English Language Level Test (Provide Proof of English for UK over 55 Universities) 
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A four-step assessment taken online to ascertain a student’s English language level and provide proof of English for UK universities.

The English Language Level Test (ELLT) as an alternative to students unable to access an IELTS or equivalent test as evidence of their English language level for entry into UK Universities. The ELLT is a four-step assessment taken to ascertain your current English language level and can be completed 100% online. On successful completion of all four steps of the assessment students receive a certification and full report, allowing you to move forward and apply to university courses with proof of English without ever leaving your home.

The assessments are led by highly-qualified and experienced staff and processed by the UK language admissions team.

Introduction

The ELLT is a modularised skill test covering the four key skills (reading, listening, writing and speaking). The first two skills (reading and listening) are automated tests, with high levels of AI proctoring and security. The third skill, writing, is assessed through a unique written task and submitted directly to one of our highly experienced ELLT examiners. The speaking component is booked by the student at a time most suitable for them. This takes place with a live examiner over video call.

Validity

The ELLT is valid for 18 months.

What does the Assessment involve?

The Online English Language Level Test (ELLT) is made up of four elements; first students will complete both a reading test and a listening test, followed by a writing task, ending with an oral test which takes place over a video call with one of our highly qualified English teachers:

The first two skills (reading and listening) are automated tests, with high levels of AI proctoring and security. The reading test takes 40 minutes and consists of two texts. The listening test takes 20 minutes and consists of two audio tracks

The third skill, writing, is assessed through a unique written task and submitted directly to the examiner. The writing test consists of one 60 minute opinion based essay style question.

The speaking component is booked by the student at a time most suitable for them. This takes place with a live examiner. The speaking test consists of 3 separate stages which last approximately 15 minutes in total.

The ELLT Portal

The ELLT Portal has been designed to make the test as accessible for students and partners as possible, and allow students to take control of their own journey throughout, ensuring they can take each section at a time most suitable for them.

Students are able to register and pay for the test, which gives them immediate access to the first three stages (reading, listening and writing). Each of these can be taken individually, and once complete students can book their speaking assessment from a timetable of availability.

The portal uses advanced test security to ensure that students’ results are a true reflection of their ability. With a mixture of AI proctoring and security protocols, alongside our team of examiners from our English language schools, we are able to confidently deliver results to students all over the world.

Evaluation

Once the student completes all four stages of the test, the assessing teacher writes a report summary with results from the four tasks and gives a final certificate of level to the student along with the detailed report.

If the assessing teacher has any doubts, then a follow up assessment may be done by a Senior Teacher or Director of Studies. The four-step process adds a level of robustness to the results, and the cross referencing of previous tests along with spot checks ensure a secure test environment and level of trust in the results.




The following universities recognise the results of the English Language Level Test (ELLT) for admission onto their programmes:

  1. Bangor University
  2. Bangor University International College
  3. Birmingham City University
  4. Birmingham City University International College, BCUIC
  5. Bournemouth University
  6. Canterbury Christ Church University
  7. De Montfort University
  8. De Montfort University International College
  9. East Coast International College
  10. East Coast Language College, Canada
  11. Goethe Business School, Frankfurt University
  12. Green River College
  13. International College Portsmouth
  14. International College Robert Gordon Aberdeen, ICRG
  15. International University of Applied Sciences, Germany
  16. Jacobs University International College
  17. Liverpool John Moores University
  18. London Academy of Business and Management
  19. London South Bank University
  20. Mercy College, New York
  21. NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti
  22. ONCAMPUS Aston University
  23. ONCAMPUS London
  24. ONCAMPUS London South Bank University
  25. ONCAMPUS UK NORTH
  26. ONCAMPUS University of Hull
  27. ONCAMPUS University of Reading
  28. ONCAMPUS University of Southampton
  29. ONCAMPUS University of Sunderland
  30. Ravensbourne University
  31. Richmond, The American International University in London
  32. Robert Gordon University Aberdeen
  33. San Francisco State University (International Year One)
  34. Staffordshire University
  35. The University of Central Lancashire
  36. University for the Creative Arts
  37. University of Bolton Greater Manchester
  38. University of Bristol
  39. University of Chester
  40. University of Essex
  41. University of Greenwich
  42. University of Greenwich International College
  43. University of Hertfordshire
  44. Hertfordshire International College, HIC
  45. University of Hull
  46. University of Portsmouth
  47. University of Roehampton
  48. University of South Wales
  49. University of Strathclyde
  50. University of Sunderland
  51. University of the West of England
  52. University of the West of Scotland
  53. University of Westminster
  54. University of Worcester
  55. Wrexham Glyndŵr University


