Prepare for the test

CELP measures the English you already have. Preparation will not move you several bands, but it will stop you losing marks to surprise — not knowing that a recording plays once, or discovering your microphone is muted with forty seconds on the clock.

Before you start

• Use a laptop or desktop with a working camera and microphone. A phone will struggle with the writing task.
• Use Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, kept up to date.
• Sit somewhere quiet, well lit, with your face towards the light rather than a bright window behind you.
• Close other applications. Anything that might pop up over the exam window is recorded as leaving the test.
• Check your connection. A dropped connection during Speaking may cost that answer.

Reading — five minutes

One short text stays on screen while you answer six questions. Read the questions first, then find the answer in the text. Do not read the whole passage carefully before starting: you do not have time, and you do not need to.

Two questions ask True, False or Not Given. Not Given means the text does not say — not that the statement is wrong. This distinction accounts for more lost marks than any other.

Listening — three minutes

Five short recordings, each played once and once only. Read the question before the recording begins so you know what you are listening for. If you miss one, let it go and give your best answer — dwelling on it costs you the next recording too.

Writing — fifteen minutes

One task with a stated purpose, a stated reader and a minimum length. Spend one minute planning, twelve writing and two checking.

Answer all the bullet points. A fluent response that ignores one of the three required points scores below a plainer one that covers all three. Copying and pasting is disabled, so the words must be yours.

Speaking — five minutes

Three prompts, each with a short preparation time, then recording starts on its own and stops on its own. A level meter shows your voice arriving; if the bars stay flat, speak up or check your microphone.

Keep talking for the whole time. Silence cannot be marked. A candidate who speaks simply for forty seconds scores better than one who says two elegant sentences and stops.

Does practice help?

Reading English every day helps. Listening to unscripted speech at natural speed helps. Rehearsing memorised answers does not: examiners mark spontaneous English, and a recited paragraph is audible.