A new learner walks in. Where do they belong on the 1–90% ladder? Get it right and every class feels just challenging enough. Get it wrong and they’re either bored or lost. This video shows you how to get it right, in under three minutes.

This is part of my teacher-training series, How to teach Business English with this course. Missed the first one? Start with The Course in 5 Minutes.

The placement checklist

Everything from the video in six steps you can use with your next new learner.

1. Send the level test before the first class. The free Business English Level Test is online and learners can take it on their own, so your first lesson is a real lesson, not an exam.
2. Treat the result as a starting point, not a verdict. A test measures what someone recognises. Your job is to find out what they can actually say.
3. Spend five minutes just talking. Ask about their job, what they did last week, and a simple “what would you do if…?” question. Listen for full sentences, past and future forms, and whether they keep going when they don’t know a word.
4. Check the curriculum map. Scan the learner’s level for language they already use comfortably and start just after it. If they handle phone calls but freeze in meetings, skip ahead to the meetings units.
5. Adjust after the first unit. Too easy? Try the next capstone review, and move up if they pass it comfortably. Too hard? Drop back five units.
6. Re-check at every capstone. People grow at different speeds. If one learner pulls far ahead, suggest the next level or extra one-to-one practice.

Teaching a mixed-level group?

In company classes it’s normal for the sales director and the new intern to share a room. Three things work:

• Place the group by its middle, not its strongest or weakest member.
• Differentiate with roles. In the games and the simulation, give stronger learners the harder role, like the negotiator or the chair, and others the supporting role.
• Use the vocabulary cards as a floor, not a ceiling. Everyone learns the twelve words; stronger learners also use them in longer answers.

Get the level you need

Once you know where your learner starts, you only need that level’s pack. Each level is sold on its own on the Custom Offers page: Student Edition from $19 and Teacher Edition from $39, or the full course from $79. Pay by card or PayPal and your Google Drive folder arrives by email, usually within the hour.

Placing a whole team? The school and company licences cover up to 5 or 20 teachers.

Try it free first

The series

1. The course in 5 minutes
2. Placing your learners (this video)
3. Running a 60-minute class from one unit, slide by slide (coming next)
4. Vocabulary cards and grammar slides: elicit before you reveal
5. The three games and the rapid poll, online and in person
6. The simulation and speaking task: roles, feedback and simple scoring
7. Capstones, homework and tracking progress

Follow me on YouTube or subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss the next one.