What is OIETC/ELLT Test?
OIETC stands for Oxford International English Testing Center which offers ( ELLT ) English Language Level Test for students to study in UK Universities instead of IELTS ( Approved by over 55 universities )

How many modules are in ELLT?
There are 4 Modules including Reading, Listening, Writing & speaking. At first, students have to take both a Reading and Listening test, followed by a writing test. Finally, the Speaking / Oral Test will be conducted by one of the qualified English Teachers Over online.

What is the duration of the ELLT Test?

  • First skill: The Reading Test takes overall 40 minutes and consists of two texts. That means you have to deal with 2 passages along with some questions in 40 minutes.
  • Second Skill: The listening test will last for only 20 minutes and it has 2 audio recordings. Here you have to listen to the recording and give the answer.
  • Third skill: The Writing test is taken through a unique written task and submitted directly to the examiner. This test will be for overall 60 minutes and you have to write an opinion-based essay.
  • Fourth Skill: The speaking component is booked by the student at a time most suitable for them. This takes place with a live examiner. The speaking test consists of 3 separate stages which last approximately 15 minutes in total.

How much do you have to pay for it?
The price of the test is £80 per student. Payment can be made online using all major credit cards. Once you have paid for your test you will be able to access the first 3 stages of the exam. Once they have been completed you will be able to schedule your speaking assessment.

Is it a paper-based exam or Online?
Well, the ELLT ( English Language Level Test ) is a 100% Online based exam. You can take the exam sitting in your house or anywhere.

If the middle of the exam electricity is cut off or the internet not working, what will happen?
The students are able to email info@oietc.com if they have any technical problems and we will help reset their licence. The portal is designed to pause a test for up to 20 minutes if there is a temporary internet drop.


If they do not get the desired score in 1 part, but the rest 2/3 are good scores, can they only retake the poor part or need to retake the entire exam ( 4 modules again)?
Students are not able to retake individual components, they must retake the whole test again.

When will they get the results?
Results are sent up to 48 hours after the speaking test has been finished.


When can they do retake again?
Students can take the test as soon as they have r
eceived the results from their previous test.


Reading Test
The following questions have been written to give an example of what students will have to answer during the English Language Level Test.
The ELLT reading test is a combination of multiple-choice vocabulary and comprehension questions.

Example:
Question 1: According to the paragraph, what happened in Britain after 597 AD?

  • Britain was divided into several kingdoms, all dependent on one another
  • Britain was divided into several kingdoms, all independent
  • Britain was divided into several kingdoms and some remained independent
  • Britain was united into one kingdom

Question 2: The word gathered in the paragraph is closest in meaning to:

  • Discovered
  • Collected
  • Created
  • Explored

Question 3: The paragraph supports which of the following statements about plants:

  • UV light splits oxygen molecules, creating colonisation on the land of plant life
  • UV light splits carbon dioxide and nitrogen molecules, creating the ozone UV layer which allowed the development of plants
  • UV light splits oxygen molecules, initiating the start of photosynthesis in plants
  • UV light splits oxygen molecules, creating the ozone UV layer which allowed the development of plants

Listening Test
The ELLT listening test is made up of multiple-choice comprehension questions.

Example:
Question 1: What is the biggest problem with this student’s essay?

  • Grammar
  • Thesis statements
  • Organisation
  • Citations

Question 2: Why are office hours important?

  • Grammar
  • Thesis statements
  • Organisation
  • Citations

Question 2: What is the biggest problem with this student’s essay?

  • Because it is a designated amount of time which students can speak with professors
  • Because they are a set period of time where the professor works completely undisturbed
  • They aren’t actually important at all
  • Because they are when professors hold make-up classes who are behind in attendance

Question 3: The professor explains a few benefits of using citations properly. Read the statements below (1-3).
For each statement, select YES, NO, or NOT GIVEN based on the professor’s comments.
YES = if the statement is mentioned by the professor
NO = if the statement contradicts what is mentioned by the professor NOT GIVEN = if the statement is not mentioned by the professor

  1. The essay becomes easier to read (YES/NO/NOT GIVEN)
  2. Proper academic writing mandates the use of two styles of citations simultaneously
    (YES/NO/NOT GIVEN)
  3. She personally prefers one style of citation (YES/NO/NOT GIVEN)

Writing Test

The ELLT writing test is a one question opinion-based essay.

