University of Science and Technology of Hanoi

ENGLISH PLACEMENT TEST 1

Foreign Languages Center
Date: _______________
English Unit
Skill: Speaking

INSTRUCTIONS TO EXAMINERS
Part Duration Information

Part 1 3-4 minutes - Let the student introduce himself/herself and confirm
his/her identity.
Introduction & Interview
- Ask the student general questions on familiar topics.

Part 2 3 minutes - Give the student a task card.

Individual Long Turn - Tell the student that he/she has 1 minute to prepare
for the topic and he/she can make notes during the
preparation time then he/she has 2 minutes to talk.

- Take the task card back when the student finishes

his/her talk.

Part 3 3-4 minutes - Ask the student further questions which are
connected to the topic of Part 2.
Two-way Discussion

NOTES:
- Tell students that they need to prepare a pen and a blank piece of paper for making notes
in part 2 on their own.
- The score for each part is the average of four sub-scores based on the given criteria.
- Final score = (Part 1 + Part 2 + Part 3)/ 3
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 01

PART 1
Future
● Do you think your life will change in the future? How?
● How much travelling do you hope to do in the next 5 years?
● How useful will English be for your future life?
Social media
● Do you use social media websites?
● How much time do you spend on social media sites?
● Is there anything you don’t like about social media?
PART 2
Describe a book that you enjoyed reading.
You should say
what this book was;
why you decided to read it;
what reading this book made you think about;
and explain why you enjoyed reading this book.
PART 3
● How popular are electronic books in your country?
● What are the advantages of reading electronic books compared to printed books?
● Will electronic books ever completely replace printed books in the future?
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 02

PART 1
Neighbors
● How often do you see your neighbors?
● Do you think you are a good neighbor?
● Has a neighbor ever helped you?
Your neighborhood
● Do you like the neighborhood you live in?
● What do you do in your neighborhood in your free time?
● What new things would you like to have in your neighborhood?
PART 2
Describe a very difficult task that you succeeded in doing as part of your work or studies.
You should say
what task you did;
why this task was very difficult;
how you worked on this task;
and explain how you felt when you had successfully completed this task.
PART 3
● What are the most difficult jobs that people do?
● Why do you think some people choose to do difficult jobs?
● Do you think that successful people are always happy people?
● Is it always necessary to work hard in order to achieve career success?
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 03

PART 1
Keeping in contact with people
● How do you usually contact your friends?
● Do you find it easy to keep in contact with friends and family?
● In your country, did people in the past keep in contact in the same ways as they do today?
Laughing
● What kinds of things make you laugh?
● Do you like making other people laugh? Why?
● In which situations do you think laughing is not acceptable?
PART 2
Describe a party that you enjoyed.
You should say
whose party it was and what it was celebrating;
where the party was held and who went to it;
what people did during the party;
and explain what you enjoyed about this party.
PART 3
● What are the main reasons why people organize family parties in your country?
● Are there many differences between family parties and parties given by friends? Why do you think
so?
● What kinds of national celebrations do you have in your country?
● Who tends to enjoy national celebrations more: young people or old people? Why?
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 04

PART 1
Cold weather
● Have you ever been in very cold weather?
● Are some parts of your country colder than others?
● Would you prefer to live in a hot place or a cold place?
Travelling to work or college
● How do you usually travel to work or college?
● What do you like about travelling to work/college this way?
● What changes would improve the way you travel to work/college?
PART 2
Describe a competition (e.g. TV, college/work or sports competition) that you took part in.
You should say
what kind of competition it was and how you found about it;
what you had to do;
what the prizes were;
and explain why you chose to take part in this competition.
PART 3
● Why do you think some school teachers use competitions as class activities?
● Do you think it is a good thing to give prizes to children who do well at school? Why?
● What are the advantages and disadvantages of intensive training for young sportspeople?
● Some people think that competition leads to a better performance from sports stars. Others think it
just makes players feel insecure. What is your opinion?
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 05

PART 1
TV programs
● Do you usually watch TV programs or shows? Where do you usually watch them?
● What is/are your favorite TV program(s)/ show(s)?
● Are there any programs/ shows you don’t like watching?
Age
● Are you happy to be the age you are now?
● When you were a child, did you think a lot about your future?
● Do you think you have changed now compared to when you were a kid?
PART 2
Describe someone you know who has started a business.
You should say
who this person is;
what this person does;
why this person decided to start a business;
and explain whether you would like to do the same kind of work as this person.
PART 3
● What kind of jobs don’t young people want to do in your country?
● Who is best at advising young people about choosing a job: teachers or parents?
● Is money always the most important thing when choosing a job?
● Do you agree that many people nowadays are under the pressure to work longer hours and take fewer
holidays?
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 06

PART 1
Money
● When you go shopping, do you prefer to pay for things in cash or by card?
● Do you ever save money to buy special things?
● Would you ever take a job which had low pay?
Animals
● Are there many animals or birds where you live?
● How often do you watch programs or read articles about wild animals?
● Have you ever been to a zoo or a wildlife park?
PART 2
Describe a time when you started using a new technological device (like phone/ PC).
You should say
what device you started using;
why you started using this device;
how easy or difficult it was to use;
and explain how helpful this device was to you.
PART 3
● What is the best age for children to start computer lessons?
● Do you think that schools should use more technology to help children learn? Why?
● Do you agree or disagree that computers will replace teachers one day? Why?
● How much has technology improved how we communicate with each other?
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 07

