ______ part of the city, but since the old buildings were renovated it’s become a very fashionable area. *
  • 42. Archaeologists ______ that a perfectly preserved 5,500-year-old shoe has been discovered in a cave in Armenia in south-west Asia. *
  • 43. It is ______ to be the oldest leather shoe ever found. The shoe was made of a single piece of leather, stitched at the front and back, and was shaped to fit the wearer’s foot.*
  • 44. It had been ______ with grasses, either for warmth or to make sure it kept its shape.*
  • 45. The shoe is relatively small but we can’t say for ______*
  • 46. ... whether it was worn by a man or a woman,’ says Dr Ron Pinhasi, an archaeologist on the research ______*
  • 47. We thought at first that it was about 600-700 years old because it was in such good shape.’ Shoes of this type from later periods have turned ______ in archaeological excavations in various places in Europe.*
  • 48. Shoes of a very similar design were still being used on the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland as ______ as the 1950s*
  • 49. It's ______ a style which proved to be very popular.*
  • 50. Even though it is outdated now, it ______ popular for thousands of years.*

  • Part 2: Listening

  • Listen to the audio track located here, and then answer the questions.

  • 1. What is the author's native country?*
  • 2. What did the author enjoy doing with their friends growing up?*
  • 3. What kind of childhood did the person have?*
  • 4. What did the author study at university?*
  • 5. What is the author's current profession?*
  • 6. What does the person like about their job?*
  • 7. What is the author's favorite hobby?*
  • 8. What kind of books does the author enjoy reading?*
  • 9. What does the author enjoy about their favorite hobby?*
  • 10. What kind of volunteering does the author do?*
  • 11. What is the author's opinion about volunteering?*
  • 12. What does the person feel when they see the young people at the shelter?*
  • 13. What has the person become more interested in as they've gotten older?*
  • 14. What kind of books has the person been reading?*
  • 15. What practices has the person been exploring?*

  • Part 3: Writing Section

  • You must choose ONLY ONE TOPIC. You must only answer ONE of the following five questions.

    Students applying for an EAP level MUST choose writing task 5, and students aiming to get enrolled into a higher level of General English must select writing task 4 or 5. Other writing tasks will not be considered as appropriate for a high-level student.

     

    Task 1 (Elementary level)
    Write a personal profile about yourself for a website where you can meet new Internet friends. You should answer these question:

    • What is your name, age, etc.?
    • Where are you from, and what do you do?
    • What do you like, and what sort of person are you?
    • What are your interests and your likes/ dislikes?
    • What sort of new friends do you want to meet?

     

    Task 2 (Pre-Intermediate level)
    Write an email to a friend from another part of the world who wants to know more about your country. You can use your own ideas, and/or you can describe some of these things:

    • How big the country is, where it is and what the land is like (mountains, lakes, ocean, etc.)
    • Description of main city (cities), famous landmarks and tourists attractions
    • The local language
    • Culture and traditions such as food, music, festivals.
    • You should finish your email by inviting your friend to visit your country some time so that they can see what it is like.

     

    Task 3. (Intermediate level)
    Write about a strong childhood memory- for example, something that made you very happy. Briefly explain how old you were, and tell the story of what happened. Try to remember details and describe these in your story. Explain how you felt and why you felt this way. How do you feel about the event?

     

    Task 4. (Upper-Intermediate level)
    Write a review of your favorite movie. Explain what type of genre it is (for example, a thriller, a comedy, a romantic movie, etc). Say where and when the story takes place, and briefly describe what happens. Describe the main characters, and say whether you like or dislike each of them, and why. Try to explain why this movie is your favorite.

     

    Task 5. No less than 250 words. (Upper-Intermediate/Advanced level)
    Write an article discussing what problems young people encounter when they live and study abroad. You can use your own ideas, but you might like to include some of these issues:
    Cultural misunderstandings, difficulty of building a support network, homesickness, the language barrier, feeling like an outsider, lack of time management and different style of life.

  • Part 4: Speaking

  • Should be Empty: