One-to-one assessment
Before you start the assessment, you should explain the procedure and the aim of the assessment to the learner. Make it clear that this is not a test or exam, but a means to discover their level of English, their learning needs and their goals, in order to find the most appropriate learning opportunity for them.
It is recommended that you begin the process with the speaking and listening stage to put the learner at ease and also to help you, the interviewer, determine which reading and writing tasks to give the learner.
You should carry out the speaking and listening assessment in a relaxed and informal manner to help the learner feel comfortable and secure (see the section on speaking and listening for more detail). Once this is completed, you should assess the skills of the learner according to the criteria (see these sections 1, 2, 3). When you have made a decision about the level you should mark it on the learner information form.
The next stage of the process is to assess reading skills. You can ask the learner to start from the beginning of the texts and work through in order. However, where possible, if you are more confident about level, you can ask the learner to start at a particular text. The learner should complete as many of the texts as appropriate. See the section on reading for more detail.
The final stage of assessment is the writing task. You should decide which task to give the learner based on the results of the speaking and listening assessment and the reading assessment. Give the learner a time limit of twenty minutes to complete the task. See the section on writing for more detail.
Record the results of the assessment on the learner information form. Once done, you should be able to recommend an appropriate learning opportunity and level for the learner. See the section on learner placement for more information.
Finally, you should check that the learner does not have any more questions and clearly understands the outcome of the process. Then you give the learner a copy of the shorter version of the learner information form. See the diagram below.
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