International English Exams

Resources for Teaching English Exam Preparation.

April 7th, 2018

There are several English exams that are recognized internationally. Many of my students have taken these tests and I have had to help them prepare. I have tried to provide all the relevant information and free resources here to help them practice. If you have any other useful resources for students doing these tests please leave a comment with the links.

1) IELTS – The International English Language Testing System – There are two versions of this Cambridge university test; academic and general. This test is used by many universities and countries to see if international students can attend courses at English universities. It is also used by the governments of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to see if a potential immigrant’s English is good enough to migrate.

The test has an 11-14 minute speaking interview, and a 60 minute writing section with two tasks requiring a 150 and a 250 word response. The listening section contains 4 sections with 10 questions each, it lasts 30 minutes. The reading section lasts 60 minutes and has 3 sections with 40 questions. Here is a great website with lots of sample questions. Here are the Cambridge practice tests.

2) TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language – This test is similar to the IELTS as it used by universities to determine if an international student can study in English. I believe that the TOEFL is the test used the most by American universities and the IELTS is the test used the most by Canadian and British universities. The TOEFL is not used or accepted by governments for immigration purposes.

You can find more details about the test here and here are some sample tests and questions.

3) TOEIC – Test of English for International Communication – This test is designed to measure the abilities of people working in an international environment. The listening & reading tests are two tests of comprehension assessment activities with the highest possible score being 990. The speaking test is made of activities that assess pronunciation, intonation and stress. The writing test is made of activities that assess grammar, vocabulary, variety and relevance. There are always some picture in the writing test that students must describe in detail.

Here is a speaking and writing sample test and here is a listening and reading sample test.

4) Cambridge English Language Assessment – Cambridge university runs several popular English language tests, testing reading, writing, speaking and listening. For more details about these tests click here.

a) Bulats – Business Language Testing Service – this test measures a students business English level. Click here for sample tests.  Cambridge uses the “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages” meaning that the test will give you an English level between A1 (beginner) and C2 (mastery)

b) CAE – Certificate of Advanced English – If a student passes this test it means they have reached the C1 level. Click here for sample tests.

c) FCE – First Certificate in English – If a student passes this test it means they have reached the B2 level. Click here for sample tests.