teaching & admissions

english student intake tests: what great teachers check

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written in

2025
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reading time

4 min
English Student Intake Tests: What Great Teachers Check

key insight

"choosing the right students during intake protects your energy and the whole class."

"insights from real conversations and real problems"

Don't Rush to "Close" When Someone Messages

  • Schedule a separate test session (online/offline) like an interview.
  • Suggestion: schedule for the next morning, remind students to join the meeting room 5–10 minutes early.

Why? Punctuality shows clearly from the first session. Someone consistently late will affect you and other students.

Check Interaction Ability

  1. Assign a short task (e.g., listen – repeat, small exercise).
  2. Give instructions in English to see if the student can follow.
  3. Assess attitude: willing to ask questions? cooperative?

Students with poor interaction not only struggle to improve but also drag the whole class down. Better to decline early than lose multiple other students.

Selecting Students Also Protects Your Energy

An effective class needs students who are punctual, cooperative, and proactive. The entrance test is when you observe exactly that.

Some Technical Details

  • Always test via Zoom/Meet to check equipment and computer usage habits.
  • Observe whether students know how to turn on camera/mic, use computer or only phone.
  • During the short task, ask directly: "Why did you choose B?" → checks grammar and interaction ability simultaneously.
  • Note errors/good words to provide evidence-based feedback.

what do you think?

this article might've started as a scribble on the back of a receipt during a bus ride, a spark of something real after a conversation over a pint of leffe, or notes from a sunday afternoon client call that left me buzzing with ideas. however it came to be, i hope it found you at just the right moment.

if it stirred something in you, or if you're just curious about anything from automating the boring bits of your business to capturing your quiet magic in a coffee shop shoot. shall we pencil something into the diary?

i'd love to be on the other end of the conversation.

Thi Nguyen offers a wide range of marketing, automation consultancy for small, medium enterprises. Email: dakthi9@gmail.com. She's currently based in London, UK.
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