WizMantra UAE · Practice tests · No sign up

English Level Test: Find Your CEFR Level

A twenty question English proficiency test, scored A1 to C1 on the CEFR scale UAE employers and universities use. Ten minutes, no sign up.

Twenty questions, ten minutes, scored against the CEFR scale that UAE employers and universities actually use. No sign up and no email. You get a level and an explanation for every question at the end.

The questions move from A1 to C1 as you go, so the later ones are meant to be hard. Answer honestly rather than looking things up, or the result tells you nothing useful.

What the CEFR levels mean in the UAE

CEFR runs A1 to C2. When a UAE job advert asks for "B2 English", it means you can hold a work conversation, follow a meeting and write a clear email without the reader working to understand you.

A1 to A2Everyday basics. You manage a counter, a taxi and a form. Work conversation is hard.

B1 to B2The working level. Most UAE professional roles specify B2, sometimes without naming it.

C1Senior and academic level. You argue a position, write persuasively and follow fast speech.

C2Near native. Rarely required by employers, occasionally by universities.

A test like this places you within roughly one level. A teacher in a live session places you exactly, because they can hear what you do under pressure, which no multiple choice question can measure.

What the score is actually for is choosing where to start. A1 to A2 is the ground Basic English covers. B1 to B2 is Intermediate. C1 and above is Advance, which is also where presenting and business writing sit. Fees for all three are published in AED, so you can work the cost out before you speak to anyone.

All questions, answers and explanations

20 questions · every answer explained

The full set is below, so you can read it without taking the quiz.

He ___ in Dubai since 2019.
- Alives
- Bis living
- Chas lived correct
- Dlived
Why: Present perfect with 'since' links a past start to now. 'Has lived' is the only form that does that.
Which sentence is correct?
- AI am working here since March.
- BI work here since March.
- CI have been working here since March. correct
- DI worked here since March.
Why: 'Since March' needs a perfect form. Present perfect continuous shows the action started then and is still going.
Choose the correct article: She is ___ engineer at an Abu Dhabi firm.
- Aa
- Ban correct
- Cthe
- Dno article
Why: 'Engineer' begins with a vowel sound, so it takes 'an'. Article choice follows sound, not spelling.
If I ___ more time, I would take the IELTS again.
- Ahave
- Bhad correct
- Cwill have
- Dwould have
Why: Second conditional: if + past simple, would + base verb. It describes an unreal present situation.
The meeting was postponed ___ the manager's flight was delayed.
- Adespite
- Bbecause correct
- Calthough
- Dtherefore
Why: A reason clause needs 'because'. 'Despite' and 'although' introduce contrast, 'therefore' introduces a result.
Which is the most formal way to open a work email?
- AHey, quick one.
- BDear Mr Haddad, correct
- CHi there!
- DYo, about the report
Why: 'Dear' plus title and surname is the standard formal opening in UAE workplace correspondence.
He suggested ___ the deadline by a week.
- Ato extend
- Bextending correct
- Cextend
- Dextended
Why: 'Suggest' is followed by a gerund, not an infinitive. Say 'suggested extending', never 'suggested to extend'.
By the time we arrived, the session ___.
- Aalready started
- Bhas already started
- Chad already started correct
- Dwas already starting
Why: Past perfect shows the session started before the other past action of arriving.
Which sentence has no error?
- AEach of the students have a laptop.
- BEach of the students has a laptop. correct
- CEach of the student have a laptop.
- DEach of the student has laptop.
Why: 'Each' is singular, so it takes 'has'. The plural 'students' after 'of' does not change that.
The report, ___ was submitted late, still passed review.
- Athat
- Bwhich correct
- Cwho
- Dwhat
Why: A non-defining clause set off by commas takes 'which'. 'That' cannot introduce a non-defining clause.
I look forward to ___ from you.
- Ahear
- Bhearing correct
- Cheard
- Dbe hearing
Why: Here 'to' is a preposition, not part of an infinitive, so it takes the -ing form.
She speaks English ___ than her colleague.
- Amore fluent
- Bfluenter
- Cmore fluently correct
- Dmost fluently
Why: 'Speaks' is a verb, so it needs the adverb 'fluently', and the comparative is 'more fluently'.
Choose the best word: The company will ___ the cost of your visa.
- Abear correct
- Bcarry
- Chold
- Dtake
Why: 'Bear the cost' is the standard collocation. The others are grammatical but not idiomatic here.
Had I known about the traffic, I ___ earlier.
- Awould leave
- Bwill leave
- Cwould have left correct
- Dhad left
Why: Third conditional with inversion. The result clause takes 'would have' plus a past participle.
Which is closest in meaning to 'The proposal was turned down'?
- AIt was delayed.
- BIt was rejected. correct
- CIt was revised.
- DIt was approved.
Why: 'Turn down' is a phrasal verb meaning to reject or refuse.
Neither the manager nor the assistants ___ available.
- Ais
- Bare correct
- Cwas
- Dhas been
Why: With 'neither, nor' the verb agrees with the nearer subject. 'Assistants' is plural, so 'are'.
I would rather you ___ the client directly.
- Acall
- Bcalled correct
- Cwill call
- Dto call
Why: 'Would rather' plus a subject takes the past form to talk about a present preference.
Which sentence is most concise without losing meaning?
- ADue to the fact that the deadline was near, we hurried.
- BBecause the deadline was near, we hurried. correct
- COwing to the fact of the nearness of the deadline, we hurried.
- DIn view of the fact the deadline was near, we hurried.
Why: 'Because' does the work of all the longer phrases. Concision is a marker of advanced writing.
The findings are ___ with last year's data.
- Aconsistent correct
- Bconsisting
- Cconsistence
- Dconsist
Why: The adjective 'consistent with' is the correct collocation for describing agreement between data sets.
Scarcely had the session begun ___ the connection dropped.
- Athan
- Bwhen correct
- Cthen
- Dthat
Why: 'Scarcely had ... when' is the fixed pattern. 'No sooner' is the one that pairs with 'than'.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to pay or register for this test?

No. It is open to anyone, with no sign up and no email. You get your CEFR band and an explanation for every question. The only paid step is the AED 30 demo, if you want a teacher to confirm the result.

How accurate is an online English proficiency test?

It places you within about one CEFR level. What it cannot measure is speaking, which is where most UAE learners actually have the gap. A twenty question test can only assess recognition, not production.

What CEFR level do UAE employers ask for?

B2 is the most commonly specified level for professional roles, though many adverts describe it in words rather than naming CEFR. C1 tends to appear for senior, legal and academic positions.

Is this the same as an IELTS score?

No. CEFR and IELTS are different scales, though they map loosely: B2 is roughly IELTS 5.5 to 6.5, and C1 is roughly 7 to 8. If you need a band score for a visa or university, you need the real exam.

What should I do with my result?

Use it to pick a course level rather than guessing. If you scored in the B1 to B2 band, Intermediate English is the right starting point. The AED 30 demo confirms it before you pay for a full month.

More practice

IELTS speaking questions English reading practice All practice Course fees in AED

Practice costs nothing. Feedback does.

A quiz tells you what you got wrong. It cannot tell you why you keep getting it wrong, or fix it. That is what a teacher is for. The demo is AED 30 and includes a level assessment.

Book a 30 AED demo