“Language test” teaching notes

ACTIVITY WHAT TO DO
Students take a language test to
practise their English. This test can be used as a fun start-of-year activity and as a way to find out more about
your students’ level of English. The test is divided into two sections to suit different levels
of ability. Choose either level 1 or level 2, or do level 1 followed by level 2, depending on
GRAMMAR/VOCABULARY
the level of your students.
Various
1. Find out if any of the students spoke or studied English during the summer. When? In
LEVEL what circumstances? Did they read in English, listen to music in English or visit an English-
A2 and above speaking country? Tell students they are going to do an English language test to see what
they learned or how much they can remember from their last course.
TIME
2. Divide the class into teams and encourage them to select a team name. Write these on
the board. Give students copies of the selected activity page, depending on the level of
your students. The students should then do each section of the test individually first,
before collaborating with the other members of their team and deciding the final
answers.

3. You can do the test section by section, checking the answers to each section as you go
along and keeping a running score of points on the board. The team with the most points
at the end is the winner.

There are 50 points in each test. If you are using one test, double the score to calculate a
percentage score.

ANSWERS

· lottery.
Subscribers can download this
activity in a version to project
onto a whiteboard from the its-teachers
website.
http://www.its-teachers.com/activities/
its119/09_language_test.asp
For more activities related to languages,
go to the its-english website (www.its-
english.com) or see the It’s Knowledge
activity book.
Level 1
1. Vocabulary test
A. 1. b; 2. b; 3. a
B. 1. purse/wallet; 2. baker;
3. bookshop
C. separate; which; different; address
D. hotel; computer; chocolate;
Japanese; interesting
E. 2. I practise the piano every day for
half an hour. 2. We’re staying in a five-
star hotel this year. 1. I hope I win the
2. Using English (grammar)
A. 1. I love swimming/to swim in the
sea. 2. You should to see a doctor.
3. Correct
B. 1. Is that bag yours? 2. We sell
bananas. 3. The cat’s sleeping in its
basket.
C. 1. to be; 2. started; 3. boring
D. 1. buses, children, tomatoes, parties,
rice; 2. waiter, son, uncle
E. 1. invention, building, pollution;
2. worry, imagine, educate
Level 2
1. Vocabulary test
A. 1. a; 2. b; 3. a
B. 1. architect; 2. court; 3. alarm clock
(or other valid answers)
C. niece; independent; embarrassed;
accommodation
D. engineer; documentary; mountain;
cartoon; politician
E. 2. Thousands of people travel by bus
every day. 2. Can you put the plates on
the table, please? 1. I’ve lost my keys.
Have you seen them?
2. Using English (grammar)
A. 1. Correct; 2. London is more
expensive than Liverpool. 3. I am agree
with your opinion.
B. 1. Correct; 2. The children’s room is
always untidy. 3. Correct
C. 1. since, 2. to go out, 3. told
D. 1. boxes, teeth, people, lives, fish;
2. nephew, king, monk
E. 1. competition, argument,
complaint; 2. create, apologise, rely

3. Cultural literacy 3. Cultural literacy

A. moped – like a motorbike, but less
powerful; kiosk – like a shop, but one
you can’t walk inside, often selling
magazines and newspapers; cookie –
·
A. slogan – a memorable phrase used
in advertising; envelope – you put a
letter in this to post it; bungalow – a

it’s knowledge house with one storey

biscuit B. 1. tongue; 2. nine; 3. neck
B. 1. tea; 2. world; 3. wall C. 1. so; 2. Although; 3. Nevertheless/
C. 1. because; 2. when/while; However
3. before/after

