Oxford English Test
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 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 items to match with three profiles of people OR 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 | – | |
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.
- The Oxford Test of English provides a score from 0–140
- For scores of 51–140, a CEFR level of A2, B1, or B2 is provided
- For scores of 0–50, the test provides an indicative CEFR result of ‘Below A2’.