VTest Academic English
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 provides a reliable and precise measure of a student’s ability to thrive in English-medium institutions.
Test Modules
The Burlington VTest Academic test 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 test is modular and can be taken in different combinations of one, two, three, or four skills.
Listening Format
The Listening section is adaptive. Candidates progress through sets of passages and questions based on their ability. Candidates’ performance on earlier passages determines which passage they will hear next; subsequent passages are similarly based on candidates’ performance.
Candidates hear 7 passages and answer 21 questions in total (3 questions for each listening passage). They have time to read the questions before the audio plays, with a countdown timer showing the time remaining. After candidates listen to the audio, they have additional time to answer the questions. When time is up, candidates auto-advance to the next passage, but can also self-advance using the NEXT button, if they are finished sooner. The test takes up to 23 minutes to complete, though most candidates finish much faster.
Assessment
Candidates receive a CEFR score for the Listening section based on their overall performance.
Familiarize yourself with the question types.
*Each question has a time limit.
Passages
Minutes*
Questions
01
Listening Format
Format
Reading Format
The Reading section (like the Listening section) is adaptive. Candidates progress through sets of passages and questions based on their ability. Candidates’ performance on earlier passages determines which passage they will hear next; subsequent passages are similarly based on candidates’ performance.
Candidates read 7 passages and answer 21 questions in total (3 questions for each reading passage). For each reading passage, they have five minutes to read and answer the questions. A countdown timer shows candidates how much time is remaining. When time is up, candidates auto-advance to the next passage, but can also self-advance using the NEXT button, if they are finished sooner. The test takes up to 35 minutes to complete, though most candidates finish much
Assessment
Candidates receive a CEFR score for the Reading section based on their overall performance.
Familiarize yourself with the question types.
*Each question has a time limit.
Passages
Minutes Max*
Questions
01
Reading Format
Format
There are three parts to the Speaking section, each with a different focus.
Part 1 – is a pre-speaking task. Candidates read a passage with 12 gaps (Cloze passage); for each gap, they choose the best answer from a drop-down menu with three options. The reading passage is written to resemble a spoken text.
Candidates are assessed on their ability to identify correct grammar and vocabulary for each gap. Performance on Part 1 determines what candidates will see in Parts 2 and 3.
Part 2 – is a picture-based task, with candidates answering questions about a given picture.
Candidates are assessed on their ability to speak fluently on a set of related topics using an appropriate range of grammar and vocabulary.
Part 3 – is an open-ended task, where candidates respond to a set of two related prompts.
Candidates are assessed on their ability to speak fluently on a set of related topics using an appropriate range of grammar and vocabulary.
Scores
Part 1 scores are used to align candidates with level-appropriate prompts in Parts 2 and 3, and are not included in determining the candidates’ Speaking levels. The final Speaking score is an average of scores from Parts 2 and 3.
Familiarize yourself with the question types.
* Each question has a limited time for answering
Parts
Minutes Max*
Cloze Passage
Speaking Prompts
01
Speaking Part 1
Task : Grammar & Vocabulary (Pre-Speaking)
Description :
- 1 Cloze passage with 12 multiple-choice items
- Used to determine prompts for Parts 2 and 3
02
Speaking Part 2
Task : Pictures
Description : 1 picture plus 3 questions
03
Speaking Part 3
Task : Discuss a Topic
Description : 1 set of 2 related prompts?
There are three parts to the Writing section, each with a different focus.
Part 1 – is a pre-writing task. Candidates read 9 paragraphs, each with a missing sentence, and choose the most suitable sentence from three options to complete each paragraph.
Candidates are assessed on their ability to identify which sentence uses correct grammar, vocabulary, and cohesive devices to complete the paragraph. Performance on Part 1 determines what candidates will see in Parts 2 and 3.
Part 2 – requires candidates to write a personal essay in response to a prompt, which can be in the form of a question or statement.
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.
Part 3 – requires candidates to write an academic essay in response to a prompt, which can be in the form of a question or statement.
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.
Scores
Part 1 scores are used to align candidates with level-appropriate prompts in Parts 2 and 3, and are not included in determining the candidates’ Writing levels. The final Writing score is an average of scores from Parts 2 and 3.
Familiarize yourself with the question types.
* Each question has a limited time for answering
Parts
Minutes Max*
Questions
Writing Prompts
01
Writing Part 1
Task : Insert a Sentence (Pre-Writing)
Description :
- 9 multiple-choice items
- Used to determine levels for Parts 2–3
02
Writing Part 2
Task : Personal Essay
Description :
- 1 prompt
- Candidates write 50–100 words
03
Writing Part 3
Task : Academic Essay
Description :
- 1 prompt
- Candidates write 50–100 words
Listening Format
The Listening section is adaptive. Candidates progress through sets of passages and questions based on their ability. Candidates’ performance on earlier passages determines which passage they will hear next; subsequent passages are similarly based on candidates’ performance.
