ELSA

Egzamin English Language Skills Assessment (ELSA)

ELSA tests have been developed to meet the needs of employers for reliable and consistent information on the language proficiency of current and prospective employees. There are four independent tests in the ELSA series all of which can be taken on demand:

• The Listening/Reading Test
• The Writing 1 Test
• The Writing 2 Test
• The Speaking Test

ELSA Tests:

• Provide quick turnaround of results.
• Give specific and reliable information.
• Are available in either British or American English.
• Offer the flexibility to test the specific language skills required by a company.
• Provide a 'snapshot' of English language proficiency.
• Measure the ability to use 'real-life' English, in the work place, at home, and in social and travel settings.
• Are of sufficient length to ensure that they reliably test a full range of language ability.

Overview of the ELSA tests

The Listening

The Listening Test consists of 60 questions in multiple-choice format and takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. The test is scored out of 250 and is divided into 4 sections. In all the sections candidates will hear the material spoken only once.

• Part 1
  Candidates will hear a question or statement, then 3 alternative responses. They will then select the response that matches the question or statement. (20 questions)
• Part 2
  Candidates will hear a short dialogue and read one question about it. They will then select the correct answer from the 4 printed alternatives based on what they have heard. (12 questions)
• Part 3
  Candidates will hear a longer dialogue and read 2 questions based on it. They will then select the correct answer to each question from the 4 printed alternatives based on what they have heard. (9 dialogues = 18 questions)
• Part 4
  Candidates will hear an announcement or presentation and read 2 questions based on it. They will then select the correct answer to each question from the 4 printed alternatives based on what they have heard. (5 recordings = 10 questions)

The Reading

The Reading Test consists of 60 questions in multiple-choice format and takes 45 minutes to complete. The test is scored out of 250 and is divided into 4 sections.

• Part 1
  Candidates will read a sentence and select from the 4 alternatives the word or phrase which correctly fills the gap in the sentence. (12 questions)
• Part 2
  Candidates will read a paragraph with 5 gaps in it. For each gap, they must select from the 4 alternatives the word or phrase that correctly fills that gap. (3 paragraphs = 15 questions)
• Part 3
  Candidates will read a sentence in which 4 words or phrases are underlined. One of the words or phrases will contain an error. Candidates will then select the word or phrase containing the error. (They will only be required to identify the error, not to correct it). (15 questions)
• Part 4
  Candidates will study more extended texts, which may be in the form of passages taken from reports, advertisements, newspapers and books or include graphs, charts and tables. Candidates will read 2 to 5 questions based on each text and select the correct answer to each question from the 4 alternatives given, based on what they have read. (4-9 passages = 18 questions)

Writing 1

The Writing 1 Test is a test of grammar and consists of 60 questions in multiple-choice format. It takes 45 minutes to complete. The test is scored out of 100 and is divided into 3 sections.

• Part 1
  Candidates will read a sentence and then select from the 4 alternatives the word or phrase which correctly fills the gap in the sentence. (20 questions)
• Part 2
  Candidates will read a sentence in which 4 words or phrases are underlined. One of the words or phrases will contain an error. Candidates will select the word or phrase containing the error. (They will only be required to identify the error, not to correct it). (20 questions)
• Part 3
  For each question, candidates will read a set of 4 sentences with similar content. Only one of the sentences will be grammatically correct. Candidates will then select the correct sentence. (20 questions)

Writing 2

The Writing 2 Test requires an essay to be written on a specific topic. Candidates will be required to write on a topic comparing or contrasting two objects or positions on an issue, providing details and supporting opinion. The Writing 2 Test is scored on a scale of 0 - 7 and the time allowed is 40 minutes.

The Speaking

The Speaking test is taken in a language lab. Candidates will hear a series of questions and tasks and record their responses on a tape. The recordings are then returned to the UK for scoring. The Speaking test takes approximately 35 minutes to complete and provides a maximum of 20 minutes candidate speaking time. The current test contains the following sections:

• Introduction
  4 questions to get the candidate's personal details
• Repetition
  4 Sentences to repeat
• Short answers
  12 questions
• Description
  6 questions and 2 pictures to describe
• Extended discourse
  5 more difficult opinion questions
• Picture story
  Based on 6 pictures. Answer 1 short question on each picture, then tell the story for 3 minutes
• Candidate comments
  1 minute to comment on any aspect of the test the candidate found interesting, useful, difficult etc.