Oxford Test of English Advanced

About the tests For test takers For test centres Who accepts the tests Teachers
About the tests

Oxford Test of English Advanced

Trust in a fair, reliable and valid test endorsed by the University of Oxford and developed by Oxford University Press. The Oxford Test of English Advanced is a personalized 100% online, flexible, fast English assessment solution for test takers who want to prove their English proficiency at a higher level (B2—C1) for professional or academic opportunities. It is available at Approved Test Centres worldwide.

Certified

Certified, aligned, secure, fast

The only suite of English proficiency tests certified by the University of Oxford.

See the letter from the University of Oxford

Secure

Certified, aligned, secure, fast

Individualised online experience in invigilated sessions at your choice of Approved Test Centre.

Learn about our security measures

Aligned

Certified, aligned, secure, fast

Accurately measures B2 and C1 (CEFR) English proficiency, to give results you can trust.

Take a look at our development process

Fast

Certified, aligned, secure, fast

Same day results for Reading and Listening. Speaking and Writing results are typically received within 5 working days.

Explore our results and certification


  • Four modules: Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing
  • Take or re-take as a full test, single modules, or in any combination – whatever your English proficiency needs!
  • Results are valid for life
  • Recognized by a growing number of institutions around the world

Oxford test of English Advanced


Oxford Test of English Advanced Practice Test 1

Preparation materials

Download free practice tests, audioscripts, and audio files for the Oxford Test of English. Available from A2 to C1 levels.

Access all our free practice materials

Read our testimonials

Read our testimonials

Students and teachers across the globe share their experiences of taking the Oxford Test of English.

Read our testimonials

Online demo

Experience the Oxford Test of English with the free online demo.

Access all our test demos


Overview of the Oxford Test of English Advanced

The Oxford Test of English, Oxford Test of English for Schools, and Oxford Test of English Advanced consist of four modules: Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing. The Listening and Reading modules are computer-adaptive, whereas the Speaking and Writing modules are randomized with questions selected at random from the item bank. The Speaking and Writing modules are marked by trained, expert assessors.

The table below shows the approximate length, number of parts, structure and content in each module for the Oxford Test of English Advanced.

Speaking

The Speaking module has five parts. It takes approximately 15 minutes.

Part Task type Number of questions Task format Testing focus Detailed timing
Part 1 Interview 6 (first 2 questions not marked) Answer questions on everyday topics
  • giving information, advice, and descriptions
  • expressing opinions, preferences, feelings, and attitudes
  • narrating, comparing, hypothesizing, and speculating
2 questions x 10 seconds; 4 questions x30 seconds to answer
Part 2 Voice message 1 Leave a voice message to respond to a difficult or sensitive situation
  • negotiating complex or sensitive transactions
  • expressing disagreement diplomatically
  • using persuasive language
10 seconds to prepare, 40 seconds to answer
Part 3 Summary 1 Summarize and synthesize the main ideas expressed by two different speakers talking about the same topic
  • summarizing
  • structuring discourse
  • distinguishing main points and supporting detail
40 seconds to prepare, 50 seconds to answer
Part 4 Debate 1 Put a case for or against a proposition using two or three of the ideas provided
  • developing an argument
  • sustaining an argument
  • concluding an argument
45 seconds to prepare, 2 minutes to answer
Part 5 Follow-up questions 4 Respond to questions to expand on the topics raised in the debate
  • justifying opinions and attitudes
  • speculating about the past or future
  • describing experiences
  • comparing and evaluating alternatives
4 questions x 40 seconds to answer

Listening

The Listening module has four parts. It takes approximately 35 minutes. Test takers can listen to each audio twice.

Part Task type Number of questions Task format Testing focus Detailed timing
*Part 1 Multiple choice with picture options OR text options 5 Short monologues or dialogues each with one 3-option multiple-choice question with picture options OR with text options
  • identifying gist
  • identifying specific information
  • understanding attitude/feeling/opinion
  • understanding implied meaning
  • identifying function/reason/purpose
  • identifying type, speaker relationship, topic
  • understanding rhetorical purpose (exemplification, comparison, exaggeration)
time to answer = length of audio plus an additional 10 seconds
*Part 2 Note- completion 5 or 6 Longer monologue with a note-completion task with five 3-option multiple-choice questions OR with six gaps to fill
  • identifying specific information
time to read the task = 30 seconds; time to answer = length of audio plus an additional 15 seconds
*Part 3 Matching 5 or 6 Longer dialogue with multiple-choice questions to match opinions to the people who express them
  • identifying stated opinion
  • identifying implied meaning
time to read the task = 30 seconds; time to answer = length of audio plus an additional 15 seconds
Part 4 Multiple-choice with text options 5 Short monologues/dialogues, each with one 3-option multiple-choice question with text options
  • identifying gist
  • identifying specific information
  • understanding attitude/feeling/opinion
  • understanding implied meaning
  • identifying function/reason/purpose
  • identifying type, speaker relationship, topic
  • understanding rhetorical purpose (exemplification, comparison, exaggeration)
time to answer = length of audio plus an additional 10 seconds

* In these parts of the Listening module the task type and number of questions that the test taker gets will depend on their level.

Reading

The Reading module has four parts. It takes up to 35 minutes.

Part Task type Number of questions Task format Testing focus Detailed timing
Part 1 Multiple-choice questions on short texts 6 Multiple-choice questions on short texts from a variety of sources, including adverts, blogs, emails, letters, notices, literary extracts, and journal extracts Careful local and global reading:
  • identifying main message, purpose, detail, and implied meaning
6 questionsx 1 minute20 seconds
*Part 2 Multiple- matching 6 or 7 Multiple-matching task with six profiles to match to four longer texts OR seven questions to match to three longer texts Expeditious search reading at local and global levels:
  • identifying specific information, opinion and attitude, and implied meaning
8 minutes
Part 3 Gapped text 6 Gapped text task with extracted sentences to be inserted into a longer text Careful global reading:
  • identifying text structure and organizational features of a text
11 minutes
*Part 4 Multiple-choice questions on a longer text 4 or 5 Multiple-choice questions on a longer text Careful local and global reading:
  • identifying attitude/opinion, purpose, reference, the meanings of words in context and global meaning
  • understanding implication and exemplification
8 minutes

* In these parts of the Reading module the task type and number of questions that the test taker gets will depend on their level.

Writing

The Writing module has two parts. It takes up to 50 minutes. The tasks in both parts are compulsory.

Part Task type Number of questions Task format Testing focus Detailed timing
Part 1 Essay 1 Write an essay of 220–280 words in response to an essay question, including at least two out of three ideas provided
  • structuring and developing an argument
  • giving reasons against or in support of a particular point
  • evaluating different ideas or solutions to a problem
  • highlighting salient issues
30 minutes
Part 2 Summary 1 Write a summary of 80–100 words synthesizing the main ideas from a textbook extract and a lecture transcription the same subject
  • summarizing and synthesizing information from two sources
  • identifying relevant information and reorganizing ideas
  • distinguishing main from supporting information
  • paraphrasing
20 minutes

Module-by-module overview

Your journey starts here

The Oxford Test of English

If you are visiting this website from Spain, please use the link below for your local service.

Si visitas esta página desde territorio español, por favor utiliza el siguiente enlace para acceder a la versión local.