Example:

Consider the question below and write an essay between 250 – 350 words.

“In industrial countries, mass tourism and recreation are now fast overtaking the extractive industriesas the largest threat to mountain environments. Since 1945, visits to the most popular mountainousnational parks in the United States have increased twelve-fold. In the European Alps tourism nowexceeds 100 million visitor-days. Every year in the Indian Himalaya,more than 250,000 Hindu pilgrims,25,000 trekkers, and 75 mountaineering expeditions climb to the sacred source of the Ganges River,the Gangotri Glacier. They deplete local forests for firewood, trample riparian vegetation, and strewlitter. Even worse, this tourism frequently induces poorly planned, land-intensive development. (Source: People and the Planet).

Should mass tourism to areas of unique natural or cultural environment be regulated?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Speaking Test

The ELLT speaking test is split into 3 stages and is conducted by an ELLT examiner.

Example:

Stage 1: Introduction & ID check
You will be asked to show your ID to check your identity. The examiner will open with a few personal questions.

Stage 2: Presentation (student led) 3-5 minutes
Consider the challenge listed below and prepare a short presentation on the topic: Communication and information flow have changed dramatically since the middle of the 20th century. Challenges presented by modern communication channels and media have influenced our lives in many ways. What role does mobile technology play in developing countries?

Your presentation must:

  • Include a positive example and a negative example
  • Include a personal reflection

Stage 3: Stage three will be devoted to question time concerning the written essay.
The aim of this stage is two-fold, firstly, to evaluate your spontaneous use of language, and secondly, to serve as deterrent to have your essay written by someone else. The examiner will focus their questions primarily on the following areas:

  • Clarification of facts and / or opinions presented in the essay
  • Reflection on the writing process
  • Personal experience

The examiner will be given a list potential questions to link to the essay and ask. These may include but are not limited to:

  • Can you tell me a bit more about the source / sources you have used for this essay?
  • Can you tell about the aspects you were mostly impressed by?
  • The word count for the essay is limited, is there anything else you would have liked to include in your essay but had to leave out?

  • ELLT: A2, IELTS: 3.5
  • ELLT: A2, IELTS: 4
  • ELLT: B1, IELTS: 4.5
  • ELLT: B1, IELTS: 5
  • ELLT: B2, IELTS: 5.5
  • ELLT: B2, IELTS: 6
  • ELLT: C1, IELTS: 6.5
  • ELLT: C1, IELTS: 7

Reading:
Students have 40 minutes to complete the reading test. Each test is made up of two reading passages which correspond to 32 multiple choice style questions (16 per passage). As students move through the questions different sections of the text are highlighted, this ensure students know which section of the test correlate to which question. If students wish to submit their test before the 40 minutes they can do.

Listening:
Students have 20 minutes to complete the listening test. Each test is made up of two recordings with a total of 14 multiple choice style questions (7 per recording). At the beginning of each test students have 2 minutes to read through the questions, before the audio starts playing. Students will first hear recording 1 which will play through twice before hearing recording 2 which will also play through twice. They will be then given 10 minutes to check their answers before the test finishes. If a student wishes to submit their test before this time they can do.

Writing:
The ELLT writing test, is assessed through a unique written task and submitted directly to the student’s examiner (the same one they will meet during the ELLT speaking test). The writing test consists of one 60 minute opinion based essay style question where students are required to write between 250 – 350 words. The writing test is subject to the same AI proctoring as the first 2 skills as well as being run through a plagiarism checker before marking.

Speaking:
During the ELLT speaking test students meet with an examiner face-to-face over video call.
The exam is broken into 3 sections and lasts approximately 20-30 minutes depending on the student (this can be extended if needed). As part of the test there is an ID check and introduction, a short verbal presentation task (that students must prepare beforehand) and a free flowing question and answer session where examiners discuss the student’s written test and other 2 components.


We currently draw from a large bank of over 86 sets of test questions. From these we can create the following numbers of tests:

  • Speaking: 30 tests
  • Writing: 30 tests
  • Reading: 78 tests
  • Listening: 78 tests

Having a large number of test questions to draw from enables the system to randomly construct tests to guarantee that multiple users do not see the same content. All test content is written and developed in house by our academic team who continue to update and refresh the bank of test questions every 2 weeks.

