- EIKEN (English)
- EIKEN Grades
- About EIKEN Grade Pre-1
About EIKEN Grade Pre-1
Grade Pre-1 requires solid English skills at a level just below Grade 1, the final goal for EIKEN examinees. This level is mainly aimed at university students. Examinees are expected to be able to understand and use the English necessary to participate in social, professional, and educational situations. In addition to being useful for applying to post-secondary academic institutions and obtaining academic credits, Grade Pre-1 certification has been set as a benchmark for English instructors by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and it has a wide range of benefits for 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
- Level description
- Overview of test structure
- Summary of Can-do statements
- Virtual speaking test (Grade Pre-1)
Pass level comparison
EIKEN | EIKEN CSE Score | TEAP | CEFR | TOEFL® score | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PBT | iBT | ||||
Grade Pre-1 | 2304 | 334 | B2 | 550 | 80 |
- TOEFL® is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Service (ETS), Inc. This website is not endorsed or approved by ETS.
- Click here for more information about the EIKEN CSE Score.
Level description
Can understand and use the English necessary to participate effectively in social, professional, and educational situations.
Overview of test structure
First stage
Time allotted: Reading & Writing(90 minutes)/ Listening(app. 30 minutes)
Skill area | Task | Format | Items | Response type |
---|---|---|---|---|
Reading | Sentence completion | 25 short texts (one or two sentences/dialogues) from which one word or phrase has been omitted | 25 | Multiple-choice (Four printed options) |
Gap fill (passages) | 2 passages from which several phrases have been omitted | 6 | ||
Q&A based on passages | 3 passages followed by questions | 10 | ||
Writing | English Composition | 1 topic question with 4 suggested points (examinees must address 2 points) | 1 | 120-150 word composition |
Listening | Q&A based on dialogues | 12 recorded conversations/discussions followed by questions | 12 | Multiple-choice (Four printed options) |
Q&A based on monologues | 6 recorded announcements, advertisements, news stories, or short lectures followed by questions | 12 | ||
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 |
Topics
General social situations, arts, culture, history, education, science, nature, environment, medicine, technology, business, politics, etc.
Second stage
English interview (app. 8 min.)
Skill area | Task | Format | Time allotted | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Speaking | Warm-up | Examiners engage examinee in free conversation (not evaluated) | 1 or 2 questions | Evaluation Criteria: No. of Examiners:1 |
|
Short Narration | Preparation | Examinee reads question card silently and prepares to narrate four-panel illustration on card | 1 minute | ||
Delivery | Examinee gives Narration of illustration | 2 minutes | |||
Q&A | No. 1 | Examiner asks question connected to/related to illustration | |||
No. 2 | Examiner asks question related to general topic of card | ||||
No. 3 | Examiner asks question related to general topic of card | ||||
No. 4 | Examiner asks question about social issue or idea broadly related to general topic of card |
Summary of Can-do statements
Below are summaries of the main features of the tasks and activities that typical Grade Pre-1 certificate holders feel confident about performing in English in real-life language-use situations.
Reading | Can understand texts from a range of social, professional, and educational situations. |
---|---|
Listening | Can understand content from a range of social, professional, and educational situations. |
Speaking | Can make explanations and express his/her opinions about topics relevant to a range of social, professional, and educational situations. |
Writing | Can write at length about topics from everyday life and topics relevant to some social, professional, and educational situations. |
Virtual speaking test (Grade Pre-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)