Candidates hear 7 passages and answer 21 questions in total (3 questions for each listening passage). They have time to read the questions before the audio plays, with a countdown timer showing the time remaining. After candidates listen to the audio, they have additional time to answer the questions. When time is up, candidates auto-advance to the next passage, but can also self-advance using the NEXT button, if they are finished sooner. The test takes up to 23 minutes to complete, though most candidates finish much faster.
Assessment
Candidates receive a CEFR score for the Listening section based on their overall performance.
Familiarize yourself with the question types.
*Each question has a time limit.
Passages
Minutes*
Questions
01
Listening Format
Format
Reading Format
The Reading section (like the Listening section) is adaptive. Candidates progress through sets of passages and questions based on their ability. Candidates’ performance on earlier passages determines which passage they will hear next; subsequent passages are similarly based on candidates’ performance.
Candidates read 7 passages and answer 21 questions in total (3 questions for each reading passage). For each reading passage, they have five minutes to read and answer the questions. A countdown timer shows candidates how much time is remaining. When time is up, candidates auto-advance to the next passage, but can also self-advance using the NEXT button, if they are finished sooner. The test takes up to 35 minutes to complete, though most candidates finish much
Assessment
Candidates receive a CEFR score for the Reading section based on their overall performance.
Familiarize yourself with the question types.
*Each question has a time limit.
Passages
Minutes Max*
Questions
01
Reading Format
Format
There are three parts to the Speaking section, each with a different focus.
Part 1 – is a pre-speaking task. Candidates read a passage with 12 gaps (Cloze passage); for each gap, they choose the best answer from a drop-down menu with three options. The reading passage is written to resemble a spoken text.
Candidates are assessed on their ability to identify correct grammar and vocabulary for each gap. Performance on Part 1 determines what candidates will see in Parts 2 and 3.
Part 2 – is a picture-based task, with candidates answering questions about a given picture.
Candidates are assessed on their ability to speak fluently on a set of related topics using an appropriate range of grammar and vocabulary.
Part 3 – is an open-ended task, where candidates respond to a set of two related prompts.
Candidates are assessed on their ability to speak fluently on a set of related topics using an appropriate range of grammar and vocabulary.
Scores
Part 1 scores are used to align candidates with level-appropriate prompts in Parts 2 and 3, and are not included in determining the candidates’ Speaking levels. The final Speaking score is an average of scores from Parts 2 and 3.
Familiarize yourself with the question types.
* Each question has a limited time for answering
Parts
Minutes Max*
Cloze Passage
Speaking Prompts
01
Speaking Part 1
Task : Grammar & Vocabulary (Pre-Speaking)
Description :
- 1 Cloze passage with 12 multiple-choice items
- Used to determine prompts for Parts 2 and 3
02
Speaking Part 2
Task : Pictures
Description : 1 picture plus 3 questions
03
Speaking Part 3
Task : Discuss a Topic
Description : 1 set of 2 related prompts?
There are three parts to the Writing section, each with a different focus.
Part 1 – is a pre-writing task. Candidates read 9 paragraphs, each with a missing sentence, and choose the most suitable sentence from three options to complete each paragraph.
Candidates are assessed on their ability to identify which sentence uses correct grammar, vocabulary, and cohesive devices to complete the paragraph. Performance on Part 1 determines what candidates will see in Parts 2 and 3.
Part 2 – requires candidates to write a personal essay in response to a prompt, which can be in the form of a question or statement.
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.
Part 3 – requires candidates to write an academic essay in response to a prompt, which can be in the form of a question or statement.
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.
Scores
Part 1 scores are used to align candidates with level-appropriate prompts in Parts 2 and 3, and are not included in determining the candidates’ Writing levels. The final Writing score is an average of scores from Parts 2 and 3.
Familiarize yourself with the question types.
* Each question has a limited time for answering
Parts
Minutes Max*
Questions
Writing Prompts
01
Writing Part 1
Task : Insert a Sentence (Pre-Writing)
Description :
- 9 multiple-choice items
- Used to determine levels for Parts 2–3
02
Writing Part 2
Task : Personal Essay
Description :
- 1 prompt
- Candidates write 50–100 words
03
Writing Part 3
Task : Academic Essay
Description :
- 1 prompt
- Candidates write 50–100 words
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