Placement Test

Elementary to Intermediate

5 Introduction
This placement test is intended to help teachers decide which level of Solutions (Elementary, Pre-Intermediate or
Intermediate) is the most suitable for their students. It should be given at the beginning of the school year.
The Solutions placement test has been developed after consultation with teachers and is designed to assess
students’ knowledge of the key language as well as their receptive and productive skills. This will enable teachers
10to have a greater understanding of what level their students are at.
The test contains:
50 multiple choice questions which assess students’ knowledge of key grammar and vocabulary from elementary to
intermediate levels.
A reading text with 10 graded comprehension questions.
15An optional writing task that assesses students’ ability to produce the language.
The 50 multiple choice questions and the reading task are designed to be done together in a 45-minute lesson. The
writing task can be done in the following lesson and should take approximately 20 minutes.

Interpreting scores
Total Elementary Pre-Intermediate Intermediate

Grammar & 50 0–20 21–30 31+

Vocabulary

Reading 10 0–4 5–7 8+

Writing 10 0–4 5–7 8+

20This table acts as a guideline for teachers when choosing which level of Solutions is suitable for their students.
Reading and writing scores are included separately so that teachers who choose not to include these tasks in the
placement test can still make an accurate assessment of their students’ abilities.
Where there is a discrepancy in the level attained in the different parts of the test, a student’s score for grammar
and vocabulary should take precedence. Alternatively, a teacher may wish to conduct an additional oral interview
25to confirm the result.
Students whose scores fall on the borderlines should be placed according to the level of the rest of the class and
monitored closely at the start of the course.

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 70 D am not seen
Placement test
15 Tom got the ____ marks in the class for his
Grammar and Vocabulary homework.
Circle the correct answers. A worse B worst C baddest D most bad
1 ____ you interested in sport? 75 16 You ____ eat all that cake! It isn’t good for you.
35 A Be B Am C Is D Are A don’t B may not C should not
D will not
2 My ____ is a writer and his books are very
popular. 17 How ____ time have we got to do this exercise?
A aunt B uncle C sister D mother A long B many C much D quick

3 We live in the city centre and our house ____ 80 18 Don’t forget to get ____ the bus at Station Road.
40 have a big garden. A out B off  C over D down
A doesn’t B isn’t C aren’t D don’t
19 Our teacher speaks English to us ____ so that
4 There ____ a lot of people outside the school. we can understand her.
What’s the problem? A  slow B slower C more slow D 
A are B is C be D am 85 slowly

45 5 Cathy ____ a game on her computer at the 20 My sister ____ speak French when she was only
moment. six years old.
A plays B is playing C to play  D play A was B should C could D had
6 Paul is very ____. He doesn’t go out a lot. 21 I really enjoy ____ new languages and I’d like to
A bored B confident C angry D shy 90 learn Italian soon.
A to learn B learning C learn D learned
50 7 ____ you like to come out with us tonight?
A Do B Would C Are D Will 22 My father has been a pilot ____ twenty years
and he still loves his job.
8 Dad’s ____ work right now. He’s a teacher.
A since B for C until D by
A on B at C for D by
95 23 Quick – get the food inside! It ____ any
9 Did you ____ shopping after school yesterday?
moment.
55 A went B goed C going D go
A rains B is raining  C is going to rain  
10 There wasn’t ____ milk for breakfast this D can rain
morning so I had toast and orange juice.
24 Sam asked me if I ____ a lift home after the
A a B some C the D any 100 concert.
11 I ____ five emails before school today. A had wanted B wanted  C would want 
60 A sent B sended C did send D was D want
send
25 Which train ____ for when I saw you on the
12 Turn ____ and you’ll see the museum on the platform on Sunday?
left. 105 A did you wait B were you waiting 
A on the right B rightly  C by the right  C have you waited D are you waiting
65 D right
26 I ____ not be home this evening. Phone me on
13 The beach was very crowded ____ Monday. my mobile.
A in B on C at D to A can B could C may D should

