Diagnostic test: Level B1

SECTION 1 Timing: 40 minutes Name: ____________________

LISTENING

A  Listen to five texts and answer the questions. Choose A, B or C. You will hear the
recording twice.

1 A boy is talking to his mother. What is the boy doing?

A requesting help
B asking for advice
C explaining a decision

2 A woman is talking to a man. They are in a …

A train station.
B travel agency.
C hotel.

3 A young man is talking about his job. What does he like most about his job?
A discovering new places
B the money that he earns
C being able to work outside

4 A boy is phoning his mum. How will the boy get home?
A His friend’s mum will bring him home after supper.
B His mother will collect him from his friend’s house.
C His mother will come to the school.

5 A girl is talking about a trip. The girl says she is …

A frightened of going back to the mountains.
B planning another project with her friends.
C going to be more careful in the future.

B  Listen to a conversation about a new supermarket. Are the sentences true (T) or
false (F)? You will hear the recording twice.

6 The man thinks the new supermarket will be popular. ___

7 There were no shop assistants in the supermarket. ___

8 You can only shop if you have a mobile phone with you. ___

9 The man says shopping at the new store is quick and easy. ___

10 The man thinks that the prices were a bit lower. ___

Mark: ____ / 10

Student self-assessment for Section 1, Listening:

1 2 3 4 5
This was This was
very difficult. very easy.

OXFORD SECONDARY Diagnostic test Level B1 1 PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 2020
 Diagnostic test: Level B1

READING

A Read the four texts and answer the questions. Choose A, B or C.

Text 1
I was looking after a friend’s dog for the weekend, and everything was fine until Sunday morning
when I suddenly realised it was missing. I noticed that the back door was open, so I thought it
might be in the garden. It wasn’t, so I ran outside into the road. Luckily, a woman driving past had
seen the dog, stopped and put it on the seat next to her while she tried to ring the police. I went
over to her and explained who I was, so she never made the call. It’s good I got there in time, or it
could all have been very embarrassing.

1 Where did the writer find the dog?

A on the street
B in a car
C in the garden

Text 2
I ordered a navy-blue pullover from Dan’s Trading on 15th January, and as the other reviews say,
they were very efficient in taking the payment straightaway. When the pullover finally arrived
after three weeks, it looked nothing like the photos and was very poor quality. I’m not going to
bother returning it and asking for my money back – the fact that only one of the 162 reviews on
this website is positive tells you what sort of company you are dealing with. Avoid!

2 What is the writer’s aim in posting this review?

A to complain about a very late delivery
B to warn people against using the company
C to encourage other shoppers to ask for a refund

Text 3
Our staff at Kalymnos Travel can answer any questions that you may have about applying for an
Interrail Pass, the ideal way of getting around Europe if you’re over 12 and under 27. With a
Global Pass, you can travel on the trains in most European nations on a certain number of days in
a month. Plus, you can use the Interrail website to connect with other young travellers and get
advice on things to do, cheap places to eat, and great places to stay. Our office at 19 Amerikis
Avenue is open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

3 The advertisement says that the Interrail Pass …

A can get you hotels at cheaper rates.
B is accepted in every country in Europe.
C lets you to travel on a fixed number of days.

Text 4
This is a quick reminder to parents that the school production of Oliver!, a musical based on
Charles Dickens’s famous tale, will take place over three nights from 25th May. Staff and students
have been working extremely hard to get everything ready, so you can be sure of a fantastic
evening of entertainment, with wonderful singing and dancing and beautiful costumes. Tickets are
still available from the school office, but they are selling out fast, so place an order now to avoid
disappointment.

4 The aim of this message is to …

A encourage parents to come and see the school musical.
B thank the teachers for the efforts that they have made.
C remind every student they should go to the performance.

OXFORD SECONDARY Diagnostic test Level B1 2 PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 2020
 Diagnostic test: Level B1

B Read the text and answer the questions. Choose A, B, C or D.

Jack Matthews, 15, has been on a boat just off the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe for the last
three weeks, since the New Year. But this is not just a luxury holiday, it’s an adventure of a lifetime!
He left school six months ago and is travelling round the world with his parents Dave and Ellen in a
53-foot boat. At the moment, the plan is for them to get back to the UK for the start of the autumn
term.

