Jan 31, 2020

TOEFL primary or TOEFL Junior!

Dear All Do you have any ideas about the level of TOEFL examination for the TOEFL Primary and the TOEFL Junior?

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azi

5 Answers

azi

on Jan 31

I am not sure which one will be fitted for an elementary schoolboy.

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helloalissa

on Jan 31

I had never heard of those levels and don't think there's a good reason for young kids to take the TOEFL exam at all. It's really challenging and meant for university entrance. I'm guessing you've seen this site: https://www.ets.org/toefl_family and the FAQs? "Preparing for the Tests" has a couple sample PDFs as well. If the elementary school student plans to take the TOEFL for university entrance in the future, Primary or Junior might be a decent way to work up to that. Otherwise I'd recommend sticking with Eiken as it's more common for students in Japan.

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TonetoEdo

on Feb 1

It looks like Primary is aimed at children 8 years old and over, while Junior is for students 11 years old and over. Primary levels award “badges” and “ribbons“ - more like awards for achievement. Could be a motivator for kids. On Junior, Scores from 14-16 is equivalent to level B2 of the CEFR. By comparison, Eiken Pre-1 is equivalent to B2. A Junior score of 8-10 = A2, same as Eiken Pre-2. Diligent and motivated junior high 3rd graders and senior high 1st years can achieve this level. See ETS - https://www.etsglobal.org/fr/en/content/toefl-young-students-series-tests-scores A big question is, what does the learner need the score for? If the learner is aiming at entering an international school or accelerated English program, then Junior makes sense.

1
TonetoEdo

on Feb 1

I mentioned CEFR levels which TOEFL uses. Here’s a demonstration of an A2 level speaking test. https://youtu.be/HMXAiwOKeOw Here’s a B1 level speaking test https://youtu.be/JIzR5LN-H4Y

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JapanRamen

on Feb 3

I agree with helloalissa that they are unnecessary "qualifications" that might turn learners away from enjoying English. If they are having fun and get motivated by it, then it is great. But if they are taken because the parents want the kids to get another piece of certificate, then the kids might end up hating it more. Tread carefully lol.

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TOEFL primary or TOEFL Junior!

5 Answers

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