Every week, our Customer Support team answers dozens of questions from Ellii subscribers. The Support team passes some of these questions on to our Publishing and Product teams in order to: 

1. gather specialized tips and suggestions that will benefit teachers 
2. push for features, updates, and content that subscribers request

Frequently asked questions often turn into full-length blog posts (e.g., grammar questions), Help Docs (e.g., step-by-step instructions), or videos (e.g., in-depth feature explainers). Reflecting on questions like these also helps us think about what we can do to improve the user experience for teachers, students, and administrators.

Here is a question the Customer Support team passed on to the Publishing team this week.

I was wondering which lessons already have built-in assessments. For example, your Making Requests lesson, found in the Functional English section, already has a ready-made assessment included with it.

For 20+ years, Ellii (formerly ESL Library) has been creating materials focused primarly on helping students learn, practice, and use real and relevant English.

We began incorporating formative and summative assessments into our ready-made lessons and courses several years ago when teacher requests for ready-made assessments began to pour in. 

With so many different types of lesson sections and resources available at Ellii, we did not take a standardized approach when it came to adding assessments. For example, we added multiple-choice quizzes to our foundational sections that focus on grammar and vocabulary. For sections focusing on life skills, we added assessments more aligned with real-world tasks with ready-made tools for grading and offering feedback. 

While some teachers appreciated our ready-made rubrics, other preferred editable ones that they could customize. To answer this need, we developed an Evaluation resource category in our Assessment Tools section and added generic forms that could be used with a variety of lessons.

Index of assessments on Ellii

As we work on improving how teachers can find suitable assessments on Ellii, we hope the index below will give you a better idea of what types of assessments you will find in sections that have built-in assessments.

We also have several sections that were designed to focus on skill using, and we do not have plans to add assessments to these. If you come across a lesson or section that you think would benefit from the addition of built-in assessments, please let us know!  Note that some of our older lessons in the sections below may be missing a printable or digital assessment.

Diagnostics

The following tests are available to help you get a better idea of your students' proficiency levels. This can then help you determine which level of Ellii you should set your filters to when browsing lessons for these students.

• Ellii Placement Test (Multiple-Choice and Open Answer: Grammar, Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking)
• Ellii Placement Quiz (Multiple-Choice: Grammar, Listening, Reading)
• Grammar Test 1
• Grammar Test 2
• Grammar Test 3
• Grammar Test 4

A sample speaking question from Ellii's Placement Test.

A sample index of questions and a sample writing question from the digital version of Ellii's Placement Test.

Grammar Practice Worksheets

This is our most popular grammar section. A suggested teaching order is available. 

• printable quizzes
• digital quizzes

Note: We've had some requests to offer assessments in our companion grammar section for young learners (Fun Grammar Lessons). If this is something you would like to see on Ellii, be sure to let us know.

A sample assessment from a printable lesson in Grammar Practice Worksheets.

Super Simple Grammar

This section offers verb basic grammar drills focused on a single target. 

• printable quizzes
• digital quizzes 

Functional English

This life skills section centers around real-world dialogues. It focuses on teaching everyday vocabulary and expressions used in daily interactions. Each lesson includes a few short dialogues.

• printable review tasks for assessment purposes with ready-made rubrics
• digital assessment tasks (some include videos)

A sample ready-made rubric from the Functional English section.  

English Basics

This section offers lessons for newcomers with very low-literacy skills.

• printable assessment with ready-made rubrics
• digital assessment (check)

A sample assessment and rubric from the English Basics section.  

Everyday Dialogues

This life skills section centers around real-world dialogues. It focuses on teaching everyday vocabulary and expressions used in English-speaking communities and workplaces. Each lesson introduces one main dialogue. Assessments may introduce new dialogues while reviewing targeted language. Role-plays that can be used for assessment purposes are available in each lesson. A generic assessment tool is also available.

• printable review tasks that can be used for assessment purposes 
• role-plays that can be used for assessment purposes

Real-World Reading

This life skills section centers around real-world reading and vocabulary. Each lesson features materials with authentic formats, such as receipts, maps, posters, and emails. These materials help prepare adult ed students to answer reading questions on standardized proficiency tests.

• printable assessment with ready-made rubrics
• digital assessment

A sample digital assessment from the Real-World Reading section.

Reading in English

This academic English section centers around reading strategies. It focuses on reading skills that are useful for improving comprehension. Each lesson is based on one main reading skill.

• printable assessment with ready-made rubrics
• digital assessment (check)

Writing in English

This academic English section centers around writing strategies. It focuses on writing skills that are useful for academic and workplace purposes. Each lesson hones in on one main writing skill.

• printable writing challenge
• digital writing challenge 

A sample writing assessment from the digital version or a Writing in English lesson. 

Career Pathways

This digital-only workplace section focuses on career exploration with an emphasis on vocabulary and reading comprehension. Each lesson introduces one possible career pathway. 

• digital quiz

Super Simple Questions

This life skills section centers around very short real-world dialogues for absolute beginners. 

• printable assessment suggestions in answer key
• digital assessments

A sample answer key excerpt with suggested tasks a teacher could use for assessment.

General English courses 

These Ellii Up courses are designed for teachers who do not use a coursebook or do not want to build their own curriculum. They offer a sequence of lessons from multiple sections on Ellii at a single proficiency level. Students can progress through the levels and take assessments as they go.

In addition to the course assessments, some lessons within each course have their own assessments within them.

• mid-course assessment
• final assessment

Grammar courses

These courses are designed for teachers who do not use a coursebook or do not want to build their own curriculum. They offer a sequence of grammar-focused lessons from multiple sections on Ellii at a single proficiency level. Students can progress through the levels and take assessments as they go.

• final digital assessment

Workplace courses

These ready-made courses focus on business English or career-specific English. They offer a sequence of lessons at a proficiency level with two main assessments. These are ideal for self-study.

• mid-course assessment
• final assessment

A sample vocabulary question from a final assessment in an Ellii workplace course.

Serials

These ready-made courses focus on informal English.  They offer a sequence of lessons at a proficiency level with assessments throughout. 

• 3-4 assessments (printable/digital) per course 

Generic evaluation & reflection tools

Ready-made printable rubrics and forms to use for a variety of purposes when assessing language learners. Below are 10 examples. Many more are available in our Assessment Tools section.

1. English Questionnaire
2. Reading Task Assessment Form
3. Writing Task Assessment Form
4. Speaking Task Assessment Form
5. Listening Task Assessment Form
6. Advanced Reading Comprehension
7. Personal Opinion Assessment Tools
8. Self-Evaluation Form
9. Exit Slips
10. 3-2-1 Reflection

A Note on Grading

If you're interested in learning more about Ellii's Grade Feed, please watch this video. Note that important updates are in the works, including expanding on our use of AI for grading open-ended writing and speaking responses. 

Which Ellii assessments have you used? Which tests are your students preparing for? Share thoughts and feedback about assessment in the comments. Be sure to watch our Assessment Tools area for Ellii's new CASAS practice tests!