FAQs

EAL Star is an online assessment platform that brings together EAL/D assessment, progress tracking, a sortable EAL/D register and individual student profiles in one easy-to-use system. Founded in the UK 4 years ago, this version is bespoke to the Australian market.

Schools purchase the number of licences they need and then add students to the register. You can update each student’s profile with additional information as you go, whenever time allows or new details become available. Every student has their own secure login, making it easy for them to complete assessments independently or in groups.

All assessment data and information are stored in one central place, helping schools save valuable time and keep records organised. Progress is tracked over time, with clear visual evidence to support monitoring and reporting. Being able to see how many students are working within the Beginning, Emerging, Developing and Consolidating phases of the EAL/D Learning Progression Framework allows teachers and leaders to plan targeted interventions and strengthen quality first teaching.

With the right support, EAL/D learners can make rapid progress. However, they may not always meet year-level expectations immediately. For this reason, it is essential to track and monitor English language development in order to evidence overall progress and clearly identify learning needs.

EAL Star also includes a student data-porting feature. As more schools adopt the platform, student data can be securely transferred when a student moves schools. This supports continuity of learning and creates a smoother transition for both schools and students.

No, we don't take any financial details until we know you're happy and want to sign up.

You get full access to the whole platform, you are limited to 35 students and you have 2 weeks. There is a countdown banner that helps you keep track of your trial. You can upgrade at any time to a full account by clicking the banner. Once the trial ends you will lose access to any data or information you have added but you can still sign up and re-gain access so don't worry! Data is stored for 6 months in case you want to join at a later date. All data is stored on Australian servers.

If you click on REGISTER in the menu above then you will have the choice of paying by card and getting immediate access, or you can request an invoice by completing a simple form. We aim to get your account set up and ready within 2 working days but are often quicker. Everyone can access a free trial to check what we offer first.

This is up to you and your school - some schools like to sign up and include ALL EAL/D learners on the register and assessment, others choose to just include their less proficient EAL students who are operating around Beginning or Emerging levels You can upgrade your account at any time during your 12-month subscription.

We periodically offer discounts, these are advertised in a banner at the top of the webpage, if there is no banner then we don't have an active sale on. If you'd like to discuss your budget or unique circumstances with us, then please feel free to email hello@ealstar.co.uk or try the live chat on this page.

Currently anyone subscribing to EAL STAR can get EAL HUB membership half price. This is our sister company and offers a wide range of scaffolding EAL/D resources. Take a look here.

In order to keep the cost as low as possible we decided to keep the assessment site as just that - a platform where you can have your EAL/D Register, pupil profiles and assessment/tracking/data all in one place. As such EAL STAR does not offer resources. We do offer next steps guidance.

But our sister site EAL HUB offers a wide range of scaffolding resources which fit with the assessment brackets that EAL STAR assesses at. You can get half price subscriptions to EAL HUB if you subscribe to EAL STAR ????

You need to login and download the USER GUIDE - this contains a wealth of information and is set out in steps that you can follow.

You must add students to the register before you can assess them, and they need to login using their personal login details to sit an assessment (their username can be found in their pupil profile under their photo or on the EAL Register). They login at the same place that you login.

EAL STAR can be used on smartphones, tablets and PCs. In order to complete the speaking assessment, students will need access to a microphone. The writing paper needs to be printed.

we don't offer onboarding training mostly because we are trying to keep the cost affordable for all, so we offer the free trial which tends to answer almost all queries. However if you still have questions then you can get in touch anytime via email - hello@ealstar.co.uk and if needs be, we can set up a video call! 

Please send new supplier forms, purchase orders and remittance to hello@ealstar.co.uk

Unfortunately no. The assessment must be taken in one sitting or the assessment doesn't save to the system. Please don't close the window until you see the screen that tells the student their test has finished. Generally, the tests don't take long to complete, especially if the child is newer to English.

The writing test is started differently as it is a paper assessment, as such what you can see is the area where you select students to sit the writing assessment, to tell the system you are doing it,

To start any of the other tests you need to add students to the EAL/D Register and then get their username (from their profile or the register), then using the password (which is ealstar plus the year they ere registered on the platform, so currently the password is ealstar2026) you need to log them in. Students login at the same place as teachers do, their login is different to yours - https://app.ealstar.co.uk/

The writing test is started differently as it is a paper assessment, as such what you can see is the area where you select students to sit the writing assessment, to tell the system you are doing it,

To start any of the other tests you need to add students to the EAL/D Register and then get their username (from their profile or the register), then using the password (which is ealstar plus the year they ere registered on the platform, so currently the password is ealstar2026) you need to log them in. Students login at the same place as teachers do, their login is different to yours - https://app.ealstar.co.uk/

You need to start by adding pupils to the EAL/D register - go to the EAL/D register and select ADD PUPIL. You need to add a small amount of compulsory information to do this - their name, date of birth and year group. Once you have done this it will generate their username beneath their photo.