PART 1
Email
● What kinds of emails do you often receive?
● Do you prefer to email, phone or text your friends?
● Do you reply to emails and messages as soon as you receive them?
Languages
● How many languages can you speak?
● How useful will English be to you in your future?
● What do you remember about learning languages at school?
PART 2
Describe a hotel that you know.
You should say
where this hotel is;
what this hotel looks like;
what facilities this hotel has;
and explain whether you think this is a nice hotel to stay.
PART 3
● What factors are important when people are choosing a hotel?
● Why do some people like or dislike staying in hotels?
● Do you think staying in a luxury hotel is a waste of money?
● If you cannot find a hotel, what are other choices for staying in a holiday in your country?
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 08

PART 1
Swimming
● Did you learn to swim when you were a child?
● Is it easy for you to learn to swim?
● What places are there for swimming where you live?
Jewellery
● How often do you wear jewellery?
● What type of jewellery do you like best?
● In your family and among your friends, do people give jewellery to each other?
PART 2
Describe a website that you bought something from.
You should say
what the website is;
what you bought from this website;
how satisfied you were with what you bought;
and explain what you liked or disliked about using this website.
PART 3
● What do people in your country often buy from online shops?
● Why do you think online shopping has become so popular nowadays?
● What are some possible disadvantages of buying things from online shops?
● Why do many people today keep buying things they do not need?
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 09

PART 1
School days
● Which subject did you find most difficult at school? [Why?]
● Do you ever need that subject now? [Why? Why not?]
● What did you enjoy about being a school student?
Buildings
● Are there any famous buildings in your hometown? [What are they?]
● In what type of building do most people in your hometown live?
● Should buildings be attractive to look at? [Why? Why not?]
PART 2
Describe an interesting story that you heard or read about in the news.
You should say
when you heard or read about the story;
what the story was about;
why the story was in the news;
and explain why you thought the story was interesting.
PART 3
● When do people like to read the news?
● How important is it for people to have a choice of news websites?
● What should a “good” news website have?
● Why do many people nowadays choose to read the news on the Internet rather than in a newspaper?
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 10

PART 1
Weekends
● How do you usually spend your weekends? [Why?]
● Which is your favorite part of the weekend? [Why?]
● Do you think your weekends are long enough? [Why?/Why not?]
Travel
● Do you enjoy travelling? [Why?/Why not?]
● Do you think it’s better to travel alone or with other people? [Why?]
● Where would you like to travel in the future? [Why?]
PART 2
Describe a child that you know.
You should say
who this child is and how often you see him or her;
how old this child is;
what he or she is like;
and explain what you feel about this child.
PART 3
● What are the most popular free-time activities with children today?
● Do you think the free-time activities children do today are good? Why?
● How do you think children’s activities will change in the future? Will this be a positive change?
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 01

PART 2
Describe a book that you enjoyed reading.
You should say
what this book was;
why you decided to read it;
what reading this book made you think about;
and explain why you enjoyed reading this book.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 02

PART 2
Describe a very difficult task that you succeeded in doing as part of your work or studies.
You should say
what task you did;
why this task was very difficult;
how you worked on this task;
and explain how you felt when you had successfully completed this task.
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 03

PART 2

Describe a party that you enjoyed.

You should say

whose party it was and what it was celebrating;

where the party was held and who went to it;

what people did during the party;

and explain what you enjoyed about this party.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 04

PART 2
Describe a competition (e.g. TV, college/work or sports competition) that you took part in.

You should say

what kind of competition it was and how you found about it;

what you had to do;

what the prizes were;

and explain why you chose to take part in this competition.

UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 05

PART 2
Describe someone you know who has started a business.
You should say
who this person is;
what this person does;
why this person decided to start a business;
and explain whether you would like to do the same kind of work as this person.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

 SPEAKING TEST 06

PART 2
Describe a time when you started using a new technological device (like phone/ PC).
You should say
what device you started using;
why you started using this device;
how easy or difficult it was to use;
and explain how helpful this device was to you.
 UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 07

PART 2
Describe a hotel that you know.
You should say
where this hotel is;
what this hotel looks like;
what facilities this hotel has;
and explain whether you think this is a nice hotel to stay.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 08

PART 2
Describe a website that you bought something from.
You should say
what the website is;
what you bought from this website;
how satisfied you were with what you bought;
 and explain what you liked or disliked about using this website.

UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 09

PART 2
Describe an interesting story that you heard or read about in the news.
You should say
when you heard or read about the story;
what the story was about;
why the story was in the news;
and explain why you thought the story was interesting.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF HANOI

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

SPEAKING TEST 10

PART 2
Describe a child that you know.
You should say
who this child is and how often you see him or her;
how old this child is;
what he or she is like;
and explain what you feel about this child.