Academic Test - Test - Stafford House International

This test is designed as a test of your English level and measures your knowledge of Use of English and Grammar.

This is not a placement test. You will need to do an additional test on or before your arrival at Stafford House to complete the placement process.

Before you start, here is what you can expect:

There are 80 questions
You have 70 minutes to finish the test
The test timer will tell you how much time you have left and if you are behind
Read each question carefully and choose the best answer
You can skip a question, but you cannot return to it later
Once you have started the test, please do not use your browser back button or refresh the page as this will exit the test and you will need to start again

Name*

First Name Last Name

Email*

Citizenship*

What location are you interested in?

What course are you interested in?*

Are you already in contact with an Education Agent?

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No

What is the Education Agency's name?

What is the Education Agent's email address?

Are you happy for us to contact your Education Agent on your behalf?

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Are you happy for us to contact an Education Agent in your country or region on your behalf? We have agreements with experienced Education Agents across the world who will be able to help advise you on your choice of course and test result?

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How soon would you like to start your course?

By taking this Academic English test you agree to the Stafford House Terms & Conditions

We would like to contact you from time to time with information regarding our full range of services. Please tick to confirm you are happy for CATS Colleges Limited to contact you by:

Email

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SMS

Social Messaging

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“I’m from Birmingham”

“Oh, I thought you ______ in Oxford.”

were born

were borned

had bord

was born

David is ______ to his classmates in maths and chemistry.

various

considerate

superior

particular

The bus stop _________ us from the snowstorm

contained

surrounded

sheltered

permitted

“When did Laura graduate?”

“She ______ in 1968”

graduate

did graduate

was graduate

graduated

All the teachers like Daisy; she must be the most ______ student at school.

ordinary

central

sufficient

popular

“It’s very cold here.”

“Yes, but ______ the summer it gets very hot.”

as long as

already

while

during

Sarah likes to draw, and she ______ all her free time to it.

devotes

displays

decides

designs

That big fire has made the ______ very dirty.

gaze

air

weather

breath

“Do you miss your girlfriend?”

“Yes, I am always thinking ______ her.”

on

at

to

of

We don’t need the light on because the sun is so _______

bright

heavy

light

big

The manager foolishly expects everyone else to work the long hours that she does.

Who works long hours?

The manager

Everyone but the manager

Everyone

Only the fools

They were not interested in her formal education, because what mattered most was her ability to adapt herself to new situations

The most important qualification was…

willingness to work hard

formal training

adaptability

experience

We should try to understand our cultural and historical roots but not romanticise them.

Our attitude towards the past should be…

respectful

negative

realistic

romantic

The doctor said my sister would get well soon because her illness wasn’t very ______.

hard

serious

difficult

heavy

He is a large, muscular, and active man with a hearty voice – attributes that lend him a general aura of confidence

He seems confident because of his…

generosity

personality

physical qualities

intelligence

This plant doesn’t like to be dry. It will die if it _______ water.

lacks

decreases

discovers

prevents

“Are you making the journey in one day?”

“It depends on ______ many miles it is to Edinburgh.”

how long

how

where

which

“What should I get at the bakery?”

“______ of bread.”

loaf

some loaf

the loaf

a loaf

I couldn’t bring the cat because animals aren’t ______ on the plane.

allowed

agreed

excused

consented

I need some paper. Do you have any to ______ me?

borrow

lend

belong

forgive

Our hard work ______ us success.

made

pulled

drew

brought

I didn’t forget the present because my husband ______ me to bring it.

reminded

knew

mentioned

remembered

The popularity of Blair as Prime Minister was based on the impression he gave of being progressive on social policies, but now some say his policies were quite cautious.

People liked Blair because…

they thought he was cautious

he was foreign

his policies were flexible

they thought he was progressive

He had to drive carefully to ______ the ice on the path.

guide

extend

avoid

delay

“Rachel was here for most of the afternoon.”

“Exactly ______ was she here?”

how long

until

as long

while

“Is this the way you want the tables arranged?”

“No, I want ______ closer.”

that they be

them be

them to be

that them be

If she tries to do too much at the same time, she’ll not only tire herself, but also do a bad job.

The warning is against…

not trying hard enough

working too slowly

doing things only once

doing too many things

“What’s this photo?”

“This is the boat ______ we took to France. “

who

when

that

what

Henry has no money left because he ______ it all on shoes

paid

checked

threw

spent

The grant will enable the university to employ another assistant professor of Chemical Engineering. Rounding out its program of Engineering studies to offer a Masters in this field.

Before the grant, there was no…

course in chemical engineering

possibility to do a Masters in engineering

professor in chemical engineering

demand for courses in engineering

George said it wasn’t enough for Chris to say he was sorry, he must also make the good the damage he had done to the bike.

George wanted Chris to…

return his car

apologise

pay for the damages

stop damaging his car

“Do you like your new bike?”

“No, I wish I ______ bought it.”

hadn’t

mustn’t

didn’t

haven’t

I didn’t know who her brother was until he was ______ out to me.

looked

shown

found

pointed

“I failed the exam.”

“You should have listened ______ me and studied.”

on

for

to

at

She wrote her address on a _______ of paper

skirt

side

slip

sign

It was difficult to understand her because her _______ was so fast

tone

expression

speech

volume

There have certainly been many films as honest as this one, but there have probably been only a few as sensitive.

This film is remarkable because of its…

honesty

sensitivity

originality

length

Ross asked if I could give Charlotte a lift home.

