Language Proficiency Grammar and Vocabulary 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which CEFR level describes a learner who 'can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases'?
- B1
- A2
- A1 (Correct answer)
- C1
Correct answer: A1
CEFR A1 is the most basic level, covering learners who can use only simple, memorized phrases for immediate communication needs.
Question 2: In language proficiency tests, 'collocations' refer to:
- Grammar rules about sentence order
- Words that commonly appear together as a natural pair or group (Correct answer)
- Synonyms for difficult academic words
- Punctuation rules in formal writing
Correct answer: Words that commonly appear together as a natural pair or group
Collocations are word combinations that native speakers use naturally together, such as 'make a decision' rather than 'do a decision.'
Question 3: Which verb tense is typically required to describe a completed action at an unspecified time in the past in English?
- Simple present
- Present perfect (Correct answer)
- Future continuous
- Past continuous
Correct answer: Present perfect
The present perfect ('have/has + past participle') is used for actions that occurred at an unspecified past time with present relevance.
Question 4: What is an 'academic word' in the context of language proficiency exams?
- Any word longer than three syllables
- A word from the Academic Word List (AWL) common in university texts across disciplines (Correct answer)
- A word borrowed from Latin only
- A word that appears only in scientific journals
Correct answer: A word from the Academic Word List (AWL) common in university texts across disciplines
The Academic Word List (AWL) compiled by Averil Coxhead contains 570 word families common across academic disciplines, frequently tested on exams like IELTS and TOEFL.
Question 5: Which part of speech modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb?
- Noun
- Adjective
- Adverb (Correct answer)
- Preposition
Correct answer: Adverb
An adverb modifies verbs (runs quickly), adjectives (very tall), or other adverbs (quite slowly), often ending in '-ly' in English.
Question 6: On a written proficiency test, which error involves using 'their' instead of 'there'?
- Verb tense error
- Homophone confusion (Correct answer)
- Article misuse
- Run-on sentence
Correct answer: Homophone confusion
Confusing homophones—words that sound identical but have different spellings and meanings—is a common vocabulary error on written proficiency tests.
Language Proficiency Grammar and Vocabulary 1
Which CEFR level describes a learner who 'can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases'?