> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.evalingo.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Writing good questions: best practices and examples > How to write speaking and writing questions that produce a fair, scoreable answer, with worked examples for every question type. A custom library lets you assess candidates on the situations they will actually meet in the role. This guide is about writing questions that do that well. For how libraries work, creating one and publishing, see [Creating your own question library](https://help.evalingo.ai/assessments/question-libraries.md). A question is good when **every candidate, whatever their background, can produce a full answer, and that answer shows their language rather than their knowledge.** Almost every tip below follows from that. ## Five rules for every question **1. Test the language, not the job** Set the question in your world, but never make the answer depend on knowing it. A new hire should not be marked down for not knowing your procedures yet, or marked up for already knowing them. If a candidate who has never worked in the industry could not answer, rewrite it. **2. Ask for something to say** The score comes from what the candidate produces. "Do you like working with customers?" can be answered in one word, and one word cannot be scored. Ask for a reason, an example, a description or a decision. **3. One task per question** Three questions stacked into one prompt produce three thin answers, and the candidate spends their time remembering the list instead of answering it. Ask one thing and let them go deep. **4. Keep it short to read** Every second spent reading the question is a second not spent answering it. Set the scene in one or two sentences. Use simpler words in the question than you expect in the answer, so a weaker candidate still understands what is being asked. **5. Keep it fair to everyone** Not every candidate has a car, a degree, children, a garden or a holiday abroad. Avoid questions that assume a particular life, culture, religion or politics, and avoid anything a candidate might find personal or upsetting to talk about while being assessed. ## One question for every level Speaking and writing questions are not written for a particular CEFR level. A good open question works for every candidate: someone at A2 understands it and gives a short, simple answer, and someone at C1 answers the same question in far more detail and range. The level comes from **how** they answer, not from which question they got. A closed question cannot do this. "How many years have you worked?" gets the same few words from a beginner and from a fluent speaker, so it shows nothing about either. "Describe the best job you have had and what you learned from it" can be answered at every level, and the answers are very different. So write questions that a beginner can understand, and leave room for a strong candidate to show more. You do not need a separate library for each level you hire at. Decide the level a role needs, and compare each candidate's result to it. > [!NOTE] > > Reading and listening work differently: they adapt, starting with easier questions and moving to harder ones depending on the answers. They always use Evalingo's own questions, so there is nothing to write. ## Question by question Each type measures something different, so each has its own brief. The timings are fixed and shown in the editor beside the question. ### Conversation starter Speaking, section 1. Two are drawn per assessment. It measures whether the candidate can get going and speak fluently on familiar ground. * Ask about everyday experience, never knowledge. * Make it easy to start and possible to keep going for the full time. | Weak | Better | | - | - | | Do you like your current job? | Tell us about a typical day in your current or most recent job. What part of it do you enjoy most, and why? | | What is your favourite food? | Describe a meal you like to cook or eat, and say what makes it special to you. | ### Topic discussion Speaking, section 2. It measures extended speech: whether the candidate can hold a position, organise it and support it. * Ask for an opinion and the reason for it. * Choose a topic anyone can have a view on without specialist knowledge. | Weak | Better | | - | - | | What do you think about remote work, office culture, and four-day weeks? | Some people work better from home, others in an office. Which suits you better, and why? | | Explain the main causes of staff turnover in call centres. | What makes someone want to stay in a job for a long time? Give reasons or examples. | ### Scenario response Speaking, section 2. It measures practical communication: handling a real situation in the right tone, under mild pressure. * Say who they are talking to. That decides the register, and register is part of the score. * Give them a goal, not just a situation to describe. | Weak | Better | | - | - | | A customer is unhappy. What do you do? | A customer calls because their order arrived damaged. They are upset. Speak to them: apologise, explain what happens next, and agree a solution. | | You are late for work. | You will be thirty minutes late for your shift because your train is cancelled. Call your manager, explain, and say how you will make up the time. | ### Reading fluency passage Speaking, section 3. It measures pronunciation, stress and intonation, separate from having to think of what to say. * Aim for 60 to 90 words; the editor counts as you type. A passage that cannot be finished comfortably turns into a test of reading speed. * Use ordinary vocabulary and a mix of punctuation: a question, a list, a short and a long sentence. * Avoid names, abbreviations and numbers that could be read more than one way. > [accordion] Example passage (78 words) > > Thank you for calling our customer service team. Before we begin, could you please confirm your full name and the email address on your account? I can see that your order was sent on Monday, but it has not arrived yet. I am sorry about the delay. There are two options: we can send a replacement today, or we can refund the full amount. Which would you prefer? Either way, you will receive a confirmation email within the hour. ### Email Writing, section 1. It measures whether the candidate covers what was asked, in the right tone for the reader. * Say who the email is to and why. * List the points it must cover. That is what lets task response be scored fairly rather than guessed. | Weak | Better | | - | - | | Write an email to a client. | A client has asked why their delivery is late. Write a reply that apologises, explains the reason for the delay, gives a new delivery date, and offers something to make up for it. | ### Short written response Writing, section 1. It measures clear, accurate everyday writing. * Ask for something with a natural shape: a message, a note, a reply. * One task only. There is not time