14 I ____ the new Batman film yet. Is it any good? 110 27 I hope you ____ a good time at the moment in
A haven’t seen B didn’t see C don’t see  Greece! Phone soon.
A are having B have C have had D had
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 28 If we ____ in the countryside, we’d have much 40 It was great to see you at the party. I didn’t
better views than we do now. realize how long ____ since we last met.
115 A lived B were live C would live D live A it had been B it was been C it was
being
29 Do students in your country have to stand ____
160 D it is been
when the teacher arrives?
A on B at C in D up 41 I’m sorry to trouble you but I was wondering
what ____ .
30 You ____ hurry as we’ve still got twenty
A time it is B the time was C is the time?
120 minutes before the film starts.
D was the time?
A mustn’t B can’t C may not D needn’t
165 42 I really wish people ____ dump litter in front of
31 I ____ you in the café at about 4.30 and we can
our house. We have to clear it up every day.
discuss our plans then, OK?
A won’t B wouldn’t C haven’t D don’t
A ’ll see B am going to see C am seeing 
125 D see 43 Last Tuesday the company told Ruth that
they’d emailed her the job details the ____ day.
32 I wanted to see Harry. How long ago ____ ?
170 A last B before C previous D earlier
A he left B has he left C did he leave 
D could he leave 44 The studio lights went out while the footballer
____ .
33 I wish Joe ____ to Hawaii on holiday. They’re A had been interviewed B was interviewed
130 talking about an eruption there on the news.
C was being interviewed D was
A doesn’t go B didn’t go C hasn’t gone  175 interviewing
D hadn’t gone
45 By the time I hand in this project, I ____ on it
34 Could I possibly ____ some money for the bus for three weeks!
fare home? I’ve lost my bag. A ’ll be working B ’ll have been working 
135 A lend B owe C borrow  D need C have worked D ’ll work
35 People say that an avalanche ____ by loud 180 46 Jonah’s just fallen down the steps outside and
noises in the area but I don’t know if that’s there’s ____ everywhere.
true.
A bone B blood C skin D cut
A causes B has caused C is causing 
140 D is caused 47 You should be very proud ____ what you’ve
achieved over the last year.
36 You’ll have to drive much ____ than this if you 185 A of B on C to D for
want to pass your test.
A carefuller B more careful  48 ____ people know this but our school is being
inspected today.
C more carefully D careful
A Little B Any C None D Few
145 37 I must remember ____ Ed to take notes for me
while I’m away next week. 49 Look out for a petrol station because I think
190 we’re going to run ____ of petrol soon.
A ask B to ask C asking D for asking
A down B out C off D through
38 Look at the news! Three cars ____ in a bad
accident on the motorway at Dartford. 50 If I’d gone to the sales yesterday, I ____ one of
those cheap bags before they sold out.
150 A are involving B involve C have
involved  A could have bought B had bought 
D have been involved 195 C would buy D bought
39 I ____ for arriving so late but I was caught up in
a traffic jam in the town centre.
Mark: ___/50
155 A sorry B regret C apologise D afraid
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 1 Are the sentences true ( T ) or false ( F )?
Placement test 1 The article is from a magazine. ___
2 The writer says that women are better
Reading referees than men. ___
250 3 Pat Dunn is still alive today. ___
200Read the text.
4 Pat didn’t get her referee certificate

An unusual job! immediately. ___

5 Bibiana Steinhaus played in a football final. ___
Have you seen a football match recently? If you have, 2 Choose the best answers.
I’m sure that you heard lots of comments about the
255 1 Referees have a difficult job because…
referee as well as about the players! Referees have a
205very difficult job. They have to make quick and A they need to run fast.
important decisions in the middle of a fast-moving B the players shout at them.
game. And, of course, there are thousands of people C they have to think quickly.
shouting at them too. The crowd is never happy when 260 2 In the sport of tennis…
the ref sends off their favourite player. Also, in football A they use more technology.
210today there still isn’t the same technology as there is in B there are more women players.
other sports, like tennis. The job can get even more C there are bigger crowds.
difficult when you’re a woman who is refereeing a
men’s match!
265 3 Who was Pat Dunn?
A A woman football player.
There is no reason why there should not be the same B A nurse at football matches.
215number of male and female referees in the sport today. C An important member of the Ladies’
However, the number of female refs is still very low – Football Association.
particularly at the highest levels of professional 270

football. This is something that one woman, Pat Dunn, 4 When was the first female referee in the UK
who died in 1999, would have been very sad about. appointed?
A 1969
220Pat was the first woman in the UK to referee a men’s B 1976
football match but she wasn’t allowed to do this for a 275 C 1999
long time. Pat was a strong supporter of women’s
rights in sport and became President of the Ladies’ 5 Bibiana Steinhaus…
Football Association in 1969. Then she decided to train A wanted to be a referee when she was a
225to be a referee. For a long time the Football Association teenager.
refused to give her a certificate although she had 280 B recently refereed a men’s football final.
passed the exams. But Pat continued fighting and she C plays in the top women’s league.
finally got permission in 1976. The next month she
became famous when she refereed her first official FA
230game. Pat became a very good and successful referee Mark: ___/10
and even saved a footballer’s life. She helped him when
he was injured during a match!
Today there are some famous female referees, like
285 Writing
Imagine you went to your capital city on a day trip.
Bibiana Steinhaus from Germany who has just refereed
Write an e-mail to your friend telling him/her about
235the final of the Women’s Football World Cup. Bibiana
the day. Include information about the journey
decided to become a referee at the age of 16 and later
there, the people you went with, what you did and
was the first female referee in the German men’s
290what you bought.
professional league. But there are only a few like her.
Football is still mainly a men’s game – both for players Mark: ___/10
240and referees. But for how long? Will we see more
women referees in the future? We’d like to know what Total: ___/70
YOU think. So, please go online and leave a comment
on our website. We’ll print the most interesting ones
in the magazine next week.
245
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