Placement Test

Elementary to Intermediate

5Introduction
This placement test is intended to help teachers decide which level of Solutions (Elementary, Pre-Intermediate or
Intermediate) is the most suitable for their students. It should be given at the beginning of the school year.
The Solutions placement test has been developed after consultation with teachers and is designed to assess students’
knowledge of the key language as well as their receptive and productive skills. This will enable teachers to have a
10greater understanding of what level their students are at.
The test contains:
50 multiple choice questions which assess students’ knowledge of key grammar and vocabulary from elementary to
intermediate levels.
A reading text with 10 graded comprehension questions.
15An optional writing task that assesses students’ ability to produce the language.
The 50 multiple choice questions and the reading task are designed to be done together in a 45-minute lesson. The
writing task can be done in the following lesson and should take approximately 20 minutes.

Interpreting scores
Total Elementary Pre-Intermediate Intermediate

Grammar & 50 0–20 21–30 31+

Vocabulary

Reading 10 0–4 5–7 8+

Writing 10 0–4 5–7 8+

20This table acts as a guideline for teachers when choosing which level of Solutions is suitable for their students.
Reading and writing scores are included separately so that teachers who choose not to include these tasks in the
placement test can still make an accurate assessment of their students’ abilities.
Where there is a discrepancy in the level attained in the different parts of the test, a student’s score for grammar and
vocabulary should take precedence. Alternatively, a teacher may wish to conduct an additional oral interview to
25confirm the result.
Students whose scores fall on the borderlines should be placed according to the level of the rest of the class and
monitored closely at the start of the course.

1
© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE Solutions 2nd edition Placement test
 70 6 Paul is very ____. He 13 The beach was 165 when she was only
doesn’t go out a very crowded ____ six years old.
lot. Monday. A was B 
30 A bored B  A in B on C  should C 
confident  120 at D to could D 
75 C angry  170 had
Placement D shy 14 I ____ the new
Batman film yet. Is 21 I really enjoy ____

test 7 ____ you like to

come out with us
it any good?
A haven’t seen 
new languages and
I’d like to learn
tonight? Italian soon.
Grammar 80 A Do B Would 
125 B didn’t
see C  175 A to learn B 
and C Are D 
Will
don’t see 
D am not seen
learning C 
learn D 
35Vocabulary 8 Dad’s ____ work
learned

right now. He’s a 130 15 Tom got the ____ 22 My father has been
Circle the correct
answers. 85 teacher. marks in the class 180 a pilot ____ twenty
A on B at C  for his homework. years and he still
1 ____ you interested
for D by A worse B worst loves his job.
in sport?
C baddest A since B for 
40 A Be B Am C  9 Did you ____
135 D most bad C until D 
Is D Are shopping after
16 You ____ eat all that 185 by
90 school yesterday?
2 My ____ is a writer cake! It isn’t good
A went B  23 Quick – get the
and his books are for you.
goed C  food inside! It ____
very popular. A don’t B may not
going D go any moment.
45 A aunt B  140 C should not A rains B is
uncle C  10 There wasn’t ____ D will not 190 raining  C 
sister D  95 milk for breakfast is going to
mother this morning so I 17 How ____ time have rain  
had toast and we got to do this
3 We live in the city D can rain
orange juice. exercise?
50 centre and our
A a B some C  145 A long B  24 Sam asked me if I
house ____ have a
100 the D any many C  195 ____ a lift home
big garden.
much D  after the concert.
A doesn’t B  11 I ____ five emails quick
isn’t C  A had wanted 
before school B wanted  
55 aren’t D  today. 18 Don’t forget to get
don’t C would
150 ____ the bus at
A sent B  200 want 
sended C  Station Road.
4 There ____ a lot of 105 D want
people outside the did send  A out B off  C 
D was send over D  25 Which train ____ for
school. What’s the
down when I saw you on
60 problem? 12 Turn ____ and you’ll
A are B is C  19 Our teacher speaks the platform on
see the museum 155
be D am 110 English to us ____ 205 Sunday?
on the left.
so that we can A did you wait 
5 Cathy ____ a game A on the right  B were you
B rightly  understand her.
on her computer at waiting 
65 the moment. C by the A  slow B 
160 slower C  C have you
A plays B is right 
more slow  210 waited D 
playing C  115 D right are you
to play  D  D slowly
waiting
play 20 My sister ____
speak French
 26 I ____ not be home 32 I wanted to see I’m away next have to clear it up
this evening. Harry. How long week. 360 every day.
215 Phone me on my 265 ago ____ ? A ask B to ask  A won’t B 
mobile. A he left B has C asking  wouldn’t 
A can B could  he left C  315 D for asking C haven’t 
C may D  did he D don’t
leave  38 Look at the news!
should
Three cars ____ in a 365 43 Last Tuesday the
270 D could he leave
220 27 I hope you ____ a bad accident on company told Ruth
good time at the 33 I wish Joe ____ to the motorway at that they’d
moment in Greece! Hawaii on holiday. 320 Dartford. emailed her the
Phone soon. They’re talking A are involving  job details the ____
A are having B  about an eruption B involve  370 day.
225 have C  275 there on the news. C have A last B 
have had  A doesn’t go B  involved  before C 
D had didn’t go  325 D have been previous 
C hasn’t involved D earlier
28 If we ____ in the
gone 
countryside, we’d 39 I ____ for arriving 375 44 The studio lights
230 have much better 280 D hadn’t gone went out while the
so late but I was
views than we do 34 Could I possibly caught up in a footballer ____ .
now. ____ some money 330 traffic jam in the A had been
A lived B were for the bus fare town centre. interviewed
live C  home? I’ve lost my A sorry B  380  B was
235 would live  285 bag. regret C  interviewed
D live apologise  C was being
A lend B owe 
C borrow  335 D afraid interviewed
29 Do students in  D was
your country have D need 40 It was great to see 385 interviewing
to stand ____ when 35 People say that an you at the party. I
240 the teacher didn’t realize how 45 By the time I hand
290 avalanche ____ by
arrives? long ____ since we in this project, I
loud noises in the
A on B at C  340 last met. ____ on it for three
area but I don’t
in D up A it had been B  weeks!
know if that’s true.
it was 390 A ’ll be working 
30 You ____ hurry as A causes B has
been C it B ’ll have
245 we’ve still got 295 caused C 
was being been
twenty minutes is causing 
345 D it is been working 
before the film D is caused
C have worked 
starts. 36 You’ll have to drive 41 I’m sorry to 395 D ’ll work
A mustn’t B  much ____ than this trouble you but I
250 can’t C  300 was wondering 46 Jonah’s just fallen
if you want to pass
may not D  what ____ . down the steps
your test.
needn’t outside and there’s
A carefuller B  350 A time it is B 
the time ____ everywhere.
31 I ____ you in the more
was C is 400 A bone B 
cafeé at about 4.30 careful 
the time? blood C 
255 and we can discuss305 C more skin D cut
our plans then, carefully  D was the time?
OK? D careful 355 42 I really wish 47 You should be very
A ’ll see B am people ____ dump proud ____ what
37 I must remember
going to litter in front of 405 you’ve achieved
____ Ed to take
260 see C am our house. We over the last year.
310 notes for me while
seeing  A of B on C 
D see to D for
 48 ____ people know
410 this but our school
is being inspected
today.
A Little B Any
C None D 
415 Few

