ENGLISH PLACEMENT TEST FOR NON-LINGUISTIC STUDENTS AS A FACTOR TO INCREASE TEACHING EFFICIENCY

Vocational university training requires graduates’ mastering not only professional competencies but also other competencies that provide adequate communication and IT literacy. However, the ability of Russian university graduates to use a foreign language leaves much to be desired. The quality of language training at a university can be increased by means of grouping the first-year students according to their level of a foreign language, which can create relatively equivalent conditions for acquiring the language and most effectively develop communication skills in accordance with the language abilities of the students. The aim of this paper is to analyze and describe the existing systems of placement testing including the authors’ test based on international language testing system TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication). The paper studies such concepts as “test” and “pedagogical testing” and explains the general structure of a test. The authors consider the concept “placement test” which implies stratification into levels. The levels described are based on the European scale CEFR. Besides, the authors analyze the existing systems of placement testing, i.e. Oxford Placement test, EF test, etc., and specify advantages and disadvantages of their use in Russian universities. Finally, the authors give a detailed description of the Placement Test developed for Togliatti State University students and interpret the experience of using the testing in 2016. The results of the research and the test approbation prove the reliability and veracity of the suggested method of language skills level assessment.