Preliminary English Test (PET)

This is an examination based on the Council of Europes Threshold specification, which tests the language skills needed to survive in social and work situations in an English-speaking environment.

There are four components:

Reading

Candidates are expected to be able to understand public notices and signs. They must also be able to read and understand short factual texts in detail, scan factual material for information and read passages for gist (identifying the source, understanding the purpose and attitude of the writer, etc.). Texts are usually authentic public notices, signs, advertisements, news articles, etc.

There are five compulsory sections, each with five to ten items of the following task types: multiple-choice, matching, true/false.

Writing

Candidates must be able to give information, report events, describe situations and express opinions, taking into account the specified audience and purpose.

There are three compulsory tasks. The first requires the candidate to transform the grammatical structures of five sentences so that they keep their original meaning. The second involves filling in a form containing ten items. The third requires the candidate to complete a short, relatively free writing task (letter, postcard, report etc.) conveying information, usually to an English-speaking friend. The response should be about 100 words in length.

Listening

Candidates must be able to understand short dialogues and extract factual information (location, identification, opening times, weather, etc.) from them. They are also expected to make sense of longer dialogues and to show an appreciation of the attitudes of the speakers. Listening texts include specially recorded announcements, news items and conversations.

There are four sections, lasting approximately thirty minutes in all, with twenty-five items of the following task types: multiple-choice, gap-filling, true/false.

Speaking

Candidates are tested in pairs by two examiners (an Interlocuter and an assessor) and must be able to carry on a general conversation about themselves, participate in a role-play and talk about a situation depicted in a photograph. Candidates are expected to respond to photographs, pictures, etc., to ask and understand questions and to answer appropriately.

Weighting of components

Each component is equally weighted and carries 25% of the total marks.

Results

There are two pass grades: Pass and Pass with Merit, and two fail grades: Narrow Fail and Fail. Certificates are awarded to all successful candidates.