‘When Mum and Dad first suggested this trip, I didn’t think they were serious,’ says Jack. ‘They’ve
always been so strict about homework and lessons, so I couldn’t believe it. But then they showed
me a letter from my head teacher – she didn’t just give us permission for it, she said she thought it
was an amazing opportunity. That’s when I got really excited.’

As parents, Dave and Ellen had to think hard before making the decision to go on the trip. It was
something Dave had always dreamed of; he was also an experienced sailor, and Ellen was keen to
learn. But they both had good jobs at a factory, so it wasn’t easy to just drop everything and go off
travelling. But then, early last summer, the factory suddenly shut down, and everyone lost their
jobs. When that happened, it seemed like the perfect moment to do something completely
different. They had nothing to lose.

Schoolwork is still important for Jack. ‘Dad helps me with physics and chemistry,’ he says. ‘Mum
does novels and Shakespeare plays with me. And at the moment she’s only teaching me Spanish
because they speak French here on the island, so I’m getting lots of practice of that anyway. I’m
learning so much about the countries of the world and how different people live just by travelling.
It’s like having geography lessons every day!’

Life on board has its ups and downs. Jack says, ‘I think my worst moment was the first bad storm
we had. I was ill for three days and really missed my friends then. I still do now but at least I’m not
seasick anymore. Apart from that, there are all the boring jobs you have in any home like doing the
washing-up. Mum and Dad hate getting in the water to make sure there’s nothing on the bottom of
the boat, so I volunteer for that – anything for a nice swim!’

5 What is Jack planning to do?

A sail back to Guadeloupe
B go on an expensive holiday
C leave his parents in the Caribbean
D return to school later this year

6 What did Jack think when he first heard his parents’ plan?
A He thought it was a great idea.
B He thought his parents were joking.
C He thought his school would stop him from going.
D He thought it would be an exciting experience.

7 Dave and Ellen decided to go on the trip because …

A they both lost their jobs.
B they both knew a lot about sailing.
C they had both wanted to do it for a long time.
D they both wanted their son to have an adventure.

8 Jack’s parents teach him several subjects except …

A French.
B English literature.
C geography.
D science.

OXFORD SECONDARY Diagnostic test Level B1 3 PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 2020
 Diagnostic test: Level B1

9 What does Jack generally find hard about being on the boat?
A coping with bad weather
B having to do the housework
C cleaning the boat under water
D being separated from his friends

10 What is the best title for this text?

A The runaway schoolboy
B A family adventure
C Studying sailing
D Missing school

Mark: ____ / 10

Section 1 total: ____ / 20

Student self-assessment for Section 1, Reading:

1 2 3 4 5
This was This was
very difficult. very easy.

OXFORD SECONDARY Diagnostic test Level B1 4 PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 2020
 Diagnostic test: Level B1

SECTION 2 Timing: 40 minutes Name: ____________________

USE OF ENGLISH

A Complete each pair of sentences with one word. Choose A, B or C.

1 I can’t come out because I’m doing my homework; ___ , it’s very late.
___ French, Maria also speaks German and Italian.
A anyway B besides C along

2 I’m the goalkeeper in our team – what ___ do you play in?
The room looked strange because the chairs were all in a different ___ .
A position B place C area

3 After teaching history for six years, Mr Dauncy became the ___ of department.
You can’t use a calculator in this test – you have to work things out in your ___ .
A top B head C mind

4 The doctor wants to ___ out some tests to see if I’ve got flu.
If you ___ on talking when the teacher tells you to stop, of course she’ll be angry.
A bring B go C carry

5 You should use hand cream because your skin feels quite ___ .
Can you give me a ___ idea of what time you’ll be here?
A plain B rough C fair

B Read the dialogues and choose the correct answers.

6 Tom: Shall we invite Sally on our trip?

Ali: ___
Tom: Come on, don’t be like that. She’s very nice, really.

A I hope so.
B I think so.
C Yes, I suppose so.

7 Marc: Are you going to go to university when you finish school?

Nita: ___
Marc: Well, I would if I were you.

A I’m not really sure.

B I haven’t done it yet.
C I think I should be.

