The Use of English section is the second section of the exam. It takes 50 minutes and consists of 4 parts testing grammar and vocabulary for both General and Academic English.
| Part | Marks | Advised time limit | Part description | Purpose and Focus |
| Part 1: Task1
5 Multiple-choice sentences, each with three options (General Vocabulary) |
10 | 5 minutes
|
You have to decide which is the correct multiple choice answer (A, B, or C ) to complete each gap in 5 sentences altogether.
2 marks for each correct answer. |
Task 1 tests your General English Vocabulary for B2 (Upper Intermediate) level on CEFR- idioms, collocations, shades of meaning, phrasal verbs, fixed phrases etc. |
| Part 1: Task 2
10 Multiple-choice sentences, each with three options (Academic Vocabulary) |
20
|
10 minutes | For each question (1-5) you need to choose the correct letter (A, B, or C ) of the word that best fits each gap.
For each question (6-10) you have to choose the correct letter (A, B, or C ) of the sentence or phrase that best matches each graph. 2 marks for each correct answer. |
Task 2 tests applicant’s fundamental knowledge in English for General Academic Purposes and English for Specific Purposes focused on engineering. |
| Part 2: 5 Multiple-choice sentences, each with three options (grammar) | 10 | 10 minutes | You are given 5 gapped sentences and have to decide which is the correct multiple choice answer (A, B, or C ) to complete each gap..
2 marks for each correct answer. |
Part 2 tests your Grammar for B2 (Upper Intermediate) level on CEFR |
| Part 3 Word formation (general and academic vocabulary) | 10 | 15 minutes | A short passage or separate sentences containing ten gaps. Each gap represents a word. At the end of the line is a ‘prompt’ word which you have to change in some way (e.g. through the use of prefixes and suffixes) to fit into the gap correctly.
1 mark for each correct answer. |
Part 3 focuses on the most common types of word formation: affixation (prefixes and suffixes) and compounding (combining two, or sometimes three or more, existing words). |
| Part 4: Sentence transformation – 5 sentences | 10 | 10 minutes | Part 4 consists of 5 sentences followed by a ‘key’ word and a second gapped sentence. You have to use this key word and a different structural pattern to complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence.
2 marks for each correct answer. |
Part 4 tests your grammar and vocabulary for B 2 level on CEFR. The focus is primarily on:
§ Active to Passive Transformation § Conditional sentences § Clauses of Concession § Clauses of Purpose § Impersonal constructions |