VTest for Schools
Burlington VTest English for Schools: Ages 11–15 is an online English language assessment tool for teenagers. Designed by international experts in language teaching and assessment, it provides a quick, reliable measure of learners’ English abilities from Pre-A1 to C1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
For Test-Takers
Test Sections
VTest for Schools: 11–15 is designed for learners of all nationalities aged 11 to 15. The exam is modular, with separate sections for Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The sections can be taken individually or in any combination, offering schools and students maximum flexibility.
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Listening5 Parts
About 20 Minutes
28 Items
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Reading5 Parts
About 26 Minutes
43 or 45 Items
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Writing4 Parts
About 30 Minutes
13 Items
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Speaking5 Parts
About 18 Minutes
21 Items
The Listening section is adaptive and has five parts, each with a different focus.
Part 1: All students complete nine items, beginning with items from Pre-A1 to A2. Later items adapt to their performance, with items available up to C1.
Part 2: Based on their performance in Part 1, students listen to three short conversations at different levels.
Part 3: Based on their performance in Part 2, students listen to two longer conversations. These are generally at the student’s estimated level and one level above.
Part 4: Based on their performance in Part 3, students listen to a monologue at their estimated level.
Part 5: Based on their performance in Part 4, students listen to an interview at combined Pre-A1/A1/A2, combined B1/B2, or C1 level.
Each recording is played twice, giving students a chance to listen again and check their answers. The speakers in all recordings use North American English.
A short preview — not a full test. See how the platform works: buttons, timer, task types, and how to submit answers.
* Each question has a limited time for answering.
Parts
Minutes*
Items
01
Listening Part 1: Picture Choice
Students listen to nine short conversations. For each conversation, they read a question and choose the correct picture from three options. The items adapt to students’ performance.
Conversations cover familiar objects, common situations, and everyday activities, such as asking for directions, giving instructions, discussing plans, and telling personal anecdotes.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to understand short conversations, identify the speakers’ intended meaning, and distinguish the correct answer from plausible alternatives mentioned or implied in the conversation.
02
Listening Part 2: Short Conversation Multiple-Choice
Students listen to three short conversations and answer one multiple-choice question about each conversation. Each question has three written options. The level range of the conversations is based on students’ performance in Part 1.
Conversations cover everyday objects and activities, locations, personal relationships and emotions, professions, and other familiar situations.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to understand the content and context of short conversations and identify details, situations, speakers’ attitudes or intentions, and implied meaning.
03
Listening Part 3: Longer Conversation Multiple-Choice
Students listen to two longer conversations and answer three multiple-choice questions about each one. Each question has three written options. The conversations are generally at the student’s estimated level and one level above, with adjustments at the lowest and highest levels.
Conversations cover a range of familiar personal, social, and educational situations.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to follow a longer conversation and understand its main idea, key details, sequence of events, speakers’ relationships, attitudes and opinions, and implied meaning.
04
Listening Part 4: Monologue True/False
Students listen to one monologue and decide whether five statements about it are true or false. The level of the monologue is based on their performance in Part 3.
Monologues may include presentations, news reports, personal anecdotes, welcome speeches, guided tours, stories, product descriptions, and summaries. The style may be formal, informal, or neutral.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to identify and understand the main ideas and key details in a sustained monologue.
05
Listening Part 5: Interview Multiple-Choice
Students listen to an interviewer introduce a topic and two people give their views on it. The interviewees speak separately and may express similar or contrasting opinions.
Students answer five multiple-choice questions: two about each interviewee and one requiring them to compare or synthesize the two viewpoints. The interview is at combined Pre-A1/A1/A2, combined B1/B2, or C1 level.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to understand the key points in two related monologues and recognize similarities and differences between the speakers’ views.
The Reading section is adaptive and has five parts, each with a different focus.
Part 1: All students complete 15 picture-based items, beginning with items from Pre-A1 to A2. Later items adapt to their performance, with items available up to C1.
Part 2: Based on their performance in Part 1, students complete nine sentence-paraphrase items at different levels.
