Prepare for Aptis General

The Grammar and Vocabulary component is the core element of the Aptis test. It has two parts and you will have 25 minutes to complete it.

The first part tests your knowledge of English grammar and the second part focuses on your knowledge of English vocabulary.

The Grammar and vocabulary test is marked on a scale from 0 to 50. No CEFR level is awarded for this component but the score is used to assign you to the correct CEFR level for the other skill components.

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Answer key

Part 1: Grammar

In the Grammar section, you will be presented with 25 multiple choice questions where you should complete a sentence by choosing the correct option. Read the whole sentence before choosing the answer.

You can flag up questions you find difficult and go back to complete them later in the test.

Part 2: Vocabulary

The vocabulary part also has 25 questions. There are several question types:

Word definition - match a word to its definition.

Word pairs - match a word to another word of very similar meaning.

Word usage - choose a word to be used in the context of a sentence.

Word combinations - combine words that are frequently used together.

Top tips for the Grammar and vocabulary test

• Read all the options before choosing your answer.
• After you have chosen an option, read the sentence again to check your answer before you move on.
• Do not spend too long on any of the questions. Remember you have to answer 50 questions in 25 minutes. If you can’t think of the answer immediately, it’s better to continue with the test and then come back to it later. 
• Improve your vocabulary through practice games and activities on the LearnEnglish website.

The Aptis Listening Test contains 17 tasks and a total of 20 different recordings focusing on different aspects of real-life listening. You will have around 40 minutes to complete the listening test.

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Answer key

Part 1: Information recognition

In this section, you need to identify specific information such as a phone number, a time or a place by listening to a short message or a dialogue.

Part 2: Information matching

Here you will listen to short monologues on a common topic by four different people. You will be asked to match each speaker to a piece of information.

Part 3: Inference - discussion

Here you will listen to a man and woman discuss a topic and express certain opinions about the topic. You will be asked to identify who expresses which opinion.

Part 4: Inference - longer monologues

You will listen to two longer monologues on different topics. You will be asked to identify the speaker’s opinion or point of view on two aspects of the topic.

To listen, just click on the Play button. You can hear each recording twice.

Tips for your listening test:

• Read the questions carefully before listening, identify key words and understand what it is you need to listen for.
• Watch for synonyms – you may see a word in a question and hear a different word with a similar meaning in the audio.
• Use the second listening to check or confirm your answer.
• Listen to the whole recording before choosing your answer. 

This component is divided into four sections and the tasks become more difficult as the test progresses. The maximum time allowed for the reading component for is 35 minutes.

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Answer key

Part 1: Sentence comprehension

In this first section, you will read a short text in the form of a note or an email. For five of the sentences in the text, you need to choose a word to complete each sentence. This part tests your ability to read and understand simple sentences. Make sure you read each sentence and all the possible answers carefully before making your choice.

Part 2: Text cohesion

In this section, there are two different texts. Each text consists of six sentences, but only the first sentence is in the correct place. For each text, you will be asked to put the other five sentences in the correct order to make a complete text. There is only one correct way to organise the sentences.

Part 3: Opinion matching

In this section you will read a text of four separate paragraphs on a common topic. Each paragraph represents a person’s opinions or preferences about the topic. You will be asked to match the people to seven statements provided.

Part 4: Long text comprehension

In this section, you will read a long text (about 750 words) consisting of eight paragraphs. You are provided with eight headings. Your task is to match seven of the headings to seven of the paragraphs in the text.

This tests your ability to understand a long text. Read the text carefully but as quickly as you can. Then read the headings. Do this all before starting the task. For each paragraph, choose the heading that best sums up the meaning of that paragraph.

Top tips for the reading test

• Read all the sentences carefully first, then decide on the correct order. You need to look for words that show how the sentences link with each other.
• To perform well in section two, first read each paragraph so you understand each person’s point of view. Then read the statements and decide which person’s opinion it best represents.
• In section three it is necessary to scroll the reading text to see all of it. Select the appropriate heading from the drop-down list on the left-hand side. There is always an extra heading that does not fit with any paragraph.
• And finally, it is important to remember that the best way to become a better reader is to practise. Easy books written especially for English language learners might help.

The Aptis Speaking component tests your ability to communicate in English in real-life situations. It takes about 12 minutes and it is divided into four sections. On the test day, your responses will be recorded and marked by our examiners.

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Marking scales

Part 1: Sentence comprehension

You will be asked three questions about yourself and your interests. You are expected to speak for 30 seconds for each question.

Part 2: Describe, express opinion and provide reasons and explanations

You will be asked to describe a photograph, then answer two questions on the topic of the photograph. The questions will ask you to talk about your own experience of the topic and to comment on some more general aspect of the topic. In this part you are expected to speak for 45 seconds for each response.

Part 3: Describe, compare and provide reasons and explanations

You will be asked to describe two photographs, then answer two questions on the topic of the photographs. The questions will ask you to compare some aspect of the topic and to express an opinion on or speculate about the topic. Again, you are expected to speak for 45 seconds for each response.

Part 4: Discuss personal experience and opinion on an abstract topic

You will be asked three questions on a single topic and given one minute to prepare an answer. You can take brief notes and use these to help structure your answer. You are expected to talk for two minutes.

Top tips for the speaking test

• Make sure you understand the questions and respond appropriately and fully. Try to explain or expand your answers.
• Use your preparation time in section four efficiently; keep your notes short and simple, and think about how to structure your ideas logically
• Practice speaking as much as you can, do not worry too much about mistakes. Instead, focus on whether your message was successfully communicated.
• Record yourself speaking and try to improve your vocabulary and pronunciation. To prepare for speaking test, record yourself speaking as fluently as possible for a minute or two.

Try the following topics:

• introducing yourself;
• talking about your personal experiences & preferences;
• comparing two different things - perhaps two cities or two houses

 When you listen to your recording the key things to note are:

• grammatical accuracy
• appropriacy of vocabulary
• effective pronunciation
• hesitation
• well-sequenced ideas properly linked together

In this part of the test you will be able to demonstrate your ability to use written English in real-life situations. There are four parts to the Writing test, all linked by a common topic.

You will be given a specific context in which you have joined a club, a course or a group. You will respond to questions, contribute to a social-media type interaction, and write emails. On the test day, all tasks are marked by an examiner.

The maximum time allowed for the reading component for Aptis General is 50 minutes.

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Marking scales

Part 1: Word-level writing

In this part you need to respond in single words or short phrases to five text messages from another member of the club or group.

Part 2: Short text writing

In this part, you will respond to a request for information from the club or group by writing sentences. You are asked to write 20 to 30 words. You should focus on writing sentences that are relevant to the request and have accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Part 3: Three written responses to questions

You will have to respond to three questions from other members of the club or group on a social network platform. You are asked to write around 40 words for each response.

Part 4: Formal and informal writing

Here you are expected to write two emails in response to some information you have received from the club or group.

You are asked to write a short informal email of 40 to 50 words to a friend, and a longer formal email of 120 to 150 words to a person in authority. Both emails are on the same topic, but should differ in terms of the language you use. 

Make sure that you use the appropriate vocabulary for each email and also that you use linking devices to make the text coherent. Also watch your grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Top tips for the writing test:

• Make sure you fully understand the question and respond appropriately
• Plan what you are going to write before you start
• Remember to review your writing and correct any errors, before moving to the next question
• Keep to the word limit – there is a word counter to help you keep track.
• Focus on accuracy