Young Learners Speaking Placement Test

Introduction

This document describes the Young Learners English Speaking Placement Test, developed using the Speech Assessment API (SAAPI) from Language Confidence. Language Confidence is a global provider of AI-powered language assessment technologies that ensure consistent and scalable results for English language proficiency testing.

This test evaluates children and pre-teens / young teens across early CEFR levels, using age-appropriate tasks that assess Pronunciation, Fluency, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Content Relevance. The design integrates SAAPI’s automated scoring capabilities to ensure objective, reliable, and child-friendly placement.

Test Structure

The test consists of 15 questions, grouped by Cambridge Young Learners levels (Starters, Movers, Flyers). Tasks grad ually increase in complexity, starting from simple everyday topics and moving towards more extended and reflective speaking. The design ensures that tasks remain age-appropriate while progressively assessing a range of speaking skills across the targeted CEFR levels.

Scoring Rubric

Each question has a maximum point value, but partial credit is awarded for partially correct or incomplete answers.

Points Allocation:

• A0 – Pre-A1 (Questions 1–5): up to 5 points each (total 25)

• A1 – A1+ (Questions 6–10): up to 7 points each (total 35)

• A2 – A2+ (Questions 11–15): up to 8 points each (total 40)

Total possible score: 100 points

CEFR Score Ranges for Young Learners

The total score (0–100) maps to CEFR-aligned Young Learner levels as follows:

• A0: 0–10

• Pre-A1: 11–30

• A1: 31–45

• A1+: 46–60

• A2: 61–80

• A2+: 81–100

This scale reflects early learner progression and provides finer granularity for children moving through pre-A1 and early A-level stages.

Scoring Methodology

SAAPI automatically evaluates each response in real time on:

• Pronunciation (phonemic accuracy and nativeness)

• Fluency (speech rate, pauses, fillers)

• Grammar (structure complexity and correctness)

• Vocabulary (breadth and appropriateness)

• Content Relevance (how well the answer fits the prompt)

Scores from these dimensions are aggregated to calculate each question’s points and final CEFR level.

Reliability of Test Results

The test leverages Language Confidence’s Speech Assessment API, which uses advanced speech recognition and natural language processing to:

• Ensure consistent and reproducible scoring

• Minimize human bias

• Deliver scalable assessments across different testing environments

Although external factors like microphone quality can affect results, SAAPI’s phoneme-level analysis and robust scor ing provide high reliability for young learners’ placement.