Question 1 of 30
She ___ from Spain.
What does your placement test score mean?
Each right answer is one point. Your total out of 30 places you on one of five CEFR levels, from A1 to C1.
| Level | Score out of 30 | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 0-7 | You understand and use everyday expressions and very basic phrases, and you get by when people speak slowly and clearly. |
| A2 | 8-13 | You understand frequent expressions on familiar topics (family, shopping, work) and handle simple, routine exchanges. |
| B1 | 14-19 | You understand the main points on familiar matters, cope with most situations while traveling and briefly explain your opinions and plans. |
| B2 | 20-24 | You understand the main ideas of complex texts and talk with native speakers fluently, without strain for either side. |
| C1 | 25-30 | You understand long, demanding texts and implicit meaning, and use English flexibly for social, academic and professional purposes. |
We set these score bands ourselves, so that each block of 10 questions lines up with its levels. They're a teacher's rule of thumb, not an official CEFR conversion.
How the test works
30 gap-fill questions in three blocks of 10, from beginner to advanced. Every question has four options and one right answer.
- The first 10 questions: beginner grammar and vocabulary (A1-A2), like the verb to be, articles, the past simple and comparatives.
- The next 10: intermediate (B1-B2), like the present perfect, conditionals, the passive and reported questions.
- The last 10: advanced (C1), like inversion, mixed conditionals, modals of deduction and fixed phrases.
You can't skip a question: if you're not sure, pick the option that sounds best. The questions stay in English on every version of this page, because it's an English test.
What a placement test can't tell you
It measures grammar and vocabulary, not speaking, listening or writing. Use it to pick a starting level, then check it in class.
- Skills: the CEFR describes listening, reading, speaking and writing separately, and a student can be B2 in one and B1 in another.
- Guessing: with four options, a lucky guess is right one time in four, so a couple of points either way mean little.
- Ceiling: the test stops at C1. Telling C1 from C2 takes a longer test with reading, writing and speaking.
- Certificate: the result is a teacher's estimate. An official certificate only comes from an official exam.
To see how many hours a student needs for the next level, try our CEFR hours calculator. Preparing an exam? Our Cambridge score calculator turns your scale scores into a grade.
How to use the test with a new student
Send the link before the first lesson, ask for a screenshot of the result and confirm the level with a short conversation.
- 1
Send it before the first lesson
Paste the link to this page into the message where you confirm the first lesson. The test is free and needs no sign-up.
- 2
Ask for a screenshot
The result screen shows the level and the score. Save it with your notes on that student.
- 3
Check it by talking
Spend the first ten minutes chatting about work, hobbies or plans. If speaking sits a level below the test, plan for the lower one.
- 4
Plan from level and goals
Put the level next to the student's goals and pick material one step above what they can already do.
Pair the test with our needs analysis questionnaire and plan the session with our guide to the first lesson with a new student.
Every student's level in their notes
Save the test result in your SmartCookie lesson notes, share your booking link with new students and get paid by card or Bizum. Try it for 14 days, no card needed.