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Preliminary
What does Preliminary test?
Preliminary is the first of the levels to divide the language tested into separate skills: reading (including use of English), writing, listening, and speaking. The speaking is optional. It is also the first of the steps in the 10-step system to reach a Common European Framework of Reference level. It is A1. The new things tested at this level are:
- About 400 more words (800 altogether, counting the 400 from previous levels)
- Understanding and use of the past simple, regular and irregular verbs
- Instructions and commands
- Adjectives and modifiers, for descriptive and comparative purposes
- Possession – expressions of ownership
- Countable and uncountable things, quantifiers both positive and negative
What does the candidate have to do in their Preliminary exam?
- Multiple choice questions
- Fill in gaps
- Answer questions
- Write questions
- Write sentences
- Answer true/false questions
The student
- has a basic active vocabulary of about 400 words
- can communicate present and past events, recently completed actions and life experiences
- can communicate where things are and when things happen
- can express opposites, comparisons and ownership
- can ask questions, answer questions, and write full sentences
Grammar and Structures List
| Grammar and Structures | What are they used for? | Some examples |
|---|---|---|
| VERBS | ||
| Past Simple
including common irregular past forms as well as regular forms, interrogative and negative |
Talking about past events | We watched a football match on TV last night.
I drove to the hotel. Did John drink all the orange juice? |
| Present Perfect Simple
interrogative and negative |
Talking about actions only recently completed
Talking about experiences |
The man has just eaten the sandwich.
Have you ever been to London? I have never seen a dolphin. |
| Can + bare infinitive | Talking about skills. | I can play the guitar. |
| Imperative | Following single-step instructions in a familiar context | Take a piece of paper.
Stand near the door. |
| ADJECTIVES | ||
| Basic adjectives | For descriptive purposes, including expressing opposites | My father bought a new car yesterday. |
| Comparatives and superlatives | Talking about comparisons between people and things | John isn't as tall as Jane.
Sue is the tallest / the most beautiful girl in our class. My rabbit is older than /more beautiful than my friend's rabbit. |
| POSSESSIVES | ||
| The possessive form | Expressing ownership | That sandwich is Jane's. |
| Mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs | Talking about ownership, possessions, who things belong to | My bicycle is newer than yours.
That book is mine. |
| QUANTIFIERS | ||
| much, many, a lot, a lot of | Talking about amounts of things which can and cannot be counted | How much money have you got? I've got a lot of it!
It rains a lot in England. How many brothers has she got? |
| some, any | Talking about things which can and cannot be counted, in the positive and negative | There is some bread.
There isn't any butter. |
| PREPOSITIONS | ||
| by, with, next to | Talking about where things are | The children are standing next to the clock. |
| ADVERBS | ||
| ever, never, ago, yet, just | Talking about when things happen | I went to Paris six years ago. |
Explore other levels:
| C2 | Masters | |||||||||
| C1 | Proficiency | |||||||||
| B2 | Advanced | |||||||||
| B1 | Intermediate | |||||||||
| A2+ | Pre-Intermediate | |||||||||
| A2 | Elementary | |||||||||
| A1 | Preliminary | |||||||||
| Primary | ||||||||||
| Junior | ||||||||||
| First Step | ||||||||||
