There are lots of big milestones along an English language learner’s journey.
Getting a job. Earning a GED or college degree. Becoming a citizen.
All things that involve demonstrating your English skills.
But people are notoriously bad at estimating their language abilities. And those formal English tests are long and expensive. So how can you help the ELLs at your library know when they’re ready to take the test or ace the interview?
The new English test in Transparent Language Online estimates a learner’s score on six common tests or proficiency scales:
Best of all, the test is super simple to take. No microphones or typing required. Each test question consists of two words or phrases. Just click on the one that is “better” English based on the spelling, grammar, vocabulary, or other common conventions.
The test adapts as it goes in order to pinpoint the taker’s abilities. At the end, they get a numerical score and estimated ranges showing where they may score on various tests or proficiency scales.
The idea is to give someone the best possible estimate of their English abilities in five minutes or less. The results are helpful for low-stakes use cases, like:
If your library currently subscribes to Transparent Language Online for Libraries, the English test is available free to all your English learners. After selecting English as the learning language, look for the “English Test” tab in the main navigation menu to help your patrons get their score in 5 minutes or less.
If your library doesn’t offer Transparent Language Online (yet!), explore the 300+ hour ESL collection for speakers of 40+ languages.