Joan in GE Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 This site has French tests from various sites: CNED, University of Quebec, Alliance Francaise, UK, Russia, etc. Testez-votre niveau de français It might help people who are not using a traditional course, to identify proficiency, or even if you are using a traditional course, to see how accurate it is. Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 (edited) I should mention that the site has all kinds of other resources for learning French... Look at the column on the left on the comprehension orale page Joan Edited February 25, 2011 by Joan in Geneva to add m at the end of the link - thanks Julie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Thanks, Joan, those may come in handy for my son! P.S. the orale page needs an "m" at the end of the link :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I am afraid to look! I minored in French and then spent so many years not using it, that I've forgotten an embarassing amount. I tried to take the ACT Subject Test in French, the online practice one, this past Autumn just for fun. It wasn't fun. It was depressing. I got the first 8 questions correct. It went down hill at avalanche speed from there. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 down hill at avalanche speed :lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 (edited) But these other French tests probably have easier levels - so you might feel better. I don't think A1 is a SAT II level. P.S. the orale page needs an "m" at the end of the link :) Thanks Julie - I've just edited (and glad to read that there is some success with TT). Joan Edited February 26, 2011 by Joan in Geneva pronoun problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Thanks, Joan - that is a good resource for us because we do not follow a traditional course. I'll have DD look when she is finished with her math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Thank you! We are most definately not using a traditional method : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted February 26, 2011 Author Share Posted February 26, 2011 Thanks, Joan - that is a good resource for us because we do not follow a traditional course. Your thread popped into my mind when I saw and made me think of posting. I'd be interested to hear if you ever find any more comparisons between the European levels and the US levels. Thank you! We are most definately not using a traditional method : ) I remember you talking about taking the SAT II or was it AP? There might be a European level test at a slightly lower level, that would validate your son's level. Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 I should not have shown this to my daughter. :glare: The kid picked randomly one of the tests - the Oxford placement one - and now she's using her score against me ("Seeee? I told you I don't ever have to learn French grammar because it's all the same anyway!"). :banghead: I checked some of the rest of the tests (though not all) and they seem to have the same problem... What I mean is, these tests might be a good general indicator of where you might be if you're an English speaker - but for an Italian-speaking brat such as my daughter, they're actually dangerous, because they give her a false impression she knows something when she doesn't. The problem is that most of those tests are multiple choice (naturally, as it's the easiest to compute the score that way), and in such a situation, all she has to do is to find the answer which loosely resembles Italian and the chances are it'll be correct, barring a few "tricks" which she mostly picked up by now anyway. It was really interesting for me to see how she "deduced" the correct answers to things which, if you gave her an actual test (without options to pick from), she would have no idea what to write. :lol: Which got her, in the end, to be "advanced", since she "deduced" all those subjunctives of pluperfect, fancy passives and the like. Ontopic, though, great if the tests work for the rest of you. Thanks for the link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 I got 'advanced' on the OU test, which isn't bad after all these years of speaking Chinese rather than French. I agree that multi-choice makes it much too easy though. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asta Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 The second option off of the first link (Oxford) has tests for other languages. a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 If anyone finds anything similar for other languages (Spanish or Chinese?) I'd be interested. I tried the Spanish one from Oxford and it seems to be more nitpicky grammar questions than actual understanding. (I tried their English one too, and had the same impression). While correct grammar is important, it's not maybe what one wants to throw at a beginning student. I was hoping to use these more for learning than testing. Thanks for posting this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted February 26, 2011 Author Share Posted February 26, 2011 I agree that multiple choice is too easy. EM - why don't you give her the Alliance Francaise or the Swiss test? These sites have tests that you have to write the whole conjugated form yourself, eg the Swiss site which is checked on the spot, or write whole texts, eg Alliance Francaise, not sure if that has to be submitted to check as I haven't done it yet. Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 EM - why don't you give her the Alliance Francaise or the Swiss test? These sites have tests that you have to write the whole conjugated form yourself, eg the Swiss site which is checked on the spot, or write whole texts, eg Alliance Francaise, not sure if that has to be submitted to check as I haven't done it yet. I will look into those, thanks. :) I think her level is too low yet to do any official testing (I intend to have her wait until she can test for DALF, which I assume will take two to three more years), so these tests are only for fun for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 If anyone finds anything similar for other languages (Spanish or Chinese?) I'd be interested. This isn't exactly testing, just reviewing for the UK Spanish tests (GCSE's) BBC bitesize review freerange found the site for the German thread on the Bilingual Board. She said to google GCSE German...so you could do that for Spanish too... Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted July 23, 2011 Author Share Posted July 23, 2011 Here's another Swiss DELF/DALF test for French. When you take it, it gives you your level at the end. It says that it doesn't test your writen or spoken French which could change the level... It's nice to just be able to work and see what level you get at the end... http://www.delfdalf.ch/index.php?id=28 I'm a little confused because I'm taking French at the moment and my teacher said that they are ending the DALF and it will just be DELF...but it doesn't seem like that on the site. Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Here's another Swiss DELF/DALF test for French. When you take it, it gives you your level at the end. It says that it doesn't test your writen or spoken French which could change the level... It's nice to just be able to work and see what level you get at the end... http://www.delfdalf.ch/index.php?id=28 Fun! I took the Swiss one and got level B2* (with some lucky guesses, I think). It's been - wow - almost 14 years since we left the Suisse Romande. And I only took classes at Migros :D I do try to keep reading French magazines, when I can. Thanks for posting these! ~Laura * Well, it said I could work toward a certificate at level B2! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Hee hee. I got C1... which makes sense. This test was very European French, using expressions that I never hear on this side of the Atlantic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Hee hee. I got C1... which makes sense. This test was very European French, using expressions that I never hear on this side of the Atlantic. Really! I had no idea they were so different. Although ... one of our French teachers in Switzerland was from Québec, and we did have a hard time understanding her :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 This test was very European French, using expressions that I never hear on this side of the Atlantic. I was surprised that I got C2 (as you note Laura, to prepare for that test, which I'm guessing means that I have a C1) - but figured out later that it was exactly because I knew the expressions, not so much that I could speak at a C2 level...and there wasn't that much testing for conjugations, like subjunctive, which I can still get wrong... Laura, it is probably reading those French magazines that's keeping you up to date... Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 I'd be interested to hear if you ever find any more comparisons between the European levels and the US levels. I once attended a German teachers' workshop where a German lady was explaining a set of textbooks levelled on the European system. She was very dismissive of the ACTFL proficiency guidelines, calling them something like "disproficiency" guidelines because each level is more about what you can't do than what you can do. They are actually kind of depressing, whereas the European guidelines are motivating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 (edited) She was very dismissive of the ACTFL proficiency guidelines, calling them something like "disproficiency" guidelines because each level is more about what you can't do than what you can do. They are actually kind of depressing, whereas the European guidelines are motivating. What is ACTFL? It is true that the European guidelines are helpful - to me it is partly because it is clear what you should be able to do... It was interesting that the expressions don't apply to Quebequois French though...it seems like they'll have to make a separate French category... Joan Edited July 25, 2011 by Joan in Geneva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 ACTFL stands for American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages. Here's a link to their guidelines: http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/languagelearning/otherresources/actflproficiencyguidelines/contents.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 I just took one of the tests. It told me not to be discouraged and to keep studying LOL! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 I just took another one that said I was intermediate, but that one was multiple choice and that's a lot easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 thanks for that link! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 I just told my dh that I amused myself this morning by taking tests on a language I haven't studied in 25 years. He thinks I'm a language geek LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 If you scroll down at this link, you get to a chart that compares the European with the ACTFL. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 I was surprised that I got C2 Joan Congrats! You beat me, a native French speaker ;-) Which does prove how European centric this test was. You know the questions where you were asked how would you answer this, if you wanted to be polite? Well, they were all expressions that would make people laugh at you on this side of the Atlantic. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Laura, it is probably reading those French magazines that's keeping you up to date... Taking the test was a shot in the arm -- incentive to keep it up! :001_smile: Which does prove how European centric this test was. You know the questions where you were asked how would you answer this, if you wanted to be polite? Well, they were all expressions that would make people laugh at you on this side of the Atlantic. :D That reminds me of something that happened to me in Germany over 25 years ago ... less of a trans-Atlantic formality difference than a book-learning/real-life-usage difference. Someone asked where my officemate was, and I said, "Er läßt sich die Haare schneiden." How my co-workers howled! :confused: Apparently they would have said "Er ist beim Friseur." :D OK, I learned quickly what to say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 So how do I understand what the levels mean? My 12 yo took the test and scored lower intermediate. My 17 yo took the test and scored intermediate. Interestingly, my 17 yod was playing around and took the English test and she was laughing as she missed questions and kept saying, "Who talks like that?" Based on some of the things she read me, I am assuming it is the difference between American and British expression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moira in MA Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 So how do I understand what the levels mean? This should tell you what you want to know. hth ~Moira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 (edited) Here is more information and some of the links give very concrete examples of what is expected... post from the French I and II thread...Now they have the Framework in English though it's not as helpful as the Swiss lingualevel project... You know the questions where you were asked how would you answer this, if you wanted to be polite? Well, they were all expressions that would make people laugh at you on this side of the Atlantic. :D Thanks for the tip. I guess it is like some of the differences between British (in some places) and American conversation... I am assuming it is the difference between American and British expression. Yes, over here they are taught "British English" and are told that it is "better" than American English... HTH, Joan Edited July 25, 2011 by Joan in Geneva added