All new students attending Clinton International College will be required to take the English diagnostic test before registering for their courses.

Students may write 1 to 2 diagnostic tests depending on the program they are enrolled in:

• Students enrolled in the High School Program and University Preparatory Program
  will write English Diagnostics Tests.
• Students enrolled in the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program will write the
  ESL English Diagnostic Test.

English & ESL Diagnostic Test

Clinton International College uses the SLEP (Secondary Level English Proficiency) Test to measure the English language proficiency for
non-native speakers. This English diagnostic test is developed by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and assesses students’ listening and reading,
comprehension ability, as well as vocabulary and grammar. Students will be placed in either ESL level or Academic English level classes based on the scores they achieve on the SLEP Test. The test is divided into two sections, each containing four types of questions.

First Section

Measures ability to understand spoken English and is 40 minutes long.

1.    Students must match one of four recorded sentences with a
picture in the test book. Sentences are spoken only once and are not printed in
the test book.

2.    Students must match a sentence printed in the test book with a sentence heard on the
tape.

3.    Questions in this part are based on conversations between students or announcements made
by teachers. The questions are given before the talks begin. The questions and
the answers are printed in the test book. For each question, students must
choose one of four answers.

4.    The questions in this part are based on conversations recorded by high school
students. A question is asked after the conversation is heard. The question is
recorded; it is not printed in the test book. For each recorded question, the
student must choose one of four answers printed in the test
book.

Second Section

Is 40 minutes long and covers grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. It contains the following four types of questions:

1.    Students must match the reaction of one of four characters in the cartoon with
a printed sentence.

2.    Students must match the printed sentence with one of four drawings. It focuses on the
use of prepositions, pronouns, adverbs, and numbers.

3.    This part contains two types of questions.

1.    In the first type of questions, students must complete the passages by selecting the
appropriate words or phrases from a set of four choices printed at interval in
the passage.

2.    In the second type of questions, the students must answer questions about the passage
for which they supplied the missing words or phrases.

4.    In this part of section two the students must read a short passage and answer questions
about it.

Try the sample SLEP Test

Students should note that the above is a sample English/ESL diagnostic test and it should be used as a practice tool.
Please DO NOT submit answers for marking.

Assessment and Placement of Students

The SLEP Test results are used as guidelines only. Final placement may also depend on an assessment of written work administered on the first day of class. To correctly place students in the right Academic English or ESL level, results from the diagnostic test is reviewed in conjunction with students’ past academic records and external/standardized test results (TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB, CELT), received directly from the test centre. These results are also useful for:

• Determining students’ overall academic aptitude
• Counselling students during their course selection