- EIKEN (English)
- EIKEN Grades
- About EIKEN Grade 1
About EIKEN Grade 1
Grade 1 is the final goal for EIKEN examinees. Examinees are expected to be able to understand and use the English necessary to participate effectively in a wide range of social, professional, and educational situations. Grade 1 is a highly respected qualification with a wide range of practical benefits, such as its usefulness in applying to post-secondary academic institutions, obtaining academic credits, receiving exemption from the written section of the English section of the National Examination for Guide Interpreters, and studying overseas. The examination is divided into two parts: Stage 1 (a written examination including a listening section) and Stage 2 (an interview-format speaking test).
Pass level comparison
| EIKEN | EIKEN CSE Score | TEAP | CEFR | TOEFL® score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PBT | iBT | ||||
| Grade 1 | 2630 | 396 | C1 | 600 | 100 |
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- Click here for more information about the EIKEN CSE Score.
Level description
Can understand and use the English necessary to participate effectively in a wide range of social, professional, and educational situations.
Overview of test structure
First stage
Time allotted: Reading & Writing（100 minutes）／ Listening（app. 35 minutes）
| Skill area | Task | Format | Items | Response type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | Sentence completion | 22 short texts (one or two sentences/dialogues) from which one word or phrase has been omitted | 22 | Multiple-choice (Four printed options) |
| Gap fill (passages) | 2 passages from which several words or phrases have been omitted | 6 | ||
| Q&A based on passages | 1 passage followed by questions | 3 | ||
| 1 extended passage followed by questions | 4 | |||
| Writing | English Summary | Summarize the content of the text in English. | 1 | 90-110 word summary |
| English Composition | Write an essay in English on the given topic. | 1 | 200-240 word composition | |
| Listening | Q&A based on dialogues | 10 recorded conversations/discussions followed by questions | 10 | Multiple-choice (Four printed options) |
| Q&A based on monologues | 5 recorded announcements, advertisements, news stories, or short lectures followed by questions | 10 | ||
| Real-life Listening | 5 recorded announcements, advertisements, news stories, or short lectures followed by questions (Examinees read a short description of the situation, and the question, before listening.) |
5 | ||
| Q&A based on long interview | 1 recorded interview followed by questions | 2 |
Topics
General social situations, arts, culture, history, education, science, nature, environment, medicine, technology, business, politics, etc.
Second stage
English interview (app. 10 min.)
| Skill area | Task | Format | Time allotted | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speaking | Conversation | Examiners engage examinee in free conversation | 1 minute | Evaluation Categories: No. of Examiners: 2 |
|
| Short speech | Preparation | Examinee chooses 1 topic from 5 choices on Topic Card | 1 minute | ||
| Examinee prepares speech based on topic | |||||
| Delivery | Examinee gives speech based on topic | 2 minutes | |||
| Q&A | Examiners ask questions based on speech content and topic | 4 minutes | |||
Virtual speaking test (Grade 1)
An animated, easy-to-understand walkthrough of the Stage 2 Interview Test, showing the entire process from the time the examinee enters the room until he or she leaves it. (requires Japanese)