Take the language test
Choose a level and do the test. Check your answers and count your score (1 point for each correct answer).
To pass each level test you need more than 30 points.
Name
Vocabulary test
A Which of the two meanings is correct? Circle a or b.
1. a magazine
a. a large shop b. a periodical with articles and pictures
2. a stranger
a. a person from another country b. a person you don’t know
3. a carpet
a. something you put on the floor b. something you put
papers in
B Can you name the word being defined? Write the word
after the definition.
1. A thing you carry your money in. _________________
2. A person who makes bread. _________________
3. A place where you buy books. _________________
C Which is the correct spelling? Circle the correct option.
separate/seperate, wich/which, diferent/different,
adress/address
D How is your pronunciation? Mark the stress on the
correct syllable.
hotel, computer, chocolate, Japanese, interesting
E Some words are frequently misused. Tick the sentence
in which the word in italics is used correctly. Change the
word in the other sentence.
1. I practise sport in my free time.
2. I practise the piano every day for half an hour.
1. In my free time I like staying with my friends.
2. We’re staying in a five-star hotel this year.
1. I hope I win the lottery.
2. I’d like to find a good job and win lots of money.
Using English (grammar)
A Which of the following is grammatically incorrect? Tick
the correct sentences, and change the incorrect ones to
make them correct.
1. I love swim in the sea.
2. You should to see a doctor.
3. I’ve never been to China.
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i s
LEVEL 1
Team
B Using apostrophes is one of the most difficult areas of
punctuation. Which of these sentences uses apostrophes
incorrectly? Tick the correct sentences and change the
incorrect ones to make them correct.
1. Is that bag your’s?
2. We sell banana’s.
3. The cat’s sleeping in it’s basket.
C Choose the correct grammatical usage in each case.
Circle the correct option.
1. I want be/to be rich and famous.
2. I started/have started studying English two years ago.
3. I thought the film was bored/boring.
D Change singulars into plurals and feminine nouns into
masculine versions.
1. What is the plural of these words?
bus, child, tomato, party, rice
2. What is the masculine equivalent of the following?
waitress, daughter, aunt
E Can you change the following words?
1. Noun from verb:
invent, build, pollute
2. Verb from adjective:
worried, imaginative, educational
Cultural literacy
A Foreign words or words with foreign origins are often
used in English. What do the following mean? Give a
definition or synonym of each word.
moped (Swedish), kiosk (Turkish), cookie (Dutch)
B Know your idioms. Can you complete these expressions?
1. I don’t like football. It’s really not my cup of _____________.
2. Don’t worry. It’s not the end of the _____________.
3. I hate people talking in the cinema. It drives me up the
_____________.
C Write one linking word in each sentence.
1. We didn’t go to the beach __________ it was raining.
2. I met my best friend __________ we were at primary school.
3. I usually have a shower __________ I have breakfast.

LEVEL 2
Take the language test
Choose a level and do the test. Check your answers and count your score (1 point for each correct answer).
To pass each level test you need more than 30 points.
Name
Vocabulary test
A Which of the two meanings is correct? Circle a or b.
1. to discuss
a. to talk about b. to have an angry conversation
2. a cooker
a. a person who cooks b. the kitchen appliance you cook on
3. sympathetic
a. understanding b. nice
B Can you name the word being defined? Write the word
after the definition.
1. A person who designs buildings. _________________
2. A place where you play basketball. _________________
3. A thing which wakes you up in the morning. ____________
C Which is the correct spelling? Circle the correct option.
neice/niece, independent/independant,
embarassed/embarrassed, accommodation/accomodation
D How is your pronunciation? Mark the stress on the
correct syllable.
engineer, documentary, mountain, cartoon, politician
E Some words are frequently misused. Tick the sentence
in which the word in italics is used correctly. Change the
word in the other sentence.
1. Last year I went on a fantastic travel to India.
2. Thousands of people travel by bus every day.
1. If you go to Greece, you should try some of the local plates.
2. Can you put the plates on the table, please?
1. I’ve lost my keys. Have you seen them?
2. Oh no! We’ve lost the bus again. We’re going to be late!
Using English (grammar)
A Which of the following is grammatically incorrect? Tick
the correct sentences, and change the incorrect ones to
make them correct.
1. How much money do you have?
2. London is more expensive that Liverpool.
3. I am agree with your opinion.
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i s
Team
B Using apostrophes is one of the most difficult areas of
punctuation. Which of these sentences uses apostrophes
incorrectly? Tick the correct sentences and change the
incorrect ones to make them correct.
1. Michael’s car is at the mechanic’s.
2. The childrens’ room is always untidy.
3. Whose jacket is this? It’s Peter’s.
C Choose the correct grammatical usage in each case.
Circle the correct option.
1. I’ve known my best friend for/since 1995.
2. We’re not allowed go out/to go out after midnight.
3. He said/told me that it was true.
D Change singulars into plurals and feminine nouns into
masculine versions.
1. What is the plural of these words?
box, tooth, person, life, fish
2. What is the masculine equivalent of the following?
niece, queen, nun
E Can you change the following words?
1. Noun from verb:
compete, argue, complain
2. Verb from adjective:
creative, apologetic, reliable
Cultural literacy
A Foreign words or words with foreign origins are often
used in English. What do the following mean? Give a
definition or synonym of each word.
slogan (Scots Gaelic), envelope (French), bungalow (Hindi)
B Know your idioms. Can you complete these expressions?
1. Don’t tell me. I know this word in English. It’s on the tip of
my _________.
2. She’s so happy. She’s on cloud _____________.
3. Our teacher always gives us lots of homework. He’s a real
pain in the __________.
C Linking words. Write one linking word in each sentence.
1. I haven’t got any money _________ I can’t go to the cinema.
2. __________ I’m good at maths, I failed the exam.
3. Fast food is bad for you. __________, more and more people eat
it.