The password for all students is currently ealstar2026 (this password changes in line with the current year so pupils registered between 01/01/26 and 31/12/26 will have this password)

You can either select pay by card which is processed automatically by Stripe, this means you get instant access to whatever number of licences you purchased. This sets up an automatic renewal for each year, if you don't want it to auto-renew then once logged in you can go to Account at the top and cancel your subscription. This will still allow you to access the product for the full 12 months.

You can also request to pay by invoice by completing the form, this is then actioned manually by our accounts team and so usually takes 1-2 days. We will send you an invoice directly. Payment is in Australian Dollars and goes to an Australian bank account, You will be prompted when your subscription is ending and asked to complete a renewal form to continue with your subscription.

We periodically offer discounts, these are advertised in a banner at the top of the webpage, if there is no banner then we don't have an active sale on. If you'd like to discuss your budget or unique circumstances with us, then please feel free to email hello@ealstar.co.uk or try the live chat on this page.

Currently anyone subscribing to EAL STAR can get EAL HUB membership half price. This is our sister company and offers a wide range of scaffolding resources. Take a look here.

Yes! You can always upgrade during your 12-month subscription. We will email you when you have 5 licences left to use and give details of how you can upgrade. Alternatively, you can email us, or live chat with us, to ask for additional licences. You will be charged a pro-rata rate for the remainder of your subscription.

In order to keep the cost as low as possible we decided to keep the assessment site as just that - a platform where you can have your EAL/D Register, pupil profiles and assessment/tracking/data all in one place. As such EAL STAR does not offer resources. We do offer next steps guidance.

But our sister site EAL HUB offers a wide range of scaffolding resources which fit with the assessment brackets that EAL STAR assesses at. You can get half price subscriptions to EAL HUB if you subscribe to EAL STAR ????

You can email us at invoices@ealstar.co.uk. to request an upgrade of your current subscription.

The way we work mid-year upgrades is by providing a pro-rata rate for the remainder of your subscription. This enables us to preserve your renewal date. 

Please send new supplier forms, purchase orders and remittance to hello@ealstar.co.uk

All usernames are on the EAL/D Register and so you can simply go to the EAL/D Register and select the year group, or whole list and then print it by clicking the small printer logo above the table. This will save time when setting a group of students up to sit the test at the same time.

Have you added students to the EAL/D Register and have the students logged in on their own profile and taken some assessments? If they haven't yet taken a test then it won't show up in your assessment area. Once they have completed a test, it will automatically show in your assessment area for checking.

Other tests out there on the market do indeed incorporate a skip button on test questions. In our extensive research, and with feedback from schools, it was felt that when there was a skip option, often students skipped for the sake of it, without actually thinking about it or as a means of rushing through a test. We felt that it would be better to have a test that built in complexity and challenge but that had an intuitive element so that it knew when a child was struggling and ended at the appropriate time. This means the test times will be shorter for those at the earlier stages of learning English and that they won't be forced to sit through a long test, pressing skip each time. The test will end once three consecutive questions are answered incorrectly.

Unfortunately no. The assessment must be taken in one sitting or the assessment doesn't save to the system. Please don't close the window until you see the screen that tells the student their test has finished. Generally, the tests don't take long to complete, especially if the child is newer to English.

This depends on a number of factors, firstly the ability and proficiency of the child sitting the test. The tests are designed to be intuitive and so they end when they feel a child is struggling rather than forcing a child to struggle through or skip many questions to get to the end. After considerable testing it was felt it was an accurate reflection of a child struggling if they got three consecutive questions wrong. If a child is mid-level then they will likely get further, and the most able child will progress through the whole test. It also depends on the age of the children as the tests for year 1-2 are shorter than the tests for years 7-11 for example.

The writing assessment is assessed differently to the other tests because it is a written paper test. When you go to the Assessment area you will see the link to start the writing test (with either a group or individual). You won't be able to see the reading, writing or speaking tests here. You must add students to the EAL REGISTER first, this will generate their username (which can be seen in their profile or on the eal register) and you then log them in (at the same place as you login) using that and the password ealstar2026.

You need to start by adding pupils to the EAL/D register - go to the EAL/D register and select ADD PUPIL. You need to add a small amount of compulsory information to do this - their name, date of birth and year group. Once you have done this it will generate their username beneath their photo.

The password for all students is currently ealstar2026 (this password changes in line with the current year so pupils registered between 01/01/26 and 31/12/26 will have this password)

Don't worry! On the login area you can click on 'Forgot your password?' at the bottom and it will allow you to reset your password. If you think your password has been compromised, then you can change your password once logged in by going to Account at the top of the page and then Account Settings.

Unfortunately no. The assessment must be taken in one sitting or the assessment doesn't save to the system. Please don't close the window until you see the screen that tells the student their test has finished. Generally, the tests don't take long to complete, especially if the child is newer to English.

Yes, you can click on any the titles along the top order it by those factors, e.g. name, school year, languages or overall proficiencystage.

The writing assessment is assessed differently to the other tests because it is a written paper test. When you go to the Assessment area you will see the link to start the writing test (with either a group or individual). You won't be able to see the reading, writing or speaking tests here. You must add students to the EAL REGISTER first, this will generate their username (which can be seen in their profile or on the eal register) and you then log them in (at the same place as you login) using that and the password ealstar2026.

