Spanish placement test

Test your level of Spanish online

Official levels: beginners - advanced

The following online placement test will allow you to evaluate your existing level of Spanish so that you can enrol for the most suitable course for you.

How many levels are there?

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): Learning, Teaching, Assessment, abbreviated as CEFR, is a set of European guidelines used to describe the achievements of foreign language learners. The Common European Framework divides learners into three broad divisions that can be further divided into six levels:

A1 and A2
Elementary language usage

B1 and B2
Independent user

C1 and C2
Proficient user

How long does the test take?

The test is composed of three parts and takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Grammar comprehension
36 questions

Reading comprehension
12 questions

Listening comprehension
12 questions

Description of each Spanish language level

Level A1 Spanish
Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases in order to satisfy specific needs. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

Level A2 Spanish
Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in a simple way and perfom routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate basic need.

Level B1 Spanish
Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected texts on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

Level B2 Spanish
Can understand the main ideas of a complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without any strain for either party. Can produce a clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint from a topical issue giving the advantages and Independent disadvantages of various options.

Level C1 Spanish
Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognize implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce a clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

Level C2 Spanish
Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning, even in more complex situations.

source: Council of Europe

USA Equivalence with the European language proficiency scale CEFR - ACTFL

Here, you can see the following correspondences between the ILR, the European language proficiency scale CEFR, and the proficiency scale of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL):  

CEFR
 
A1A2B1B2C1C2
ILR
 
0/0+11+2/2+>3/3+4/4+
ACTEL
 
NL, NM, NHIL, IMIHAL, AM, AHSD


In the USA - ILR

An influential proficiency measure is the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale, developed by the US State Department. It identifies five levels of language proficiency:

Level 1: ElementaryCan fulfill the basic needs in a language, such as ordering meals, asking for the time and asking for directions.
Level 2: Limited Working Proficiency Can fulfill routine social demands, such as small talk about one’s self, one’s family, and current events.
Level 3: Professional Working ProficiencyProfessional Working Proficiency – Can discuss a variety of topics with ease and almost completely understand what others are saying.
Level 4: Full Professional ProficiencyCan participate in all manners of conversations with ease and only rarely makes grammatical mistakes.
Level 5: Native or Bilingual ProficiencyCan use the language the way an educated native speaker of the language would.
 

Additionally, a person in between levels might be at a 1+, 2+, 3+, or 4+ level.

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