Information about the VB001 (Specialist English) exam
The aim of the VB001 (Specialist English) exam is to assess students’ knowledge of general English
grammar and specialized math and IT-related terminology. Below is a short description of the exam.
The exam has the following parts:
Part 1
- Part 1 Listening
- Part 2 Reading
- Part 3 Grammar and Vocabulary
Part 2
- Part 4 Writing
Part 3
- Part 5 Speaking
Part 1 (58 points)
Listening (15 questions in total)
Task 1: True/False (7 questions)
Students listen to a 3-minute recording and mark the sentences True or False.
Task 2: Sentence completion (8 questions)
Students listen to a 3-minute recording and complete some notes.
Reading (20 questions in total)
Task 3: Open cloze based on an IT text (7 questions)
Students complete a gapped text with a correct word (IT-related term).
Task 4: Error correction (8 questions)
Students study the lines of a text and find an extra word which should not be there.
Task 5: Gapped sentences (5 questions)
Students complete a text with missing sentences by choosing from a jumbled list.
Grammar and vocabulary (23 questions in total)
Task 6: Key word transformations (8 questions)
Students complete a sentence using a key word so that it means the same as the lead-in
sentence.
Task 7: Word formation (6 questions)
Students form missing words from a text by changing the stem of the word given.
Task 8: Open cloze (9 questions)
Students complete a gapped text with a correct term. Any type of word may be omitted.
Part 2 (12 points)
Writing
Task 9: Writing an email
Students write an email on a given topic in 130-150 words.
Part 3 (30 points)
Speaking
Task 10: A presentation
Students deliver a 5-minute presentation on an IT topic of their choice in front of an audience
using visuals.
Task 11: Discussion
Students choose a topic and then discuss as a group. During this task, students show that
they are able to participate in a discussion, express agreement or disagreement, and use
relevant vocabulary.
For this part of the exam, students need to prepare a small handout for other participating
students as well as the examiner. The handout should contain:
o Main points from the presentation for others to review (should not be too detailed –
your peers will have just seen the presentation!)
o Discussion question – make sure to think carefully about your discussion topic, as
some of the discussion topics from the handout will be used in this part of the
examination!
Assessment
The passing score for each paper is 60%.
The passing score for Paper 1 is 35 points out of 58.
The passing score for Paper 2 is 7 points out of 12.
The passing score for Paper 3 is 18 (12+6) points out of 30 (20+10).
If you fail Part 1, you have to retake the whole exam.
If you fail Part 2, you need to retake only Part 2 (the writing portion of the written exam).
If you fail Part 3, you will be required to have an entirely new presentation. This is true even if you
fail the Discussion portion of Part 3!
The total allotted time for the entire written portion of the exam (Part 1 and 2) is 90 minutes. If you
are retaking Part 2, you will have 30 minutes for the task.
Final assessment
Grade Score
A 92 – 100
B 84 – 91
C 76 – 83
D 68 – 75
E 60 – 67
Grading of students with certificates:
If you submit the Certificate in Advanced English stating that your level of English is at the B2 level,
the number of points for the Part 1 you receive will correspond to the point distribution below:
A – 58 pts.
B – 53 pts.
C – 49 pts.
D – 44 pts.
E – 39 pts.
If your certificate is at the C1 level, you will receive the maximum points unless the grade you have
received for the certificate is relatively low. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.