Once you have logged in you can go to Account at the top of the page and select Account Settings. Once there you will see there is an area for Teacher Accounts. You can add more staff here. You can create logins with usernames and passwords which means you can create ones for year groups or departments to share. Just be sure to remind staff that it is crucial they protect the login details to protect student data.

You can also add more ADMIN level users. This is for use when more than one person is responsible for EAL/D within a school. Admin level users can add to pupil profiles, add and remove students from the register, mark and change assessments and delete data. Please only allocate someone as an admin (by ticking the check box when you add more teachers) if they need this level of access. Of data is deleted by other admins then it cannot easily be re-located and sometimes a fee is charged if it can be recovered as it is a lengthy process.

Firstly ensure that you have selected PROGRESS REPORTS on the top left. You will then see a date range at the top, make sure this incorporates the test dates. Finally, a drop-down menu allows you to select YEAR, MONTH or DAY. If the tests were taken in the same month, then select day, otherwise select month. Remember that if you change any aspects of the chart then you need to click on apply to update the chart information.

Many factors can affect progress in English, however it is important to understand that regardless of barriers to learning, becoming proficient in English is a long process. The average timeframe for becoming conversationally competent is around 2 years - this is known as Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)

To become academically fluent the process can take 5 - 7 years with consistent input - this is known as Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) This is why it is so important to regularly assess the English proficiency levels of your learners as it may take much longer to see progress in line with age related expectations, but they will likely be making progress linguistically.

This test aligns broadly with the Australian EAL/D Language Proficiency Scale. This levels students from Beginning phase to Consolidating phase. These levels can be linked to other common assessments such as the Bell Foundation descriptors or the UK DfE scale (A-E), CEFR etc. If you would like a copy of this comparison then pop over to Downloads on the platform to grab a copy.

The writing assessment is assessed differently to the other tests because it is a written paper test. When you go to the Assessment area you will see the link to start the writing test (with either a group or individual). You won't be able to see the reading, writing or speaking tests here. You must add students to the EAL REGISTER first, this will generate their username (which can be seen in their profile or on the eal register) and you then log them in (at the same place as you login) using that and the password ealstar2025.

Once you have logged in you can go to Account at the top of the page and select Account Settings. Once there you will see there is an area for Teacher Accounts. You can add more staff here. You can create logins with usernames and passwords which means you can create ones for year groups or departments to share. Just be sure to remind staff that it is crucial they protect the login details to protect student data.

You can also add more ADMIN level users. This is for use when more than one person is responsible for EAL/D within a school. Admin level users can add to pupil profiles, add and remove students from the register, mark and change assessments and delete data. Please only allocate someone as an admin (by ticking the check box when you add more teachers) if they need this level of access. Of data is deleted by other admins then it cannot easily be re-located and sometimes a fee is charged if it can be recovered as it is a lengthy process.

Our Company securely stores your data on Cloudways - Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting solution that is fully protected with end-to-end encryption that ensures that all data in transit is protected and encrypted with HTTPS protocol, preventing access to data during transfer from one system to another. We store data in the UK.

It is also important to note that we do not have access to most of the data that you add to the platform, identifying pupil data is anonymised and as such we can never see pupil names/usernames etc. We instead rely on ID numbers to identify pupils in cases where you require assistance or where something is not working as it should be. Pupil ID numbers can be found underneath their username.

EAL Star complies with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). We take the privacy and security of student and school data seriously and have systems and processes in place to ensure information is collected, stored and used responsibly.

All student and school data is securely hosted on servers located in Australia and protected using industry-standard security measures. Access to information is restricted to authorised users only, with individual logins helping to keep data secure at all times. We collect only the information required to support EAL/D assessment, tracking and reporting, and data is never shared with third parties without consent.

EAL/D Star supports schools in meeting their own privacy obligations by providing a secure platform for managing EAL/D data and maintaining accurate records in line with Australian requirements.

 We also have a Data Sharing Agreement and Data Processing Agreement available if you require this. Please get in touch to discuss this further.

EAL Star supports schools in meeting their own privacy obligations by providing a secure platform for managing EAL/D data and maintaining accurate records in line with Australian requirements.. Please see the following policies for more information:

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

We will only retain your personal data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or reporting requirements. We may retain your personal data for a longer period in the event of a complaint or if we reasonably believe there is a prospect of litigation in respect to our relationship with you.

To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or other requirements. After an account has expired, we will safely retain data for a period of 6 months to allow for opportunity to re-subscribe and reinstate access to your school assessment and tracking data. You will be notified by email 2 weeks before the 6-month period, to let you know a full deletion is about to occur. After this it will not be possible to reinstate any historic data, even if your school re-subscribes at a later date.

By law we have to keep basic information about our customers (including Contact, Identity, Financial and Transaction Data) for six years after they cease being customers for tax purposes.

In some circumstances we will anonymise your personal data (so that it can no longer be associated with you) for research or statistical purposes, in which case we may use this information indefinitely without further notice to you.