The Oxford Test of English, from the University of Oxford in the UK. The OTE is an exam developed by Oxford University Press and is recognised by many educational institutions.
What is the Oxford Test of English?
It is a test that evaluates the ability of each candidate to cope with various situations in everyday life.
The results do not expire. If a lot of time has passed since the certificate was obtained, it is possible that more up-to-date results will be required.
Which levels does the Oxford Test of English certify?
Currently the test can certify the most sought-after levels: A2, B1 and B2, in line with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
It will be available for C1 soon.
What is the Oxford Test of English like?
The Oxford Test of English is an online test which consists of 4 modules: speaking, listening comprehension, writing, and reading comprehension. Participants have a time limit in which they must complete the tasks.
The reading and listening comprehension parts adapts to the answers that the candidate gives. In this way, each test is unique and personal.
The oral and written expression modules are completely individualised. They are tests which have been revised and evaluated by experts.
Results will be available within 14 days. They are in the form of an easy-to-understand report which shows the level the candidate achieved in each of the four skills in accordance with the levels of the CEFR.
You can do each of the modules separately or the complete test.
The whole exam takes 2 hours.
MODULES
OXFORD TEST OF ENGLISH
Speaking
- This module consists of 4 parts and takes approximately 15 minutes.
- You will complete an interview, voicemails, a talk, and follow-up questions about the talk.
- You must provide the correct answers to the questions, giving real information, organise a speech, and be able to describe, compare, contrast, suggest, and speculate.
Listening
- The material used for the listening test has been adapted from real sources.
- It consists of 4 parts and takes approximately 30 minutes.
- All of the audios simulate conversations you might hear in English conversations.
- This part tests your understanding of the main purpose, overall meaning and specific parts of a text.
- It tests your ability to identify specific details, opinions, and attitudes.
- It also tests your understanding of inferred meaning, pragmatic meaning, and purpose.
Reading
- This module uses both long and short texts which vary in complexity. It has 4 parts and takes approximately 30 minutes.
- It is important to assess if the candidate is able to understand the specific details and gist of what they are reading as well as their ability to deduce less obvious concepts.
- The candidate must understand attitude, opinion, and the author’s purpose from the texts they read.
- The candidate must also be able to understand references and meaning in context.
Writing
- In this part, candidates must demonstrate their grammatical and vocabulary range, as well as their ability to organise and create texts.
- It consists of two parts and takes approximately 45 minutes. In the second part, candidates can choose between two tasks.
- For this module, candidates must be able to give information, narrate, describe, and express opinions and feelings.
- They must also be able to make suggestions and requests, as well as express invitations, develop arguments, and persuade.
When are the dates and how much does it cost?
The dates of the Oxford Test of English (for the year 2023) will be the 27th of January (deadline to sign up: the 11th of January), the 24th of February (deadline to sign up: the 8th of February), the 31st of March (deadline to sign up: the 15th of March), the 28th of April (deadline to sign up: the 12th of April) and the 26th of May (deadline to sign up: the 11th of May).
The Oxford Test of English can be completed in separate modules (70 € per module) or as a complete test, which costs 120 €.