Below is an example of some of the topics we use to construct questions with.

  1. Retirement age
  2. TV / Press
  3. Computer Games
  4. Exams
  5. Illiteracy
  6. Mobile phones
  7. Marriage
  8. Diet
  9. Fashion
  10. Exercise
  11. Teenagers
  12. Hollywood
  13. The environment
  14. The future
  15. Mental health
  16. Travel or others

We ensure all our questions take into account cultural sensitivities and cover topics students would likely have studied within their English language lessons.


For the listening, reading and writing components the AI proctoring software records the entire exam, (using the student’s webcam and microphone). If any of the following actions are picked up by the proctoring software a warning will be triggered on the exam Event Log in turn sending a notification that an exam needs to be reviewed. This review will be carried out by one of our senior academic team, who will, if necessary, contact the student in question.

Actions that will cause a warning on the Event Log to be raised are as follows:

  • Multiple people in the camera view (facing the camera)
  • Students looking away from the camera for extended periods of time
  • Background noise that can be recognised as clear speech (not the students)
  • Students covering their face so the mouth cannot be seen
  • If students attempt to leave the exam window, the exam automatically looks and warns the student to return

The recording also captures screenshots throughout the duration of the exam which are then matched to the photo ID presented by the student during the requirements walkthrough. This ensures the student taking the exam matches the ID presented at the beginning.

All examiners have access to the photo ID presented by the students and various screenshots from the duration of the exams (listening, reading and writing) they are able to complete a visual security check before the speaking exam to ensure the student they are interviewing is the correct one.

Test Accuracy

The English Language Level Test assesses students on an 8-level scale for each skill – reading, listening, speaking, and writing – as well as their overall level: A2, A2+, B1, B1+, B2, B2+, C1 & C1+.
A study was conducted to show the accuracy of the ELLT in assessing the proficiency level of English language learners. A sample of 10 cohorts of 90 students representing 3 different regions were selected at
random.

At the time of the study, participating students were enrolled in an English course at a university or a private language institution. As part of the study, all students were instructed to take the test on a computer.

Upon analysing the results, 94% of the participating students received an overall level matching the course level in which they were enrolled at the time. The results were then analysed across the reading and listening components to ensure accuracy and adherence to the course level of each student.

  • Reading levels were 94% in-line with existing course levels
  • Listening levels were 92% in-line with existing course levels

The results of the study show that the English Language Level Test is 94% accurate in determining the appropriate levels of English language learners.

Moderation
Once an examiner has completed the assessment documentation all results first go to our senior academic team for review before finally being marked as complete and available for students to download. Examiners also highlight any areas of concern which are then subject to further scrutiny.
Exams are randomly sampled by our senior academic team on a weekly basis for moderation and feedback. Each week a formal meeting is held with all examiners to highlight any discrepancies, and to share best practice. This is also where we highlight any new material being added to the test.

Examiners
The examiners who conduct the ELLT assessment all have an undergraduate degree, a CELTA or Trinity Cert, extensive exam preparation teaching experience and at least 1 year of examining experience. All examiners go through an extensive training and bi- yearly standardisation programme and are regularly moderated by the academic team.

Before the speaking exam, the examiner looks at the reading, listening and writing assessments to ascertain the level of the candidate. During the speaking assessment, the examiner asks a range of topic specific questions to confirm the level of proficiency and only then is the final level awarded or adjusted accordingly.


Test takers have the opportunity to appeal their results. Once the appeal form has been submitted, a member of our senior academic team will process it within 7 working days. The cost of an appeal is £30.00.

Candidates are welcome to retake the test up to 3 times, if a student has still not achieved their required language level after 3 times we will offer them support through a variety of different courses. There is no minimum waiting time before the candidate can retake the test.

You can book your Online English Language Level Test (ELLT) with Oxford College of Education through the portal Here

The price of the test is £80 per student. Payment can be made online using all major credit cards or contact us for admissions@oxfordce.co.uk

Once you have paid for your test you will be able to access the first 3 stages of the exam. Once they have been completed you will be able to schedule your speaking assessment.



Table of levels for reading and listening
The ELLT reading test is scored out of 32 and the listening test is scored out of 38 these are then mapped to the ELLT grading scale and CEFR.


Assessment criteria for speaking – no half points allowed

Assessment criteria for writing – no half points allowed