Your stepping stone to success

info@iteponline.com | +1 818-887-3888 | www.iTEPexam.com

SELF-GUIDED
PREPARATION COURSE
AVAILABLE

iTEP SLATE
HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH ASSESSMENT
Grammar, Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking

CEFR RANGES A1 A2 B1 B2 C1

Schedule a Test
1
info@iteponline.com | +1 818-887-3888 | www.iTEPexam.com
The Benefits of iTEP SLATE
iTEP SLATE (Secondary Level Assessment Test of
English) is an efficient, accurate, and affordable tool for
high schools, and middle schools to measure the English
proficiency of incoming ESL students and monitor the
language development of students in existing English pro-
grams. iTEP SLATE is efficient, secure, accurate, affordable,
and designed to meet the needs of young learners.

Exams administered on-campus or at home

Online and on demand

Lower cost than other exams

Fast and reliable scores in 1-2 days

Multi-layered security features

Trained and certified ESL graders

iTEP International was founded in 2002 by career

CEFR-aligned results international educators. Our decades of experience
have prepared us for the unique challenges of the
Exams 60-90 minutes in duration industry today.
We use the best technology available, and our staff
is always there to meet the needs of our clients.
A test this user-friendly is perfect for admissions,
I will definitely continue promoting iTEP just as I have benchmarking, and exit-testing.
been doing to other schools that talk to me because Accepting iTEP results for admissions purposes gives
I do like how easy the test administration is, and your institution a no-cost marketing boost. You will
that there’s a person I can talk to versus just chatting reach a wider pool of qualified applicants through
exposure in iTEP’s online promotional materials, and at
[with a robot].
hundreds of test center locations worldwide.
Program Director, Terri Fraser,
Tree of Life Christian School

Thousands of institutions worldwide trust the iTEP exams

2
 INTRODUCTION

Uses and Structure

Test Structure
The primary function of iTEP SLATE is to assess the English language proficiency level of middle and high school inter-
national students. The iTEP SLATE exam is commonly used for admissions decisions, curriculum development, exit-test-
ing, and determing eligibility for exchange programs.

GRAMMAR (STRUCTURE) — 10 MINUTES/ TWO PARTS

• Thirteen fill-in-the-blank, multiple-choice questions testing the examinee’s familiarity with key features of English
structure; Questions range from beginner to advanced.
• Twelve multiple-choice questions in which the examinee identifies the error in the sentence; Questions range from
elementary to advanced.

LISTENING — 20 MINUTES/ THREE PARTS

• Four high-beginning to low-intermediate level short conversations of two to three sentences, each followed by one
multiple-choice question.
• One two-to-three-minute intermediate-level conversation, followed by four multiple-choice questions.
• One four-minute upper-level lecture, followed by six multiple-choice questions.

READING — 20 MINUTES/ THREE PARTS

• Two low-intermediate level passages of approximately 50 words in length, followed by two multiple-choice questions.
• One intermediate-level passage of approximately 200 words in length, followed by four multiple-choice questions.
• One low-advanced passage of approximately 500 words in length, followed by six multiple-choice questions.

WRITING — 25 MINUTES/ TWO PARTS

• The examinee is given five minutes to write a 100-word response to a prompt at a low-intermediate level.
• The examinee is given 20 minutes to write a 250-word essay expressing and supporting his or her opinion in response to
an upper-level prompt.

SPEAKING — 5 MINUTES/ TWO PARTS (PLUS 45-SECOND WARM-UP SECTION)

• The examinee hears and reads a short question at the low-intermediate level, then has 15 seconds to prepare a spoken
response and 45 seconds to speak.
• The examinee hears and reads a brief upper-level statement presenting two sides of an issue, then is asked to express his
or her thoughts on the topic, with 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak.

3
 Overall Assessment and CEFR Levels

Scoring and Reporting

The test determines an overall proficiency level from 0 (Beginner)
to 6 (Advanced), as well as individual proficiency levels from 0 to
6 for each of the skills and sub-skills tested. The overall scores
combine the results of the skill sections, and for greater accuracy,
they are expressed to one decimal point (from 0.0 to 6.0). The
test is graded as follows:

The grammar, listening, and reading sections are scored

automatically by iTEP software.

The writing and speaking sections are evaluated by

trained professionals, according to a standardized scoring
rubric.
Linguistic sub-skills within sections

The official score report presents individual and composite

scores, as well as the candidate’s strengths and
weaknesses for each of the sub-skills tested.

SCORE REPORT
The iTEP Score Reports are designed to easily compare students’
scores and track improvements. Scores are aligned with the
Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and evaluate
expected “real-world” language skills based on the examinee’s
level.

SECURITY PROCESSES
iTEP’s FotoSure® software photographs the test-taker
throughout the exam, and our Item Bank feature live-streams
“Real-world” language skills
content to ensure that no two tests are alike.

“Two students were taking it. It took about 90 minutes.