answer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Here is more information and some of the links give very concrete examples of what is expected... post from the French I and II thread...Now they have the Framework in English though it's not as helpful as the Swiss lingualevel project... Thanks for the tip. I guess it is like some of the differences between British (in some places) and American conversation... Yes, over here they are taught "British English" and are told that it is "better" than American English... HTH, Joan I'm feeling a little dense reading these descriptions b/c their scores were not A1, A2, etc. They were lower intermediate and intermediate. Do I assume that those are equivalent to A2/B1 and B1/B2? Are those scores good for students that have finished approx 2/3 of French 2 (my 12yod) and French 3 (17 yod)? :confused: I felt really bad after having my younger dd take the test b/c she started crying. She felt really stupid b/c she only answered either 16 or 18 correctly. I know absolutely zero French. They really want to learn French, so we have been mish-mashing TMM and BtB for the younger dd and throwing in FiA additionally for the 17 yo. Neither one is simply flying through all the way to end of anything b/c they are essentially doubling or tripling up on the material in an effort to compensate for their really awful teacher!! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 I'm feeling a little dense reading these descriptions b/c their scores were not A1, A2, etc. They were lower intermediate and intermediate. Do I assume that those are equivalent to A2/B1 and B1/B2? Are those scores good for students that have finished approx 2/3 of French 2 (my 12yod) and French 3 (17 yod)? :confused: I felt really bad after having my younger dd take the test b/c she started crying. She felt really stupid b/c she only answered either 16 or 18 correctly. I know absolutely zero French. They really want to learn French, so we have been mish-mashing TMM and BtB for the younger dd and throwing in FiA additionally for the 17 yo. Neither one is simply flying through all the way to end of anything b/c they are essentially doubling or tripling up on the material in an effort to compensate for their really awful teacher!! :tongue_smilie: 8 FTH - which test did you use? I'm guessing it was one that is not linked to the levels... If you look through the Lingualevel document (in previous post) - the last column is in English - you can start to get an idea of where they are as well...(those are the directions for the teacher to know what type of material is covered...the document is not a test for the student...the student can read the info in English and see if s/he knows how to do what they are saying - in the foreign language) The first page starts the listening, Then page 10 is reading page 18 is taking part in a conversation page 26 is continuous oral expression page 33 is writing I'm not familiar with the programs you are using so can't speak about them and how they are teaching, whether they are more focused on grammar, or spoken French (ie expressions), or what... If you look at the levels on the lingualevel doc, your children might be higher in one area than another, and you could get an idea of where they would need work if you wanted to work towards those levels... You could also try different tests...eg try the ones for A1 first. But remember, unless a person has a very broad experience, there is almost always "teaching to the test" to succeed... Yours might know a lot of vocabulary - that wasn't tested... More about British English...I just spoke with a British girl today who is in my French summer school class. She said how they hardly read any American literature in the UK, that American English is looked down upon (she is very friendly herself and was just recounting general attitudes) and considered quite different. She says they are "snobs"! So sorry about your younger dd getting upset about it! She is young! Tell her that here in Geneva, the French students are learning German at an A1 level in 7th grade after having taken German for 4 years already in grade school. She's not doing badly! HTH, Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 They did the second one on that list. http://www.lang.ox.ac.uk/courses/tst_placement_french.html It looks like the 1st one on the list is more like what you are describing and when I look at the questions, the vocabulary is a lot more familiar. I'll try that one on another day when we have some free time. FWIW, our rising sr was just accepted at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy in Canada and has made the decision to attend in the fall, so I guess with her it doesn't really matter any more, and my 12 yod is young, so no stress there either. I guess I can relax now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 FWIW, our rising sr was just accepted at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy in Canada and has made the decision to attend in the fall, Looks like a cool place - I'd never heard of it before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 (edited) I was pretty surprised, I took the Oxford German one (which I haven't studied in a long time) and scored Upper Intermediate. I really should work more on it so I don't forget more. :p ETA: I took the Spanish one too and it scored at the high end of Lower Intermediate, which I think is about right. I only had 3 semesters and it's been a while. Amusingly, I tried the French one too and it scored Lower Intermediate; I've never studied French. The multiple-choice will put very few people into the beginners or false beginners category. They should account for that with the test design imo. I think where I'd actually belong is in an accelerated beginners category due to experience learning other languages, including a little Spanish (which is why I was able to guess a fair amount of the French, actual score was 16). Edited July 26, 2011 by kiana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan in GE Posted August 6, 2011 Author Share Posted August 6, 2011 So how do I understand what the levels mean? My 12 yo took the test and scored lower intermediate. My 17 yo took the test and scored intermediate. I might have the answer now - if they were using this same scale...I just finished a French course at the University and at the bottom of the certificate, it gave this breakdown... A1 - beginner A2 - advanced beginner B1 - intermediate B2 - advanced intermediate C1 - superior C2 - advanced superior So I know that you said your 17 yo has now been accepted so it doesn't matter, but if this scale is correct for that test, intermediate isn't so bad for a 17 yo 2nd language... They aim to have a B2 level of the second language at 18 or 19 here... There are jumps between the levels...eg between A and B, B and C... Joan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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