for more. | Weak | Better | | - | - | | Write about teamwork. | A colleague has asked if you can swap shifts with them next Friday. Write a short message replying to them and saying whether you can, and why. | ### Extended writing Writing, section 2. It measures organisation and range: structure across paragraphs, argument and more complex grammar. * Ask for a position, supported with reasons. That gives the answer a structure to score. * Make it achievable in the time. A three-part task produces three short paragraphs. | Weak | Better | | - | - | | Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of technology, globalisation and automation in the workplace. | Your company is considering letting staff choose their own working hours. Write to your manager giving your opinion of the idea, with reasons and examples. | ## Examples by industry The Evalingo standard library is written for general workplace contexts. A library of your own can put candidates in situations closer to the role, which gives them something familiar to talk about. The same rules apply in every industry: set the scene in your world, but keep the question answerable by someone who has never done the job. > [tab] Customer service > > | Type | Example | > | - | - | > | Conversation starter | Tell us about a time you helped someone solve a problem. What happened, and how did it end? | > | Scenario response | A customer calls because they were charged twice. Explain what you will do, and tell them when it will be fixed. | > | Topic discussion | Is it better to answer customers quickly, or to take longer and get everything right? Give your view and your reasons. | > | Email | A customer has written to complain that their order is late. Reply: apologise, explain what happened, and say when it will arrive. | > [tab] Hospitality > > | Type | Example | > | - | - | > | Conversation starter | Describe a place you enjoyed visiting, and say what made it special. | > | Scenario response | A guest tells you their room is too noisy and they cannot sleep. Speak to them, apologise and offer a solution. | > | Topic discussion | What makes a guest want to come back to a hotel or restaurant? Give reasons and examples. | > | Short written response | A guest has left a note asking for an extra towel and a late checkout. Write a short reply. | > [tab] Healthcare and care > > | Type | Example | > | - | - | > | Conversation starter | Tell us about someone who has helped or looked after you. What did they do? | > | Scenario response | A visitor wants to see a relative, but visiting hours have ended. Speak to them politely, explain the rule and suggest what they can do. | > | Topic discussion | What makes someone good at caring for other people? Give reasons and an example. | > | Email | Write to your team leader to say you cannot work your shift on Sunday. Explain why and suggest a colleague who might swap. | > [tab] Retail > > | Type | Example | > | - | - | > | Conversation starter | Describe a shop you like to visit, and say why you go there. | > | Scenario response | A customer wants to return a jacket without a receipt. Explain what you can and cannot do, and help them as far as you can. | > | Topic discussion | Do you prefer shopping in a store or online? Give reasons for your choice. | > | Short written response | Your manager asks if you can start an hour early tomorrow. Write a short message to reply. | > [tab] Logistics and manufacturing > > | Type | Example | > | - | - | > | Conversation starter | Describe a task you have done that needed care or patience. What did you do? | > | Scenario response | You notice a machine is making a strange noise. Tell your supervisor what you saw and what you think should happen next. | > | Topic discussion | Is it better to work in a team or on your own? Give reasons and an example from your own life. | > | Email | A delivery has arrived with two boxes missing. Write to the supplier: explain the problem and say what you need from them. | > [tab] Office and administration > > | Type | Example | > | - | - | > | Conversation starter | Tell us how you keep yourself organised when you have a lot to do. | > | Scenario response | Two colleagues have booked the same meeting room at the same time. Speak to one of them and agree a solution. | > | Topic discussion | Some people work better from home, others in an office. Which suits you better, and why? | > | Extended writing | Your company wants to reduce how much paper it uses. Write to your manager with your ideas and the reasons for them. | ## Instructions The **Instructions** field appears above the question. It starts with a sensible default in your library's language, which works. A better one restates the task for that specific question in one short sentence: * Default: *Answer in a few sentences. Give an example or a reason rather than a one-word answer.* * Better: *Describe your day from start to finish and say which part you enjoy most.* ## Writing in another language Write each library in the language it assesses, rather than translating an English question word for word. A translated question often reads as a translation, and can end up easier or harder than the original. Ask a fluent speaker to read every question before you publish it. ## How many to write The minimum is enough to fill every section once, which is six questions. At the minimum, every candidate sees the same test, so aim for **at least three times the minimum in each section**: six conversation starters, three extended responses, three reading passages, three casual writing tasks and three extended writing tasks. More is better, especially if candidates may talk to each other. ## Starting from an AI draft If you are not sure where to start, **Draft with AI** in the question editor writes a first version from a topic you describe, following the rules on this page. Treat it as a starting point: check it against the list below like anything you wrote yourself. See [Drafting with AI](https://help.evalingo.ai/assessments/question-libraries.md#drafting-with-ai). ## Before you publish > [!TIP] > > Could someone who has never done this job answer it fully? > [!TIP] > > Does it ask for a reason, an example or a decision, not a yes or no? > [!TIP] > > Is it one task, and can the question be read in a few seconds? > [!TIP] > > Would it be fair and comfortable to answer for a candidate from any background? > [!TIP] > > For scenarios and emails: is it clear who the candidate is speaking or writing to? > [!TIP] > > Has a fluent speaker of the library's language read it? Then try it yourself: send yourself an assessment using the library, and sit it as a candidate would. It is the quickest way to find a question that is too long to read or too thin to answer. Questions about writing your library? Email [support@evalingo.ai](mailto:support@evalingo.ai) and we will look at a draft with you. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.