04/09/2025

How to make a successful start to the academic year with language placement tests

The start of the academic year is a pivotal moment for teachers and programme coordinators. They have to welcome new cohorts of students, establish homogeneous groups and ensure a smooth learning experience for all. However, all this relies on a delicate operation: quickly and effectively assessing learners’ language levels.

European figures clearly indicate the scale of the challenge. According to Eurostat, 87.3% of young Europeans (aged 18–24) report that they know at least one foreign language, but only 27.6% of working-age adults report having reached an advanced (“proficient”) level in their strongest foreign language (Eurostat, 2024).

👉 In other words, the majority of students arrive at university with some knowledge of one or more foreign languages, but few have reached a level that is truly sufficient to succeed in demanding academic courses.

In this article, we discuss:

common mistakes made in placement tests;
the educational benefits of reliable placement tests;
the impact of the multilingual context in Europe;
the particular challenge presented by oral assessment; and
a summary of key facts to help you prepare for the new academic year with confidence.

Common placement test mistakes

Relying solely on self-assessments

Asking students to estimate their own level is simple, but rarely reliable. The most confident students will overestimate their skills, while more reserved ones will underestimate their capacities. This results in unbalanced groups from the very first lesson.

Organising “in-house” tests without standardisation

Each teacher assesses students according to their own criteria, such as fluency, vocabulary, grammar, etc. Without a common reference framework, like the CEFR, the results of these tests lack objectivity and are not comparable from one student to another.

Underestimating the time required to assess oral skills

For a cohort of 200 students, setting aside just 10 minutes per person equates to more than 30 hours of individual interviews. Add to that the marking and compilation of results, and the institution ends up saddled with an enormous workload right from the very start of the year.

Overlooking certain skills

Focusing solely on grammar or vocabulary can mask significant weaknesses. Taking a university course in English or French as a foreign language also requires sound oral and written comprehension, as well as the ability to express oneself clearly.

Not using the results for educational purposes

Too often, the results of placement tests are only used to “rank” students. However, they can also be used to identify collective weaknesses (for example, a general weakness in listening comprehension) and programmes can then be adapted accordingly.

Why placement tests are useful educational tools

Language tests are not just about assigning scores to participants. They are essential educational tools that allow you to:

create homogeneous and engaged groups;
adapt course content to actual skills;
quickly identify recurring weaknesses; and
save valuable time so the focus can remain on teaching.

The educational context in Europe confirms the importance of language tests. In 2023, 60% of students in upper secondary general education across the European Union studied at least two foreign languages, a figure that reached 99.8% in France (Eurostat, 2025).

👉 This means that students often arrive at university with multilingual profiles, but these are not necessarily similar. For instance, some students may be proficient speakers, while others may be more adept at writing. Without standardised testing, it is impossible to distribute students with differing strengths and weaknesses in a coherent manner.

The CEFR: The essential standard

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has become a definitive benchmark. It defines six levels (A1 to C2) that provide precise descriptions of a learner’s language skills.

The framework has two principal functions:

it provides a common language for teachers, institutions, and students; and
it enables results to be compared at a European level.

👉 Integrating the CEFR into placement tests ensures that its results are widely recognised and that they can be directly applied in an international academic context.

The particular challenge posed by oral assessment

Accurately assessing oral expression remains tricky. It is a time-consuming exercise that requires considerable organisation and places a heavy burden on teachers.

Thanks to digital tools like ELAO+, students can now have their oral skills tested by responding to open-ended questions while artificial intelligence automatically marks their answers.

In just a few minutes, teachers receive:

a CEFR score,
a transcript, and
an assessment of specific criteria (pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary).

👉 The result: less administrative work and more time devoted to teaching.

Conclusion: For a successful start to the academic year, test intelligently

Students entering university come from diverse backgrounds, often multilingual but rarely uniform. Eurostat figures shed light on the significant gap between self-reported language knowledge and actual proficiency.

Standardised placement tests should not be viewed as an administrative formality; they are strategic tools that influence academic success.

ELAO already accompanies many universities and higher education institutions in Belgium, France and French-speaking Switzerland.

📩 Would you like to find out how to simplify your placement tests and save time at the beginning of the year?

Request a free, no-obligation demo today: Contact us

Key facts

87.3% of young Europeans (aged 18–24) say they know at least one foreign language (Eurostat, 2024)
However, only 27.6% of adults are proficient in their strongest foreign language (Eurostat, 2024)
60% of upper secondary general education students in Europe study two or more foreign languages (Eurostat, 2025)
In France, this figure rises to 99.8% (Eurostat, 2025)