All students will be assessed through the Vital English test before arrival. Vital English is an online software that enables schools to accurately place students in programs that will house language support needs.
The assessment consists of two sections; a reading and a listening section, each with 60 multiple-choice questions (for a total of 120 questions). A maximum of 15 minutes is permitted for each section or 30 minutes in total. Questions in both sections test for grammar, vocabulary, listening and reading (the latter two skills through Functional Language, which is a demonstration of the practical application of language knowledge and skills).
The items in the assessment have been selected to assess common points of difficulty and key aspects of language development. Multiple-choice distractors have been carefully crafted to reduce the probability of guessing the right answer.
At present, there is no writing assignment and Vital English does not have an oral test for students.
Results are available to QMS instantly and the test works in all jurisdictions, including Mainland China and Hong Kong.
In 2019, Vital English tested over 9,000 international high schools students before they arrived in Canada. Many of these students were tested face-to-face after arrival and the test score correlation is highly accurate.
A math diagnostic tool has also been introduced, which can reliably identify a student’s math level in 15-20 minutes.
All students who do not meet the required test scores for regular mainstream QMS course curricula’s but who are mission appropriate will be considered and or recruited for The Prep Program. The Director of Admissions and Associate Director of International Enrollment will aim to recruit students with comparable Vital English test scores. Testing will be followed by an interview by the Admissions office to determine if the candidate is appropriate for in-take.
Upon arrival at QMS, a language specialist will test students to further determine language needs. The following will take place: an informal interview, personal writing sample submission and a formal writing sample submission.