Oxford ELLT case studies
Oxford ELLT · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Oxford ELLT (English Language Level Test) is an English proficiency exam from Oxford International Digital Institute, delivered worldwide and aimed at international students who need evidence of English for university study and admissions. It assesses four skills - listening, reading, writing and speaking - and the provider states the test gives a sound assessment of English language competency at CEFR levels B1 to C1, having been independently reviewed by Ecctis across grading, certification, marking and moderation. The Oxford ELLT case studies are 5 cases and about 3,200 words.
1The self-correction and the student discount: note completion under a word limit
Amara is working through the note-completion section of the Listening component. She hears a monologue about a community bicycle workshop and must fill ten notes.
633 words, about 3 min2Nineteen minutes, seventeen questions: triage in the Reading component
Daniel is 16 minutes into a 35-minute Reading component. He has answered 8 of 25 questions, all from the first text, and has already re-checked three of them twice.
673 words, about 3 min3325 words, no position: what actually limits a memorised essay
Before the Writing component, Priya memorised a four-paragraph structure and a bank of openers: 'In the modern era, it is a controversial issue that...', 'Since time immemorial...', 'Every coin has two sides.' The longer task asks: 'Some people believe university tuition should be free for all students. To what extent do you agree or disagree?' She writes 325 words in 38 of her 40 minutes.
629 words, about 3 min4A polished two minutes that answers the previous question
In the Speaking component, Tomas receives a prompt card asking him to describe 'a time you learned something difficult', with one minute of preparation. He has rehearsed almost word for word a two-minute talk about a skill he would like to learn - the guitar - including a tidy anecdote about a YouTube course and a favourite chord.
645 words, about 3 min5208 words, one content point missing: the short transactional task
The shorter writing task tells Marco to write 120-150 words to the accommodation officer at a language school. Three content points are required: confirm his arrival date (Sunday 7 July, flight landing at 21:40), ask whether the airport transfer is included in the £95 transfer fee he was quoted, and explain that he needs a room away from the street because he is a light sleeper.
620 words, about 3 min