Criteria Language Proficiency Test - English (CLPT)

Updated by Amy Thomas

At a glance

Type of assessment

Skills

Measures

Level of proficiency in English

Time

7-28 minutes

Format

The CLPT – English is broken into four modules: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.

Workplace outcomes

Reduced training requirements

Increased productivity

Recommended for

Recommended for any role that requires a level of English proficiency.

Description

Identify the best candidates who are proficient in the English language using a fast and adaptive skills assessment. The Criteria Language Proficiency Test – English (CLPT - English) is designed to measure candidates’ ability to understand and communicate in English across four skill areas. By assessing a candidate’s English proficiency, employers gain surety in a candidate’s grasp of English and can easily identify candidates with a satisfactory language level for a given job.

The CLPT – English has a short-form counterpart, the CLPT Express – English, which contains 12 questions overall across 3 skill areas. Candidates cannot be invited to complete both of these tests in the same test battery.

Format

The Criteria Language Proficiency Test comprises 4 modules:

  • Reading: contains 13 multiple-choice questions
  • Writing: contains 8 free-text questions
  • Listening: contains 13 multiple-choice questions
  • Speaking: contains 8 questions

Employers are free to select any combination of modules for the CLPT - English within a test battery, when creating or updating a job.

Should I use the CLPT or the CLPT Express?

CLPT - English

CLPT Express - English

Modular – choose any combination of Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking

Assess Reading, Writing and Listening

Up to 28 minutes to complete

7 minutes to complete

View individual scores for each skill area

View one overall proficiency score

View Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)-equated scores

No CEFR-equated score available

Pick and mix required skills

The CLPT – English has a unique modular structure, allowing employers to select only the skills that are relevant to the particular role they are recruiting for.

For example, employers hiring for call centre positions may wish to assess only English Listening and Speaking, whilst employers hiring for more general positions may choose to assess the full complement of Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.

Assess basic to advanced English skills

A broad range of skills can be assessed in the CLPT - English from beginner through advanced levels. For clients who wish to equate scores on the CLPT - English to more global measures of English language proficiency, a Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)-aligned score is also provided in candidates’ score reports.

Skills covered

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

-  Reading comprehension

-  Vocabulary

-  Spelling and grammar

- Image description

- Short response writing

- Listening comprehension

- Speaking ability

Intelligent scoring

For improved test security, your candidates will be streamed different questions from a large bank of items. This means that no two candidates are likely to be presented with the same set of questions, making it harder for candidates to cheat or prepare for specific questions.

Instant scoring for the Writing and Listening components of the CLPT - English is made possible through the use of specialized trained and fine-tuned AI models.

Useful and immediate insights

Detailed score reports provide you with immediate insights including: 

  • Score: a numerical score indicating how the candidate performed relative to other people who have completed the assessment 
  • Proficiency rating: a rating of English proficiency from Beginner to Advanced
  • CEFR Level: a rating of English proficiency at the individual skill level, which is equated to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

Additional Resources

About CLPT

Get an overview of the CLPT assessment.

Sample CLPT Score Report

View the sample report available for the CLPT assessment.

Score Report Guide

A guide for interpreting the CLPT Score Report.

Assessment demo

Want to see how this assessment works in action? View a quick demonstration and experience it from the candidate’s perspective.

Information Brief

Get detailed information including the candidate experience and validity information on the CLPT.


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