8 Daniel: Do you feel like spaghetti tonight?

Anna: ___
Daniel: OK, shall we get a Chinese takeaway instead?

A No, I don’t know how to.

B No, I don’t really fancy it.
C No, I don’t think I am.

OXFORD SECONDARY Diagnostic test Level B1 5 PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 2020
 Diagnostic test: Level B1

9 Marcia: Why can’t you come to the cinema with us tomorrow evening?
Pavel: ___
Marcia: Oh yes, of course – your new restaurant’s opening next week, isn’t it?

A I’m afraid I won’t be.

B I’m not keen on the film you suggested.
C I’d probably better not.

10 Alek: What’s your new classmate like?

Sam: ___
Alek: Yeah, that’s what I thought.

A Reading, football and watching TV.

B Yes, I think he is.
C He seems nice.

Mark: ___ / 10

Student self-assessment for Section 2, Use of English:

1 2 3 4 5
This was This was
very difficult. very easy.

OXFORD SECONDARY Diagnostic test Level B1 6 PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 2020
 Diagnostic test: Level B1

WRITING

Write an answer to one of the following writing tasks.

OPTION A
Your friend has invited you to stay for a few days, but you cannot accept because you have just
started a holiday job. Write an email to your friend and:

• refuse the invitation and explain why.

• describe what you do in your job.
• tell your friend about something unusual that happened in your job.
• invite your friend to come and stay with you.

Here is the start of your email. Complete the email in about 130 words.
Hi,
Thanks so much for your letter – it was really good to hear from you again.

OPTION B
A family friend who lives in England wants to come and visit you for a few days. The friend has written
to ask about the best way of travelling to you. Write an email to your friend and:

• explain how to get to you by plane and what the advantages/disadvantages are.
• explain how to get to you by train and what the advantages/disadvantages are.
• recommend one of the options.
• suggest some activities for your friend’s visit.

Here is the start of your email. Complete the email in about 130 words.
Hi,
Thanks so much for your letter – it was really good to hear from you again. Now, I’ve had a think
about the best way to get here, and really, you’ve got two choices.

OPTION C
You have read some posts in a forum about learning languages. Some people are saying that English is
too difficult and that it’s not very useful. Write a post for the forum and:

• introduce yourself and say how you have learned English.

• explain what you think is easy or difficult about learning English.
• argue that English is a useful language to learn.
• suggest ways of helping people to learn English.

Here is the start of your forum post. Complete the forum post in about 130 words.
Hi,
I’ve read some of the posts here over the last few days, and I really wanted to share my thoughts. But
first, let me tell you a bit about myself.

Mark: ____ / 10

Section 2 total: ____ / 20

Student self-assessment for Section 2, Writing:

1 2 3 4 5
This was This was
very difficult. very easy.

OXFORD SECONDARY Diagnostic test Level B1 7 PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 2020
 Diagnostic test: Level B1

SECTION 3 Timing: 4 minutes

SPEAKING

Teacher’s instructions
• Carry out the speaking task with one student at a time.
• Select one of the photo options (A, B or C) and place the photo in front of the student.
• Read out the relevant questions below to encourage the student to speak about the photo and
the related topic for a maximum of four minutes.
• At the end, use the speaking task mark scheme to give the student a mark out of 10.

OPTION A
1 Describe the picture. Who are the people and what are they doing?
2 What are your favourite and least favourite forms of transport? Why?
3 Tell me about a long journey you made that either went very well or very badly. What happened
and why?

OPTION B
1 Describe the picture. Who are the people and what are they doing?
2 What physical activities do you like taking part in? When do you do them?
3 What is the most exciting game or event that you have ever watched or taken part in? What
happened and why was it exciting?

OPTION C
1 Describe the picture. Where are the people and what is happening in the picture?
2 Do you prefer to buy things in shops or online? Why?
3 Tell me about a time when you weren’t happy about something you bought or paid for.
What happened?

Section 3 total: ____ / 10

Test total: ____ / 50

Student self-assessment for Section 3, Speaking:

1 2 3 4 5
This was This was
very difficult. very easy.

OXFORD SECONDARY Diagnostic test Level B1 8 PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 2020