VTest General English
The Burlington VTest General English is the best suited exam for mid-stake purposes, such as workplace and HR assessments, level and skill mapping, and language auditing across organizations. The exam places candidates across a 10-level CEFR scale in all four skill areas: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing.
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Exam Modules
The Burlington VTest General English exam is designed for non-native English speakers, typically aged 16 and above, who want to demonstrate proficiency in general communication. The exam is modular, and can be taken in different combinations of one, two, three, or four skills.
Listening Module
Recordings
Minutes*
Questions
✔️Adaptive format: recordings and questions adjust to each candidate’s performance
✔️8–12 recordings and 12–26 questions, depending on level
✔️ Each recording is heard only once
✔️ Duration varies by level: approximately 20 minutes for Pre-A1/A1 and up to 45 minutes for C2
Module Overview
Candidates progress through sets of recordings and questions that adapt to their ability.
Their performance on earlier sets determines which set of recordings they will hear next; subsequent sets are similarly based on candidates’ performance.
- Each recording is heard once and it is either a talk with one speaker, or a conversation with two speakers.
- Candidates have 30 seconds to review questions before each recording and another 30 seconds to respond after listening; a countdown timer shows the time remaining.
- When time is up, candidates auto-advance to the next passage, but can also self-advance using the NEXT button if they finish sooner.
Reading Module
Texts
Minutes*
Questions
✔️Adaptive format: texts and questions adjust to each candidate’s performance
✔️ 9 texts and 12–26 questions, depending on level
✔️ Duration: approximately 18 minutes
Duration by level: approximately 15 minutes for Pre-A1/A1 and up to 35 minutes for C2
Module Overview
Candidates progress through sets of texts and questions that adapt to their ability. Performance on the first set of texts determines which text they will see next, with each subsequent set adjusting based on their previous performance.
- Candidates read 9 texts and answer 12-26 questions in total, depending on their level.
- Each text has a time limit of up to five minutes, with a countdown timer showing the remaining time.
- When time is up, candidates auto-advance to the next text, but can also self-advance using the NEXT button if they finish sooner.
Writing Module
Parts
Minutes*
Questions
✔️Adaptive format based on candidate’s performance on a pre-writing task
✔️ 2 writing tasks – 3 prompts in total
✔️ Duration: approximately 45 minutes
Part 1
This is a pre-writing task. Results from this part are not part of the final Writing score. They are only used to determine the level of prompts in Parts 2 and 3.
Candidates arrange 9 scrambled sentences to form grammatically correct sentences.
- Duration: 7 minutes to complete the task.
- Candidates are assessed on their ability to organize sentences logically and grammatically.
Part 2
Candidates respond to two prompts based on a picture.
- Prompt 1 requires a description of the visual content.
Duration: 30 seconds to prepare and 5 minutes to respond
Word count requirements vary by proficiency level:
A1 and A2: 30 words
B1 and B2: 40 words
C1 and C2: 50 words - Prompt 2 asks for personal viewpoints or ideas related to the image.
Duration: 30 seconds to prepare and 15 minutes to respond
Word count requirements vary by proficiency level:
A1 and A2: 80 words
B1 and B2: 150 words
C1 and C2: 200 words - Candidates are assessed on their ability to describe content accurately and articulate personal viewpoints within the word limit. This task is scored by the VTest automated scoring system.
Part 3
Part 3 is an essay task in which candidates respond to a prompt (either a question or statement).
- Duration: 1 minute to prepare and 15 minutes to respond
- Word count requirements vary by proficiency level:
A1 and A2: 80 words
B1 and B2: 150 words
C1 and C2: 200 words - Candidates are assessed on their ability to develop and structure an extended written response. This task is scored by the VTest automated scoring system.
Speaking Module
Parts
Minutes*
Questions
✔️Adaptive format based on candidate’s performance on a pre-speaking task
✔️ 3 parts, each with a different focus
✔️ Duration: approximately 15 minutes
Part 1
This is a pre-speaking task. Results from this part are not part of the final Speaking score. They are only used to determine the level of prompts in Parts 2 and 3.
Candidates hear 9 statements or questions, each followed by three possible responses. They choose the best response, presented both audibly and in writing.
- Approximately 7 minutes are required to complete this task.
- Candidates are assessed on their comprehension and selection of the most contextually appropriate response.
Part 2
Candidates are presented with a text to read aloud, followed by two questions
- First question assesses comprehension.
- Second question prompts a personal opinion.
- Approximately 4 minutes are required to complete this task.
- Candidates are assessed on their ability to read fluently, demonstrate comprehension, and express personal viewpoints. This task is scored by the VTest automated scoring system.
Part 3
This part is picture-based task, in which candidates view two pictures and answer three questions about them.
- Approximately 4 minutes are required to complete this task.
- Candidates are assessed on their ability to describe visual content and respond to questions with relevant details and opinions. This task is scored by the VTest automated scoring system.
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