But things were graded, things were assessed, and it
was immediately turned back around. It was less work
for me because I did not have to sit there grading, and
I was able to get accurate results. I haven’t yet read an
ITEP result that I disagree with.

Program Director, Rocco DeFelice,

Summit Christian Academy

4
iTEP Ability Guide
Use this table to see at a glance how well an individual can use English to communicate “in the real world.”

CEFR iTEP Listening Reading Writing Speaking

▪ Completely comprehends ▪ Capable of highly accurate ▪ Uses wide variety of language ▪ Expresses self fluently and spon-
main idea and supporting de- interpretation of long, demand- to clearly express themselves taneaously without any indication
tails of complicated language, ing texts. without restriction. of restriction.
even in unfamiliar situations.
▪ Can deduce abstract, implicit ▪ Errors are uncommon and difficult ▪ Language is fluid and natural
▪ Advanced awareness of meaning within texts, beyond to find. -- speaker does not require long
speaker’s attitudes and impli- concrete information. pauses to consider accurate
Advanced

cations. ▪ Ideas expressed clearly and expression.

▪ Recognizes a wide range of smoothly through complex writing
C1

6.0

vocabulary. structures. ▪ Advanced level of grammatical

accuracy, with rare mistakes.
▪ Completely comprehends ▪ Advanced level of grammatical
main idea and supporting de- control - almost no mistakes.
tails of complicated language,
even in unfamiliar situations.
▪ Advanced awareness of speak-
er’s attitudes and implications.

▪ Comprehends main idea and ▪ Capable of accurate interpreta- ▪ Uses language clearly and ▪ Expresses self fluently and
supporting details with relative tion of long, demanding texts, purposefully, indicating minimal spontaneously with minimal
Upper Intermediate

ease. but may experience confusion restriction. restriction.

with unfamiliar genres.
▪ Understands most language ▪ Language range is sufficient to ex- ▪ Could interact with native
▪ Understands the main points
5.0 - 5.9

but may struggle with unfamil- press viewpoints and arguments. speaker wrth relative ease and
iar situations. on complicated topics, includ- low likelihood of communication
B2

ing technical language, but ▪ Accurately uses complex sentence breakdown.

▪ High awareness of speaker’s will likely struggle with implicit forms.
attitudes and implications. concepts. ▪ High level of grammatical
▪ High level of grammatical control; control- mistakes do occasionally
occasional mistakes do occur, occur, but generally they do not
but generally do not distract from distract from meaning.
meaning.

▪ Comprehends main ideas but ▪ Capable of understanding ▪ Uses language with reasonable ▪ Expresses self with relative
will likely miss supporting main points of straightforward accuracy to explain unpredictable accuracy, indicating ability to
details. content, but will likely struggle events related to general topics be understood in unfamiliar
with longer, more demanding (e.g. school, worrk or travel). situations.
Intermediate

▪ Understands almost all texts or unfamiliar genres.

language related to familiar ▪ Meaning can generally be dis- ▪ Could sufficiently interact with
4.0 - 4.9

topics. ▪ Requires concrete language cerned throughout the text. a native speaker, but some
B1

and will struggle with abstract communication breakdowns may

▪ Generally, requires clear, content. ▪ Vocabulary limitations often result occur.
explicit language for full com- in awkward phrasing and repeti-
prehension of ideas. ▪ Vocabulary limitations prevent tion of ideas. ▪ Grammatical control
complete understanding of acceptable mistakes occur
▪ Limited awareness of speak- content. ▪ Grammatical accuracy is reasona- regularly and sometimes distract
er’s attitudes and implications. ble, but L1 interference or frequent from meaning.
errors are present.

▪ Comprehends basic conver- ▪ Understands only ▪ Uses mostly basic language, ▪ Inability to fully express ideas-
sations and content related to straightforward sentences and resulting in considerable struggles in unfamiliar situations.
familiar topics. common expressions. restrictions in expression.
▪ Can communicate sufficiently in
▪ Requires reduced rate of ▪ Full understanding of text ▪ Meaning is relatively clear when simple tasks and in routine
Elementary

speech for full comprehension. requires highly concrete and discussing a basic, familiar topic. situations but frequently
2.5 - 3.9

familiar information. encounters communication

▪ Unlikely to fully understand, ▪ Communication breakdowns are breakdowns when discussing
A2

even when content is related ▪ Vocabulary limltations allow for frequent when transitioning to unfamiliar topics.
to familiar topics. comprehension of only basic unfamiliar topics.
information. ▪ Requires simple, direct exchange
▪ Only understands familiar ▪ Can use basic and compound of information to be properly
expressions and concrete sentence patterns accurately. understood. Frequent grammati-
language. cal mistakes distract from overall
Unaware of speakers attitudes inteligibility.
and implications.

