Oxford Test of English

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About the tests

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 is an affordable, personalized general English proficiency test that suits your needs. 100% online, it’s flexible, fast, and available at Approved Test Centres worldwide.

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

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

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Aligned

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Accurately measures A2, B1 and B2 (CEFR) English proficiency, to give results you can trust.

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Fast

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

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  • 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


A2 Practice Test 1
B1 Practice Test 1
B2 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.

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Overview of the Oxford Test of English

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.

Speaking

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

Part Task type Number of questions Task format Testing focus Detailed timing
Part 1 Interview 6 (plus two unassessed) Eight questions on everyday topics
  • responding to questions
  • giving factual information
  • expressing personal opinions on everyday topics
Preparation time: none
Response time: Questions 1 and 2: 10 seconds per question
Questions 3–8: 20 seconds per question
Part 2 Voice messages 2 Two voice messages in response to two different situations
  • organizing and sustaining extended discourse
  • sociolinguistic appropriacy
  • sustaining relationships
Preparation time: 20 seconds
Response time: 40 seconds
Part 3 Talk 1 Short talk on an issue or scenario
  • organizing and sustaining extended discourse
  • describing
  • comparing and contrasting
  • speculating
  • suggesting
Preparation time: 30 seconds
Response time: 1 minute
Part 4 Follow-up questions 6 Six follow-up questions on the theme of the Part 3 talk As in Part 3, plus:
  • responding to questions
  • expressing, justifying and responding to opinions
  • expressing feelings
Preparation time: none
Response time: 30 seconds per question

Listening

The Listening module has four parts. It takes approximately 30 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 – picture options 5 Five short monologues/ dialogues each with one 3-option multiple-choice question with picture options Listening to identify:
  • specific information
time to answer = length of audio plus an additional 10 seconds
Part 2 Note completion 5 A longer monologue with five 3-option multiple-choice note-completion questions Listening to identify:
  • specific information
time to read the task = 30 seconds; time to answer = length of audio plus an additional 15 seconds
Part 3 Matching opinions with people who say them 5 A longer dialogue with five 3-option multiple-choice questions focussing on identifying opinion Listening to identify:
  • stated opinion
  • implied meaning
Part 4 Multiple choice 5 Five short monologues/ dialogues each with one 3-option multiple-choice question Listening to identify:
  • attitude/feeling/opinion
  • gist
  • function/reason/purpose
  • speaker relationship
  • topic
  • type/genre
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 Six short texts from a variety of sources, each with one 3-option multiple-choice question Reading to identify:
  • main message
  • purpose
  • detail
6 questions x 1 minute 20 seconds
Part 2 Multiple matching 6 Six items to match with three profiles of people OR six profiles of people to match with four longer text descriptions Expeditious search reading at local and global levels to identify:
  • specific information
  • opinion and attitude
8 minutes
Part 3 Gapped sentences 6 Six extracted sentences are inserted into a longer text Reading to identify:
  • text structure
  • organizational features of a text
11 minutes
Part 4 Multiple-choice questions on a longer text 4 Four 3-option multiple-choice questions Reading to identify:
  • attitude/opinion
  • purpose
  • reference
  • the meanings of words in context
  • global meaning
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 45 minutes. The tasks in both parts are compulsory.

Part Task type Number of questions Task format Testing focus Detailed timing
Part 1 Email 1 Written response to an input email. 80—130 words.
  • giving information
  • expressing and responding to opinions and feelings
  • transactional functions such as inviting/requesting/suggesting
20 minutes
Part 2 Essay or Magazine article/review 1 Essay OR Magazine article/review on a topic typical of classroom discussion. 100—160 words. Essay
  • expressing and responding to opinions
  • developing an argument
Magazine article/review
  • describing
  • narrating
  • expressing feelings and opinions
  • recommending
25 minutes
ECCTIS logo
A sound assessment of general English language proficiency", Ecctis 2021.

In their independent evaluation of the test, Ecctis reports that the adaptive nature of the Oxford Test of English ensures "a fair test of the candidate's competency". The Listening and Reading modules both use adaptive technology, meaning the questions adjust according to the test taker's responses – resulting in a shorter test and more precise results.

Read the report summary to find out more!

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The Oxford Test of English

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