Oxford Test of English
Oxford Test of English
The Oxford Test of English is an affordable, personalized test that fits you. 100% online, it's flexible, fast and available at Approved Test Centres worldwide. Plus, it's the only proficiency test certified by the University of Oxford.
The Oxford Test of English was shortlisted for ‘best in summative assessment’ at the 2020 e-Assessment Awards, which highlight and celebrate “the outstanding and positive contributions that technology makes to all forms of assessment”.
Test format
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
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
Take the online demo test
Experience the Oxford Test of English with the online demo.
- By accessing the demo you are not registering for the test.
- You will not get results or a certificate.
- The demo is free to use as many times as you want.
- The appearance of the real test may be different from the demo.
- You can close the demo at any point. You do not have to answer all of the questions.
Do you have any special requirements? You can view options here.
For the best experience, use the demo in a desktop browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).
Download the sample test
You can download the sample test with answer key and audio files.
Results and certification
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.
Sign inOrganizations 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.
| Module | Score |
|---|---|
| Speaking Taken 03 September 2016 |
100 |
| Listening Taken 25 June 2016 |
112 |
| Reading Taken 25 June 2016 |
128 |
| Writing Taken 03 September 2016 |
140 |
| OVERALL LEVEL |
| B2 |
| OVERALL SCORE |
| 120 |
- 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.
Special requirements
Oxford University Press is committed to making the Oxford Test of English accessible to learners with special requirements. For more information about the options available, click the links below:
How the test was developed
How the test was developed
The Oxford Test of English has been designed and developed over several years, with great care taken at each stage to ensure reliability, accuracy, alignment to CEFR, and quality.
Read the Oxford Test of English Test Specifications (PDF) for a detailed description of the development process.
A letter from the University of Oxford
The following letter marks the University’s endorsement and certification of the Oxford Test of English.
The Oxford Test of English
If you are visiting this website from Spain, please use the link below for your local service.
Si visitas esta página desde territorio español, por favor utiliza el siguiente enlace para acceder a la versión local.