▪ Only comprehends basic ▪ Understands highly famil- ▪ Uses basic language exclusively ▪ Unable to express self except in
language. iar language and common (e.g. personal information; high extremely basic situations.
expressions. frequency vocabulary; familiar
▪ Requires reduced rate of places) ▪ Can introduce themselves to
speech and with extreme ▪ Full understanding of text re- others and provide personal
clarity. quires highly simple and basic ▪ Errors occur at high frequency, information
language. preventing overall meaning from
Beginner

▪ Understands simple language being discerned. ▪ Encounters communication

0.1 - 2.4

when familiar words and ▪ Significant vocabulary limita- breakdowns almost always
A1

phrases are used tions result in only the most ▪ Can write simplistic words, phras- when discussing any unfamiliar
(e.g. greetings, high frequency basic content being under- es, and sentences. content.
words and expressions). stood.
▪ Only uses simple sentence ▪ Grammatical mistakes frequently
patterns. make language unintelligible.

5
iTEP SLATE Score Equivalencies
If you are familiar with other language assessment tools on the market, you can see how iTEP’s scores translate,
based on each test’s CEFR alignment. Our scores reflect a wide range of levels and make it easy to categorize and
group candidates.

iTEP
CEFR KET SLEP PET TOEFL Jr. IELTS
SLATE

C1 6 7.0 - 8.0

5.5 - 5.9 64 97 - 100 884 - 900

B2 5.5 - 6.5
5.0 - 5.4 58 - 63 94 - 96 867 - 883

4.5 - 4.9 96 - 100 55 - 57 90 - 93 850 - 866

B1 4.5 - 5.0
4.0 - 4.4 90 - 95 53 - 54 80 - 89 791 - 835

3.5 - 3.9 82 - 89 50 - 52 70 - 79 745 - 790

A2 3.0 - 3.4 76 - 81 62 - 69 703 - 744

45 - 46
2.5 - 2.9 70 - 75 53 - 61 675 - 702

2.0 - 2.4 65 - 69 42 - 44 45 - 52 646 - 674

1.5 - 1.9 60 - 64 40 - 41 36 - 44 637 - 645 0.0 - 4.0

1.0 - 1.4 55 - 59 37 - 39 27 - 35 628 - 636

A1
0.5 - 0.9 50 - 54 34 - 36 18 - 26 619 - 627

9 - 17 609 - 618
0.0 - 0.4 45 - 49 31 - 33
0-8 600 - 608

TOEFL and SLEP® are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS).
ETS was not involved in the production of the iTEP SLATE Exam, nor has ETS endorsed the iTEP SLATE Exam or this score equivalencies chart in any way.
Cambridge was not involved in the production of the iTEP SLATE Exam, nor has Cambridge endorsed the iTEP SLATE Exam or this score equivalencies chart in any
way.

6
The
TreeBenefits of iTEP Academic
of Life Christian School
AN ITEP SLATE CASE STUDY

In 2014, Tree of Life Christian School needed to find

an English proficiency exam to assess the potential of
international students. The pre-admissions process
for potential students included a 90-minute interview
with the International Program Director, Terri Fraser, to
gauge their conversation skills and ability to adapt to
the school’s program. Once international students were
accepted, they took annual exams to track their progress.
Tree of Life needed one exam to suit both situations. The
exam also had to be easy to set up, compatible with the
school’s technology, and provide accurate results quickly.
With previous experience implementing iTEP in another
international program, Director Fraser recommended
iTEP as a solution. Tree of Life Christian School selected
the iTEP SLATE (Secondary Level Assessment Test of
English) exam as their primary English proficiency
assessment option for pre-admission and progress
tracking. The iTEP SLATE assessed students to help
the International Program gain and share insights into
students’ abilities and make informed decisions about
student placement and learning needs. The exam allowed
applicants to test in their home country while accepted
students could test on campus. The iTEP SLATE-Core
exams were compatible with the school’s Chromebooks
and offered almost immediate Grammar, Listening, and “It was really neat to say, ‘Look, here are your test
Reading results.
scores, here are the language goals that we’re
Read the full case study at www.itepexam.com/tree-of-life
trying to reach, and here’s how far you’ve come.’ It’s
exciting. It’s not only encouraging for them, but it’s
encouraging for me to know that our program is
working, and you can actually see results.”

Program Director, Rocco DeFelice

Summit Christian Academy

What I appreciate about the test that we use is the

breakdown into the different skill areas. The more
specific it can be the more valuable it is for me. The
more data I can pull from it, the better, and so, I do
appreciate what is there in terms of being able to
see it.

International Program Director, Christopher Chacko

Norfolk Christian Schools
Thousands of institutions worldwide trust the iTEP exams

7
 SELF-GUIDED
PREPARATION COURSE
AVAILABLE

info@iteponline.com | +1 818-887-3888 | www.iTEPexam.com

Online, On Demand, Internet-Based

English Language Assessment in 90 minutes or less

iTEP — The Ideal Suite of English Exams For:

• High Schools and Middle Schools

• Boarding Schools
• Intensive English Programs
• Colleges and Universities
• Business and Industry
• Government and Agencies
• Professional Licensing Organizations

Your Stepping Stone to Success

Schedule a Test
8
info@iteponline.com | +1 818-887-3888 | www.iTEPexam.com