Oxford Test of English

The Oxford Test of English is a multi-level, general English proficiency test which assesses the ability to understand and communicate effectively in English, reporting at three CEFR levels: B2, B1, and A2.

The test covers all four skills: Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing.

The Reading and Listening modules are computer adaptive, which means that the test adjusts the difficulty of questions based on the test taker's responses, making the test more motivating, shorter, and giving a more precise measurement than traditional proficiency tests.

The Speaking and Writing modules use task randomization, making each test an individualized experience.

Overview of the Oxford Test of English structure

Module	No. parts	No. tasks	No. items	Timing (minutes)
Speaking	4	6	15	Approximately 15
Listening	4	12	20	Approximately 30
Reading	4	9	22	35
Writing	2	2	2	45
TOTAL	14	29	59	Approximately 2 hours

Part 1	Part 2	Part 3	Part 4
Speaking – Approximately 15 minutes
Interview Eight questions on everyday topics	Voicemails Two voicemails in response to two different situations	Talk Short talk on an issue or scenario	Follow-up questions Six follow-up questions on the theme of the Part 3 talk
Listening – Approximately 30 minutes
Multiple choice – picture options Five short monologues/ dialogues each with one 3-option multiple-choice question with picture options	Note-completion A longer monologue with five 3-option multiple-choice note-completion questions	Matching opinions with people who say them A longer dialogue with five 3-option multiple-choice questions focussing on identifying opinion	Multiple choice Five short monologues/ dialogues each with one 3-option multiple-choice question
Reading – 35 minutes
Multiple-choice questions on short texts Six short texts from a variety of sources, each with one 3-option multiple-choice question	Multiple matching Six profiles of people to match with four longer text descriptions	Gapped sentences Six extracted sentences are inserted into a longer text	Multiple-choice questions on a longer text Four 3-option multiple-choice questions
Writing – 45 minutes
Email Written response to an input email 80 – 130 words 20 minutes	Essay or article/review Essay OR article/review on a topic typical of classroom discussion 100 – 160 words 25 minutes	-	-

Module-by-module overview

Results and certification

With the Oxford Test of English, your overall level of English is certified by the University of Oxford. The results are ready within 14 days. Sign in to your account to see your results and print out your certificate.

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Organizations and institutions

Organizations and institutions are also able to independently verify the results.

How your certificate works

• You are given a score for each module.
• If you have taken all four modules you will get an overall score.
• The overall score is the average of each module.

• The Oxford Test of English scale is from 51–140.
• The scale is aligned to CEFR levels B2, B1 and A2.
• This scale is used for individual modules and overall score.

Breakdown of the Oxford Test of English certificate

• The Oxford Test of English scale is from 51–140.
• The scale is aligned to CEFR levels B2, B1 and A2.
• This scale is used for individual modules and overall score.

Oxford University Press is committed to making the Oxford Test of English accessible to learners with reasonable adjustments. For more information about the options available, click the links below:

For test takers For test centres