Placement & Proficiency
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Placement and Proficiency
Room 247 Armory
(217) 244-4437
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English as a Second Language Placement

Cutoff Scores and Placement Messages for 2018-2019

The English Placement Test (EPT) consists of two parts: Written and Oral. Your score on the written part serves to place you into a composition course, which is a General Education requirement for all undergraduate students. If you do not have any TOEFL or IELTS scores, you will also need to do the oral interview. Your oral score serves to determine whether you should enroll in an oral communication course. Students who have valid TOEFL or IELTS scores will be placed into (or exempted from) the oral communication course based on their highest Speaking score.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions will inform you whether you must take the EPT or not. If you are required to take the EPT, you should plan on enrolling in the composition course that you place into during your first year. If you are not required to take the EPT, you may still take it and enroll in ESL courses if you wish to do so. Successful completion of the ESL 111-112 sequence or of the ESL 115 course fulfills the General Education 'Composition I' requirement.

Cutoff scores and placement messages are derived in collaboration with the Linguistics Department and are reviewed annually. The policies below apply to all students entering the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Summer 2018, Fall 2018, or Spring 2019.

Learn more about the EPT.

Questions? Contact "Placement & Proficiency" staff by emailing pnp@illinois.edu or by calling 217-244-4437 during business hours.

 


Written Test Score

Placement Message
1 Must enroll in ESL 111 for Fall 2018; Supplemental tutoring is strongly recommended. Successful completion of the ESL 111-112 sequence fulfills the Composition I requirement.
2 Must enroll in ESL 111 for Fall 2018; Successful completion of the ESL 111-112 sequence fulfills the Composition I requirement.
3 Placed into ESL 115; Must enroll in Fall 2018 if UIN ends in an even number; Must enroll in Spring 2019 if UIN ends in an odd number; Successful completion fulfills the Composition I requirement.
4 Placed into ESL 115 or RHET 105; Must enroll in Fall 2018 if your UIN ends in an even number; Must enroll in Spring 2019 if your UIN ends in an odd number; Other options are ESL 111-112 or CMN 111-112; Successful completion of any of these fulfills the Composition 1 requirement.

Oral Interview Test Score

TOEFL Speaking Score

IELTS Speaking Score

Placement Message
1 1 - 14 0 - 4.5 ESL 110 is required based on your highest TOEFL or IELTS Speaking score.
2 15 - 18 5 - 6 ESL 110 is strongly recommended based on your highest TOEFL or IELTS Speaking score.
3 19 - 24 6.5 - 7 ESL 110 is recommended based on your highest TOEFL or IELTS Speaking score.
4 25 - 28 7.5 - 8 You are exempt from ESL 110 based on your highest TOEFL or IELTS Speaking score; May enroll in ESL 110 only if all students scoring 1, 2, and 3 have been accommodated.
5 29 - 30 8.5 - 9 You are exempt from ESL 110 based on your highest TOEFL or IELTS Speaking score.