Privacy policy
English.me is a free English level test. This page explains what we collect when you use it, why, and what you can do about it.
Who we are
English.me (“we”, “us”) runs the website at English.me. If you have a question about your data, write to info@english.me.
What we collect when you take the test
- Your answers: each question you saw, the option you chose (or “I don’t know”), whether it was right and how long you took.
- What you tell us: how you rate your English before the test and, if you choose to answer, the level another test gave you.
- Your result: the level and score worked out from your answers.
- Your language: the language you use the site in.
- Your IP address and browser: the internet address your device used and your browser’s user agent, which names the browser, operating system and type of device. We use them for statistics, such as which countries and devices people take the test from, and to spot abuse. Your country is worked out from the IP address.
- How you found us: the first page you opened on English.me and the website that sent you there, if any (for example, a search engine).
We don’t ask for your email and you don’t need an account. Each result gets a random code, like english.me/c/abc123, that isn’t linked to who you are.
Things you choose to add
- A name for your share card and challenge page. Anyone with your challenge link can see it.
- A full name for your certificate. Anyone with the certificate link or code can see it, so that it can be checked.
Both are optional. If you leave them out, nothing about you appears on those pages.
Usage counts
To see how the site is doing, we count simple events, such as a page being opened, a test starting or finishing, or a share button being used. Each count is stored with the time, the site language and, when there is one, the test code. Counts aren’t linked to your IP address.
Server logs
Like almost every website, our web server keeps a log of requests: your IP address, the page asked for, the time and your browser’s user agent. We use these logs only to keep the site running and secure, and they are deleted after about six months.
Cookies
English.me sets only the cookies it needs to work:
- lang
- Remembers the language you picked. Kept for 1 year.
- em_res
- Lets this browser reopen your latest results (up to 10). It holds a secret key for each result and can’t be read by scripts on the page. Kept for 2 years.
Google Analytics and Google’s advertising, described below, can set cookies of their own.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand how people find and use the site: which pages they open, roughly where they are (country or city), what device and browser they use, and which site or search brought them here. It gives us totals, not names.
- It sets cookies (_ga and _ga_JM2Y5S0MVZ, kept for up to 2 years) to recognise returning visitors.
- You can block it with Google’s opt-out add-on or in your browser’s privacy settings.
Advertising
English.me shows ads from Google AdSense, which pay for the site.
Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to English.me and other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to English.me and/or other sites on the internet.
- You can turn off personalised ads in Google’s Ads Settings, and opt out of personalised ads from some other vendors at aboutads.info.
- If you are in the European Economic Area, the UK or Switzerland, we ask for your consent before personalised ads are used, and you can change your choice at any time.
- Google explains how it uses this data in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.
We never give advertisers your answers, your result or the names you add.
Why we use your data
- To run the test and show your result, because you asked us to.
- To show the names you add, because you chose to add them. You can ask us to remove them at any time.
- To keep the site working, secure and accurate, which is our legitimate interest. This covers the usage counts and the server logs. It also covers using answers, without names, to fine-tune how hard each question is.
- To produce statistics about the test, such as which countries and devices it is taken from, using the IP address and browser stored with each test. This is our legitimate interest.
- To understand how the site is used (Google Analytics), which is our legitimate interest.
- To show personalised ads, with your consent where the law requires it.
Who we share it with
We don’t sell your data. Our hosting provider stores the server and the data on it for us. We would only disclose data to others if the law required it.
Google receives the data described under Google Analytics, and Google and its partners the data described under Advertising.
How long we keep it
We keep test results for as long as English.me runs, so that the links you share keep working, unless you ask us to delete them. Server logs are deleted after about six months.
The IP address and browser stored with a test are kept for as long as the result.
Your rights
You can ask to see, correct or delete the data linked to your result, or object to how we use it. Since we don’t know who you are, email info@english.me with your result link or certificate code so that we can find it.
If you live in the EU or the UK, you can also complain to your data protection authority.
Children
English.me isn’t directed at children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect personal information from them. The test itself doesn’t ask for any.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we’ll update this page and the date at the top.