Who needed a lift?

I did.

Charlotte did.

Ross and Charlotte did.

Ross did.

You must ______ the weight of your suitcases to 20 kgs.

check

cover

control

limit

“Does he know Sophia?”

“Yes, she is a very ______ friend of his”

closing

closed

closely

close

It wasn’t until she left home that she realised the extent to which she depended on her sister.

How much did she depend on her sister?

not at all

not at all until she left home

quite a lot

only slightly

The police tried to keep the difficult situation under…

alarm

control

evidence

substance

“Why don’t you finish your homework now?”

“I’m ______ tired to do it right now.”

so

more

too

very

“Did you see anyone you know in town?”

“I saw some ______.”

your friends

of yours friends

of your friends

friends yours

“I’m tired of waiting for Rebecca.”

“If she doesn’t come soon, we’ll have ______ without her.”

to leaving

leaving

to leave

to be left

“Can Alice teach you to drive?”

“Yes, she’s ______ to help me.”

experienced enough

so experienced

very experienced

enough experienced

What she says is clear and is obviously well-prepared, and this, among other things, has earned her the high regard of her colleagues.

How do her colleagues feel about her?

They don’t understand her

They respect her

They ignore her

They’re jealous of her

“Isn’t Peter meeting us for dinner today?”

“No, he’s ______ he can’t take time to eat.”

such busy

so busy that

so busy as

as busy that

“Did you see where John went?”

“Yes, I saw ______ towards town.”

him walked

him walking

him to walk

his walking

I saw that they were different sizes when I ______ them more closely.

compared

shared

expected

sought

“Is Mary a successful lawyer?”

“Yes, she’s ______ good lawyer that she usually wins”

a so

so

so much

such a

My parents gave me a ______ watch for my birthday.

plentiful

valuable

wealthy

worthy

For a variety of reasons, she had not been back home for six years, and now felt apprehensive about it, unsure about how strange it might seem to her.

How did she feel about going home?

She didn’t want to go at all

She didn’t care if she went or not

She was very happy about it

She was worried about it

She took out the blanket and _____ it on the ground for us to sit on

leaned

hung

spread

struck

His parents ______ him with everything he wanted.

proposed

possessed

provided

processed

“What are you washing?”

“The ______.”

fork cakes

cake forks

forks cake

cakes forks

The woman on the train was ______ at me as if she knew me.

viewing

appearing

staring

facing

Teresa says that sometimes she is asked to undertake certain duties but is given insufficient funds or authority to accomplish the task.

Teresa says she is unsuccessful because she lacks…

money and power

time and manpower

confidence

specific knowledge

“Are you ready to go now?”

“I’d like to finish ______ the kitchen first.”

to clean

clean

cleaning

cleaned

It is pleasing that songbirds missing from the island for many years are returning.

Songbirds are now…

singing more pleasantly

dying in the city

leaving the city

coming back to the city

We need to make a few _______ to our house before we can sell it

improvements

developments

conditions

movements

We didn’t want to make a lot of noise, so we ______.

whispered

insisted

expressed

announced

“This shop is too crowded.”

“Why don’t we go to the supermarket ______.”

in case

otherwise

instead

rather

“Are you going to both exhibitions?”

“No, I’ll go to the first, ______ not the second.”

otherwise

instead

but

still

“How was the concert?”

“Great. Everyone liked it ______ Paul, who said it was terrible.”

if

yet

with

but

“Which newspaper did you take?”

“The one ______.”

on the table was

that was on the table

that on the table

was on the table

Not all the rice has been eaten; there’s still a small ______ left.

division

content

portion

figure

The teachers were told to ask their pupils to fill out the Student Questionnaires and return them by Friday.

The forms were to be filled out by…

the teachers and the pupils

neither the teachers nor the pupils

the teachers

the pupils

“Will you come to the cinema?”

“I don’t know. I’ll think it ______.”

over

about

around

along

“What did you think of Lucy’s request?”

“I thought it was quite ______.”

reason

reasonable

reasoning

reasonably

Whereas Smith’s books became increasingly grim and gloomy as she grew older, Jones had never written a serious book or had the least desire to do so.

Did Jones ever write a serious book?

No, and he never wanted to

No, but he always wanted to

Yes, but only once

Yes, many of them

I need only a small ______ of salt.

amount

some

group

matter

I want to hang this mirror on the wall; please give me that ______.

contract

nail

claim

stick

Contrasting sharply with Kate’s paintings, Mark’s canvasses present us with a sense of hope and the optimism of young people today.

Kate’s paintings are…

similar to Mark’s

very modern

unlike Mark’s

unsuccessful

The salesman said they would ______ the table to my house tomorrow. 

deliver

handle

provide

receive

“Do you usually drive to work this way?”

“No, I ______ go this way.”

almost ever

never almost

hardly ever

never hardly

Whether he had been bitten by an insect, or eaten something bad, or been attacked by a sudden disorder, it was hard to say; but at all events, his sickness was ill-timed and unfortunate.

What caused his illness?

An injury

It’s uncertain

A disease

Poison

“Do you think Sally can win the match?”

“If she trains hard, I think she ______.”

will have

will

will be going to

will be

“Where is my coat?”

“Oh, I forgot to ______.”

in it bring

in bring it

bring in it

bring it in

Anybody who has the natural ability and training that Mia has doesn’t have to worry about finding work.

Is Mia likely to get a job?

Yes, if she goes to college

No, because she worries too much

No, because she lacks ability

Yes, without a doubt