VTest Academic English
The Burlington VTest Academic English has been carefully designed to meet the demands of higher education institutions and prepare students for success in rigorous academic environments. Whether for admissions, placement, or tracking academic progress, VTest Academic English provides a reliable and precise measure of a student’s ability to thrive in English-medium institutions.
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Exam Modules
The Burlington VTest Academic English exam is designed for people who speak English as a second or foreign language, typically aged 16 and above, seeking to demonstrate their English proficiency in academic contexts. The exam is modular and can be taken in different combinations of one, two, three, or four skills.
The VTest Academic English exam can be administered either onsite, or remotely, with online proctoring tools.
Listening Module
Recordings
Minutes*
Questions
✔️ Adaptive format: recordings and questions adjust to each candidate’s performance
✔️ 7 recordings and 21 questions in total
✔️ Each recording is heard only once
✔️ Duration: up to 25 minutes to complete, though most candidates finish much faster
Module Overview
Candidates progress through sets of recordings and questions that adapt to their ability.
Their performance on earlier sets determines which set they will hear next; subsequent sets are similarly based on candidates’ performance.
- Each recording is heard once and it is either a monologue or a dialogue.
- Candidates have 30 seconds to review questions before each passage 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.
Format
Reading Module
Texts
Minutes*
Questions
✔️ Adaptive format: texts and questions adjust to each candidate’s performance
✔️ 7 texts and 21 questions in total
✔️ Duration: up to 35 minutes to complete, though most candidates finish much faster
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 7 texts and answer 21 questions in total.
- 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.
Format
Writing Module
Parts
Minutes*
Questions
✔️ Adaptive format based on candidate’s performance on a pre-writing task
✔️ 2 writing tasks
✔️ Duration: approximately 35 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 read 9 paragraphs, each with a missing sentence, and choose the most suitable sentence from three options to complete each paragraph.
- Duration: approximately 7 minutes to complete the task.
- Candidates are assessed on their ability to identify which sentence uses correct grammar, vocabulary, and cohesive devices to complete the paragraph.
Part 2
Candidates write a personal essay in response to a prompt, which can be in the form of 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 write an essay that provides the relevant information in a suitable style, with an appropriate range of grammar and vocabulary. This task is scored by the VTest automated scoring system.
Part 3
Candidates write an academic essay in response to a prompt, which can be in the form of 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 write an essay that provides the relevant information in a suitable style, with an appropriate range of grammar and vocabulary.
Speaking Module
Parts
Minutes*
Questions
✔️ Semi-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 read a Cloze text with 12 gaps; for each gap, they choose the best answer from a drop-down menu with three options. The text is written to resemble a spoken text transcript.
- Duration: approximately 5 minutes to complete this task.
- Candidates are assessed on their comprehension and selection of the most contextually appropriate response.
Part 2
It is a picture-based task, with candidates answering three questions about a given picture.
- Duration: approximately 5 minutes to complete this task.
- Candidates are assessed on their ability to speak fluently on a set of related topics using an appropriate range of grammar and vocabulary. This task is scored by the VTest automated scoring system.
Part 3
It is an open-ended task, where candidates respond to a set of two related prompts.
- Duration: approximately 5 minutes to complete this task.
- Candidates are assessed on their ability to speak fluently on a set of related topics using an appropriate range of grammar and vocabulary. This task is scored by the VTest automated scoring system.
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