Part 3: Based on their performance in Part 2, students complete a cloze task at combined Pre-A1/A1/A2, combined B1/B2, or C1 level.
Part 4: Based on their performance in Part 3, students complete two text-sequencing tasks. These are generally at the student’s estimated level and one level above.
Part 5: Based on their performance in Part 4, students read a text at their estimated level and answer five True/False items.
A short preview — not a full test. See how the platform works: buttons, timer, task types, and how to submit answers.
* Each question has a limited time for answering.
Parts
Minutes*
Items
01
Reading Part 1: Picture-Based True/False
Students see a picture and read five statements about it. They decide whether each statement is true or false. There are three tasks, giving a total of 15 items. The items adapt to students’ performance.
The pictures show one or more people in recognizable situations. Locations may be indoors or outdoors, and the situations may be formal or informal.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to understand descriptive statements and decide whether they accurately represent explicit or implied information about the people, objects, locations, and activities shown in a picture.
02
Reading Part 2: Sentence Paraphrase
Students read a sentence followed by three alternative sentences. They choose the alternative with approximately the same meaning as the original. The nine items are presented in three sets of three and adapt to students’ performance.
The topic, length, and complexity of the sentences vary by level. At higher levels, sentences are generally longer and more abstract, and differences in meaning are more subtle.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to recognize equivalent meanings expressed using different vocabulary, grammatical structures, or idiomatic language.
03
Reading Part 3: Cloze
Students read a text containing eight gaps. For each gap, they choose the word or short phrase that best completes the text from three options.
The text is selected based on students’ performance in Part 2 and is at combined Pre-A1/A1/A2, combined B1/B2, or C1 level.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to use grammatical, lexical, and contextual information to identify the word or phrase that completes a text most appropriately.
04
Reading Part 4: Text Sequencing
Students complete two text-sequencing tasks. In each task, they read a text divided into sections. The opening section is fixed in the correct position, and students arrange the remaining sections to reconstruct the text in a logical sequence.
From Pre-A1 to B2, students sequence three sections in each text. At C1, they sequence four. The two texts are generally at the student’s estimated level and one level above, with adjustments at the lowest and highest levels.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to recognize coherence, cohesion, and contextual logic and use these features to sequence sections of a text correctly.
05
Reading Part 5: Text-Based True/False
Students read one text and decide whether five statements about it are true or false. The level of the text is based on their performance in Part 4.
At lower levels, the statements focus primarily on key information in the text. At higher levels, they may also require students to understand the writer’s attitudes and opinions, recognize implied meaning, and make appropriate inferences.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to understand the main ideas and key details of a text and, at higher levels, distinguish between explicit and implied meaning.
The Writing section has four parts, each with a different focus.
It includes sentence-level selected-response items and open-ended writing based on pictures, correspondence, and familiar topics. All students complete all four parts.
Part 1 is an adaptive screening task that determines the level of the scored tasks that follow. It does not contribute to the reported Writing score. Once a level range has been assigned, it remains the same throughout Parts 2–4.
A short preview — not a full test. See how the platform works: buttons, timer, task types, and how to submit answers.
* Each question has a limited time for answering.
Parts
Minutes*
Items
01
Writing Part 1: Sentence Completion
Students read a sentence with a missing word or phrase and choose the option that completes it correctly. Each item has three options. The items gradually adapt to students’ performance.
Students have about four and a half minutes to complete the task.
This screening task helps identify the appropriate level of Writing tasks for the student. Responses in Part 1 do not contribute to the reported Writing score.
02
Writing Part 2: Picture-Based Writing
Students write about a picture and address three content points. The picture is the same for all students, but the prompt is within the level range determined by their performance in Part 1.
The content points may ask students to describe what they see, explain reasons or possible outcomes, express an opinion, or make recommendations. Students have about eight and a half minutes to complete the task.
Recommended word ranges:
•Pre-A1/A1/A2: 50–75 words
•B1/B2: 75–100 words
•C1: 100–125 words
Students may write more and should develop their response as fully as they can within the available time.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to address the required content points and produce a clear, relevant, and appropriately organized response using suitable grammar, vocabulary, and spelling.
