Creating Opportunity Worldwide

Understanding what the examiners are looking for in the writing and
speaking part of the Aptis test
Use the candidates guide to answer the following questions

Aptis Writing (p26- )

Decide if these statements are true or false
1. The writing test is 50 minutes long. T
2. Each writing task must be performed within the given time. Once the time is up, the computer will
automatically move to the next task. T
3. The first task requires you to fill in a form accurately therefore the most important things to focus on is
capitalization and spelling. T
4. The second task requires you to give write simple grammatically sentences. T
5. The most common error is part two is that candidates to not write enough words therefore they are
marked down. F
6. The third task requires you to respond to social media (forum) questions. T
7. You should write no more than 40 words for each question. F
8. You answers should be well-linked together (cohesive) and they should be easily understood (coherent)
T
9. Task four is the most difficult task and therefore requires the most time. T
10. In task four it is important to show the examiner that you can write a warm and personal email to a
friend and a formal impersonal email to a company. T

Aptis Speaking p34-)

Answer the following questions
1. What are the 7 most common errors made by candidates?
Not doing a proper sound check. Not speaking clearly. Not answering the questions. Giving underlength answers not using the full amount of time to speak. Overusing words such as and and so.
Speaking in simple sentence lists. Not using a variety of sentence structures.
2. What kind of topics will you be asked to talk about in part one?
Personal Information Giving
3. How many pictures do you describe in part 2?
Two questions
4. How long will you be required to speak for?
4.5 mins
5. Why should you vary your intonation?
To show your confidence
6. What will you be asked to do in part three?
In this task the candidate is asked to compare two pictures and then answer two questions related to
the topic.
7. What kind of question will the final question in part three ask you to do?
Hypothesis and speculation
8. How should you prepare for part three task?
it is a good idea to practice comparing two different things (e.g. two cities or two houses).
9. What will you be asked to do in part four of the speaking?
In the final task theres a prompt supported by a picture, though the picture is not central to answering
the task.
10. What are the common errors made by candidates when doing part four?
11. How should you prepare for this task?

Contributed by: (double click here & enter your name)

The British Council, 2014
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities.
British Council Malaysia is a branch (995232-A) of the British Council, registered as a charity in England and Wales (209131) and Scotland (SC037733)