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ESL Placement Practice Test B2 – Test 1

B2 Upper-intermediate Level testEnglish

This B2 ESL placement practice test checks reading comprehension, sentence meaning and grammar in the style of US college and adult-education placement tests. It is for adult learners and students preparing for ESL placement, and for teachers who need to confirm that a learner is secure at upper-intermediate level. The reading texts cover everyday school and work situations in the United States.

Questions
36
Time
45 min
PDF
7 pages
Answer key
Included
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Read each question carefully and choose the one best answer (A, B, C or D). Choose your answers, then press “Check my answers”.

Part 1: Reading Skills – College Notice

Read the notice from a community college. Then choose the best answer to each question.

Riverside Community College – Student Services Update

Starting this spring, all new students will be required to meet with an academic advisor before they can register for classes. In the past, students were allowed to choose their own courses online, but many ended up taking classes that did not count toward their degree or transfer plans. As a result, some students spent an extra semester, and hundreds of dollars, on credits they did not need.

Advising appointments last about thirty minutes and can be scheduled online, by phone, or in person at the Student Success Center in Building C. Evening and Saturday appointments are available for students who work during the day. Students should bring a copy of their placement results and, if they have attended another college, an unofficial transcript.

Returning students who have already completed at least 15 credits are not affected by the new rule, although advisors strongly encourage them to check in once a year. Students who miss their scheduled appointment will need to rebook, which may delay their registration by up to a week. Since popular classes fill up quickly, the college recommends booking an appointment as early as possible.

For questions, contact Student Services at (555) 014-2290 or visit the center Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

  1. What is the main purpose of the notice?

  2. Why did the college introduce the change?

  3. Which student does NOT need to meet an advisor before registering?

  4. Besides their placement results, what should a student who has attended another college bring?

  5. In paragraph 3, the phrase "are not affected by the new rule" means that returning students _____.

  6. What can be inferred from the notice?

Part 1: Reading Skills – Workplace Memo

Read the memo from a manager to employees. Then choose the best answer to each question.

To: All Warehouse and Office Staff

From: Daniel Okafor, Operations Manager

Subject: New shift-swap policy

Over the past few months, several of you have told me that the current process for swapping shifts is confusing and slow. At the moment, you have to fill out a paper form, get a signature from your supervisor, and then wait for Human Resources to update the schedule. Sometimes this takes so long that the swap is approved only after the shift has already happened.

Beginning March 1, all shift swaps will be handled through the scheduling app that most of you already use to check your hours. Once you and a coworker agree to trade shifts, one of you submits the request in the app and the other confirms it. Your supervisor will then receive a notification and has 24 hours to approve or reject the swap. If the supervisor does not respond within that time, the request will be approved automatically.

Please keep in mind that swaps are allowed only between employees with the same job training. For example, a forklift operator cannot trade a shift with someone who has not completed forklift certification. Also, no employee may work more than six days in a row, so the app will block any swap that would break this rule.

I realize that not everyone is comfortable with the app yet. If you would like a quick training session, Priya in HR will be running fifteen-minute sessions in the break room next week. Paper forms will still be accepted until the end of February.

Thanks for your patience as we make this change.

  1. Why is the company changing its shift-swap policy?

  2. What happens if a supervisor does not respond to a request within 24 hours?

  3. Which swap would the app NOT allow?

  4. In paragraph 2, the word "trade" is closest in meaning to _____.

  5. What can employees do if they are not comfortable using the app?

  6. What can be inferred about the paper forms?

Part 2: Sentence Meaning

Choose the sentence that has the same meaning as the sentence given, or the word that best completes the meaning of the sentence.

  1. "Tom is in charge of the new training program." Which sentence has the same meaning?

  2. The doctor told Luis to _____ down on sugar because his test results were high.

  3. "The meeting has been put off until Thursday." Which sentence has the same meaning?

  4. Our new manager is very _____; she always listens to new ideas before making a decision.

  5. "I'm not used to driving on the highway." Which sentence has the same meaning?

  6. "Kevin had his car repaired last week." Which sentence has the same meaning?

  7. The hiring committee is still _____ the applications and will contact candidates next week.

  8. "Despite the heavy rain, the game went ahead." Which sentence has the same meaning?

  9. "Hardly anyone came to the workshop." Which sentence has the same meaning?

  10. "If I had known about the traffic, I would have left earlier." Which sentence has the same meaning?

  11. "Applications will not be accepted unless they are signed." Which sentence has the same meaning?

  12. "Sara can't have taken the bus this morning; she doesn't have a bus pass." Which sentence has the same meaning?

Part 3: Language Use

Choose the word or phrase that correctly completes the sentence, or choose the sentence as instructed.

  1. The new public library _____ next year.

  2. Which sentence is grammatically correct?

  3. By the time we got to the theater, the movie _____.

  4. The apartment _____ we looked at yesterday was too expensive.

  5. I wish I _____ more time to study, but I work full-time.

  6. Maria said that she _____ to Chicago the following week.

  7. I'll never forget _____ the Grand Canyon for the first time.

  8. Because it was raining, my friend suggested _____ a taxi.

  9. You _____ me you were coming! I would have picked you up at the airport.

  10. Which sentence contains an error?

  11. Not only _____ late for the interview, but he also forgot his résumé.

  12. If Ana hadn't missed the bus this morning, she _____ at her desk right now.

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About this test

This B2 ESL placement practice test checks reading comprehension, sentence meaning and grammar in the style of US college and adult-education placement tests. It is for adult learners and students preparing for ESL placement, and for teachers who need to confirm that a learner is secure at upper-intermediate level. The reading texts cover everyday school and work situations in the United States.

Topics covered

Reading comprehensionInference and vocabulary in contextPhrasal verbs and collocationsParaphrasing sentence meaningConditionals and wishesPassive and causative formsModals of deduction and regretGerunds, infinitives and inversion

How to use this test

  1. Download the PDF and print it, or take the test online below.
  2. Answer every question without a dictionary or time pressure.
  3. Check your answers and note the topics you need to review.

Notes for teachers

Give students about 45 minutes and ask them to work without a dictionary. As a rough guide, 29 or more correct answers (about 80%) suggests a learner is secure at B2, 22-28 suggests B2 with gaps, and fewer than 22 suggests placing the learner at B1. The test targets common B2 errors such as confusing 'be used to' with 'used to', using 'suggest' with an object and infinitive, mixing up past and mixed conditionals, and misreading 'unless' and 'can't have'. For follow-up, ask learners to rewrite the sentences they got wrong in their own words, or to summarize each reading text in three sentences.