Job Discussion Forums

[TRH]

I finally succumbed and agreed to give private lessons to one of my neighbors. I really didn't want to on a couple of levels but that's another story.

My question here is: Can anyone point me to a reasonably priced online placement test that will help me assess this student's level as well as assist me in purchasing materials? I am inclined to use the New English File books from Oxford Press even though it is not the series that I use with my regular employer. Oxford has an online test for $4.20 US but they have a minimum purchase of 10 units and I am not inclined to spend $42.00 when I need only one test. Their test gives results in CEFR units.

My thanks for any help.

[mark_in_saigon]

IELTS tests can be very good, they really are the world standard, but the students have to be relatively advanced. The problem with them is they do not have versions for lower levels, so students who are below band 5.5 or so may end up with a lower score than they really deserve (based on the IELTS definitions), as the tests can blow them away. They also do not really reward people who have "common" English skills, they really require academic English, business English and also the ability to understand the spoken British accent. Finally, to give one properly requires some pretty good knowledge on the part of the tester, as well as at least 3 hours of time for both the student and whoever gives the tests.

You can find IELTS practice tests for free online quite easily, including the mp3's for the listening tests. You can find lots of digital copies of teaching material at these bandit CD shops, about a buck a disk. Somewhere in 1 you should be able to find a shop that has reams of that stuff, I was just in a shop today on the outskirts and browsed their files, and they had LOTS of stuff.

There is a dandy TOEIC site online that has a huge amount of tests. Run thru about an hour's worth of those and you have a good idea of his/her level, though again, the lowest levels would be lost, but the TOEIC format is almost certainly better for the lower intermediate levels than IELTS.

Some of the better teachers have their own resources on hard drive which they share freely, some collections are in the GB range. Costs me about 2 to 5 bucks to print these pdf books, both sides of about 200 pages is about $4.50 or so. The time messing with this stuff is a bigger issue than the expense.

Probably need to get a ballpark idea of whether this is an advanced, intermediate or a low level student. Most collections will likely specialize in one area, I know mine does.

[Sashadroogie]

Neither IELTS nor TOEIC is a placement test.

For placement, you don't need to use the online Oxford test. The paper-based Oxford test is just as good. For example:

http://www.hermes.ir/FileSave/category_20125204653_OPT(1).PDF

You may have to search around to get the interpretive scales and/or listening material to go with it. But really, placement tests like these are really just a guide to a learner's level. For a one-to-one situation, accuracy isn't critical anyway.

Best of luck.

[Ramen]

A formal placement test isn't really necessry if you have a few years of teaching experience. You can make a fair assessment by just having a normal conversation starting with simple questions and answers then move on. Also ask him/her to write a few simple sentences about any topic.

[I'm With Stupid]

Yeah, I don't see the need for a formal placement test in a one-on-one situation. I don't even see the need for a book really, other than as a curriculum guideline. Surely the whole point of paying for one-on-one tuition is that you're getting lessons catered exactly to your needs, rather than the standard book topics you could get anywhere? I'd say just do a single lesson with no resources (or resources that can be catered to any level, like pictures) to get an idea of their level. And then you can start picking out resources that they're likely to find more interesting than the standard textbook stuff. Hell, even get them to bring things that they'd like to talk about.

[TRH]

For me the problem with private lessons is that they seem to be the intersection point of my inherent laziness and my desire to do a good job. I know that to do them well one has to actually do real work, particularly in preparation. I suppose someone who has done this for a while will have reams of lessons and worksheets but if I tried to just make my own curriculum, I would be well over 1:1 for prep time to lesson time.

From both conversation and looking over his textbook from his last English class two years ago, I have my prospective pupil pegged as low intermediate and have opted to purchase a book called Business Result Intermediate for him. It will be a slight hop up in level but as it will be one-on-one he should manage. Of course we will have a lot of conversation practice, but I want a firm foundation to build out from. He is the head of HR for a real estate firm so the topics should be relevant.

I had seen the sample IELTS tests on the Cambridge website but I am not sure that is the best device to use at home. I have often been approached by people who say something like "I want to study IELTS 6.5." when what they really want is to achieve a certain test score. Unless they are university students wishing to study overseas or at a place like RMIT, IELTS may not be what they really need. Most of the people who approach me are already employed by (or own) some corporation and need skills rather than credentials. Also as Mark correctly observed the test looses accuracy at lower levels. This is because it is pegged to the top. In my opinion, the Vietnamese educational system has a fascination with testing and teaching the test, and the corporate arm of Cambridge University obliges. Also the sample tests may give you a percent score but it is a limited test. Of course any online test lacks a speaking component as well. I think you can send recordings to British Council for scoring but it really gets expensive.

Thanks to those who responded but I just may bust out the $42 for the 10 Oxford tests. If I could have bought one at a time, I would not have made the first post. If I use it as a before/after test it will be good for 5 pupils and hopefully the other eight tests will not go to waste.

[hawlermonkey]

https://www.versanttest.com/ecom/products

The Versant placement test is the best available one but buying individual tests is a little too steep. It's good if you are buying 500 tests as it is heavily discounted. I think they want to discourage individuals taking all the tests and telling students the questions and answers. It includes speaking and listening on a computer. Its used by lots of institutions including Navitas and Insearch (they own ACET in Vietnam). It may not be good for lower intermediate so it may be better just to choose an intermediate text book that has a progress test in the back and give them that.