49 Look out for a

petrol station
because I think
we’re going to run
420 ____ of petrol soon.
A down B out 
C off D 
through

50 If I’d gone to the

425 sales yesterday, I
____ one of those
cheap bags before
they sold out.
A could have
430 bought B 
had
bought 
C would buy D 
bought
435
Mark: ___/50

5
 4851 Are the sentences true ( T ) or false ( F )?
Placement test 1 The article is from a magazine. ___
2 The writer says that women are better
Reading referees than men. ___
3 Pat Dunn is still alive today. ___
Read the text.
490 4 Pat didn’t get her referee certificate

440 An unusual job! immediately. ___

5 Bibiana Steinhaus played in a football final. ___
Have you seen a football match recently? If you have, 2 Choose the best answers.
I’m sure that you heard lots of comments about the
1 Referees have a difficult job because…
referee as well as about the players! Referees have a
very difficult job. They have to make quick and 495 A they need to run fast.
445important decisions in the middle of a fast-moving B the players shout at them.
game. And, of course, there are thousands of people C they have to think quickly.
shouting at them too. The crowd is never happy when 2 In the sport of tennis…
the ref sends off their favourite player. Also, in football 500 A they use more technology.
today there still isn’t the same technology as there is in B there are more women players.
450other sports, like tennis. The job can get even more C there are bigger crowds.
difficult when you’re a woman who is refereeing a
men’s match!
3 Who was Pat Dunn?
505 A A woman football player.
There is no reason why there should not be the same B A nurse at football matches.
number of male and female referees in the sport today. C An important member of the Ladies’
455However, the number of female refs is still very low – Football Association.
particularly at the highest levels of professional
football. This is something that one woman, Pat Dunn, 510 4 When was the first female referee in the UK
who died in 1999, would have been very sad about. appointed?
A 1969
Pat was the first woman in the UK to referee a men’s B 1976
460football match but she wasn’t allowed to do this for a C 1999
long time. Pat was a strong supporter of women’s
5 Bibiana Steinhaus…
515
rights in sport and became President of the Ladies’
Football Association in 1969. Then she decided to train A wanted to be a referee when she was a
to be a referee. For a long time the Football Association teenager.
465refused to give her a certificate although she had B recently refereed a men’s football final.
passed the exams. But Pat continued fighting and she 520 C plays in the top women’s league.
finally got permission in 1976. The next month she
became famous when she refereed her first official FA
game. Pat became a very good and successful referee Mark: ___/10
470and even saved a footballer’s life. She helped him when
he was injured during a match!
Today there are some famous female referees, like
Writing
525Imagine you went to your capital city on a day trip.
Bibiana Steinhaus from Germany who has just refereed
Write an e-mail to your friend telling him/her about
the final of the Women’s Football World Cup. Bibiana
the day. Include information about the journey
475decided to become a referee at the age of 16 and later
there, the people you went with, what you did and
was the first female referee in the German men’s
what you bought.
professional league. But there are only a few like her.
Football is still mainly a men’s game – both for players 530 Mark: ___/10
and referees. But for how long? Will we see more
480women referees in the future? We’d like to know what Total: ___/70
YOU think. So, please go online and leave a comment
on our website. We’ll print the most interesting ones
in the magazine next week.