03
Writing Part 3: Email Reply
Students read an email and write an appropriate reply addressing the questions or content points it contains. The email is within the level range determined by their performance in Part 1.
The correspondence may involve a message from a friend about future plans, a request for information about local activities or events, or a school-related opportunity. Students have about eight and a half minutes to complete the task.
Recommended word ranges:
•Pre-A1/A1/A2: 50–75 words
•B1/B2: 75–100 words
•C1: 100–125 words
Students may write more and should develop their response as fully as they can within the available time.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to address the required content points and write a clear, relevant, and appropriately organized reply using suitable style, grammar, vocabulary, and spelling.
04
Writing Part 4: Essay
Students write an essay in response to a prompt. They may be asked to describe a personal experience or express and support their views on a topic. The prompt is within the level range determined by their performance in Part 1.
At lower levels, students respond to a familiar topic and explain their answer. At higher levels, prompts require more detailed support and may include more abstract aspects of the topic. Students have about eight and a half minutes to complete the task.
Recommended word ranges:
•Pre-A1/A1/A2: 50–100 words
•B1/B2: 75–100 words
•C1: 100–125 words
Students may write more and should develop their response as fully as they can within the available time.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to address the prompt and produce a clear, relevant, and appropriately organized essay using suitable grammar, vocabulary, and spelling.
The Speaking section has five parts, each with a different focus.
It combines selected-response and open-ended tasks. All students complete all five parts.
Part 1 is an adaptive screening task that determines the level of the scored tasks in Parts 3–5. It does not contribute to the reported Speaking score. Once a level range has been assigned, it remains the same throughout Parts 3–5. All students complete the same read-aloud task in Part 2.
Students are not expected to speak with a specific accent. The focus is on whether they can communicate clearly and appropriately.
A short preview — not a full test. See how the platform works: buttons, timer, task types, and how to submit answers.
* Each question has a limited time for answering.
Parts
Minutes*
Items
01
Speaking Part 1: Rejoinders
Students hear the beginning of a short conversation. They then hear and read three possible responses and choose the most appropriate one. The items gradually adapt to students’ performance.
The exchanges may include questions and answers, instructions and replies, opinions and comments, criticisms and apologies, or other common interaction patterns. Students need to understand the situation, the relationship between the speakers, and which response would continue the conversation naturally.
This screening task helps identify the appropriate level of Speaking tasks for the student. Responses in Part 1 do not contribute to the reported Speaking score.
02
Speaking Part 2: Read Aloud
Students read a text and record themselves reading it aloud. The text is approximately 130–150 words long and becomes progressively more complex, with grammar and vocabulary ranging from Pre-A1 to B2.
The text includes contracted forms, questions, and positive and negative statements, allowing students to demonstrate control of different pronunciation and intonation patterns.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to read aloud fluently and intelligibly, pronounce words clearly, and use appropriate stress, rhythm, and intonation without excessive hesitation or repetition.
03
Speaking Part 3: Short Answers
Students see six pictures and answer one question about each one. The questions are within the level range determined by their performance in Part 1.
Questions may ask students to identify an object and explain how it is used, name an activity and say why people do it, or identify a profession and explain why it is important.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to identify and describe familiar objects, activities, professions, situations, and locations and provide relevant additional information using appropriate grammar and vocabulary with suitable fluency.
04
Speaking Part 4: Picture Comparison
Students see two pictures related to a common theme and answer three questions about them. They first compare and contrast the pictures, then answer two broader questions about the theme.
The pictures are the same for all students, but the questions are within the level range determined by their performance in Part 1.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to compare and contrast pictures and discuss a related theme using appropriate grammar and vocabulary with suitable fluency.
05
Speaking Part 5: Open-Ended Response
Students read an open-ended question and three related content points, then record an extended response. The question and content points are within the level range determined by their performance in Part 1.
Assessment: Students are assessed on their ability to develop a relevant response and speak fluently on a topic using appropriate grammar and vocabulary.
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