Intermediate English Skills Test

Are you preparing for an Intermediate English Skills Test? This comprehensive guide breaks down the typical components and provides insights into the grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills you'll need to master. Understanding the structure and common question types can significantly boost your confidence and performance.

Navigating Your Intermediate English Skills Test

An Intermediate English Skills Test is designed to assess your proficiency across various language domains. Our source materials highlight a test that covers core areas, ensuring a well-rounded evaluation of your English abilities. We'll dive into each section, providing context and examples based on the provided test structure.

Grammar: Mastering Sentence Structure and Usage

The grammar section often focuses on common areas that intermediate learners find challenging. Expect to see questions testing your ability to correctly use verb forms and understand reported speech.

Infinitive vs. -ing Forms

This section assesses your knowledge of when to use the -ing form (gerund) or the infinitive (with or without to).

• Example: "She left without saying (say) goodbye." Here, without is followed by a gerund.
• Other examples: to go (purpose), refuses to give (verb + infinitive), love not having (verb + gerund), feel like going (phrasal verb + gerund), given up trying (phrasal verb + gerund), forgot to post (verb + infinitive, meaning 'failed to post'), remember meeting (verb + gerund, meaning 'recall meeting'), mind turning (verb + gerund), doesn't seem to enjoy (verb + infinitive), good at writing (preposition + gerund).

Understanding Reported Speech

Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, tests your ability to relay what someone else said, often requiring changes in tense, pronouns, and time/place expressions.

• Example: Original: "Did Mel arrive on time?" Reported: "He asked me if Mel had arrived on time."
• Tense changes: Have you been to Beijing? becomes if I had been to Beijing. We've bought some ice cream. becomes they had bought some ice cream. I'll give you a ride becomes she would give me a ride. We interviewed ten people becomes they had interviewed ten people. We're having a huge sale becomes they were having a huge sale.
• Questions: What are their names? becomes what their names were. Are you watching the tennis? becomes if we were watching the tennis.
• Commands/requests: Don't waste your money! becomes told me not to waste my money.
• Modals: may not have becomes might not have. I must be back becomes she had to be back.

Vocabulary: Expanding Your Lexicon

Vocabulary is crucial for effective communication. The test focuses on word formation, particularly turning verbs into nouns, and understanding job-related and shopping terminology.

Nouns from Verbs

Knowing how to form nouns from verbs is a key skill. Here are some common transformations:

• demonstrate -> demonstration
• retire -> retirement
• sell -> sale
• pay -> payment
• agree -> agreement
• respond -> response
• qualify -> qualification
• lose -> loss
• choose -> choice

Job and Career Vocabulary

This section tests your understanding of terms related to employment status, career progression, and work conditions.

• Employment status: permanent, self-employed, temporary, unemployed, redundant (meaning laid off).
• Career changes: promoted (moved to a higher position), sacked (fired), retired (stopped working due to age), resign (quit a job).
• Work patterns: night shifts, full-time/regular/working hours, part-time.
• Actions: set up (started a business/website), applied (for a job).
• Responsibilities: responsible for, in charge of, boss (manager).

Shopping and Retail Vocabulary

Be familiar with terms used in shopping experiences.

• Shopping scenarios: sales, online sales, season.
• In-store actions: tried it on (tested clothing), picked it up (collected an item).
• Product fit: fits (is the correct size), suits (looks good on someone).
• Customer service: refund (money back), receipt (proof of purchase), discount (price reduction).
• Retail locations: department store, outlet store, shopping mall.

Pronunciation: Speaking Clearly and Accurately

Pronunciation tasks often involve identifying stressed syllables and matching words with similar sounds. This helps improve both your speaking and listening comprehension.

Stressed Syllables

Identifying the stressed syllable in multi-syllable words is fundamental for clear English pronunciation.

• qua|li|fi|ca|tion
• de|mon|strate
• un|em|ployed
• de|li|ver
• tem|pora|ry

Matching Sounds

This exercise helps you recognize different vowel and consonant sounds. Examples from the test include:

• tree (sound 'ee') matches receipt
• boot (sound 'oo') matches choose
• train (sound 'ai') matches complain, airline, bargain
• computer (sound 'er' or 'uh') matches said (note: this pairing might indicate a specific dialect or a challenging sound distinction)
• chair (sound 'air') matches egg (note: this pairing might indicate a specific dialect or a challenging sound distinction)

Reading: Comprehending Blog Posts and Articles

The reading section assesses your ability to understand main ideas, specific details, and inferences from a text. The sample material features a blog post about 'slow fashion' and the 10 x 10 challenge.

The 'Slow Fashion' and 10 x 10 Challenge Blog Post

This blog post by Sara discusses the 'slow fashion' movement, which encourages buying less and wearing clothes more thoughtfully. It centers on the 10 x 10 challenge, a global trend created by 'Style Bee' in 2015.

• Challenge rules: Choose ten items of clothing and wear them for ten days. Accessories are allowed, but shoes are included in the ten items.
• Sara's experience: She planned her ten items (skinny black jeans, two pairs of shoes, smart shirt, casual tops, warm grey jumper, denim skirt, Beth's baggy brown trousers). She found Beth's trousers, despite not being her usual style, easy to style.
• Sara's mistakes: She planned too much (advises leaving one item free as a 'wild card'). The weather was freezing, so she cheated by wearing exercise clothes for warmth (suggests swapping shoes for a coat).
• Lessons learned: The challenge encourages thinking differently about clothes, focusing on their purpose rather than just individuality. Sara intends to shop only for accessories and swap clothes with friends more often.
• Key takeaways: Sara enjoys exploring charity shops and having a personal style (creating colorful outfits no one else has). She advises others to consider choosing nine items instead of ten to allow for a wild card.

Writing: Crafting a Compelling Blog Post

The writing task involves producing a short blog post on a specific topic, demonstrating your ability to express ideas clearly and coherently within a word limit.

• Task: Write a blog post (140–180 words) about a good, bad, or unusual shopping experience.
• Skills assessed: Narrative writing, descriptive language, paragraphing, vocabulary, grammar, and adherence to word count.

Listening: Understanding Conversations and Specific Information

The listening section tests your ability to comprehend spoken English in various contexts, such as conversations and short monologues. The sample includes two types of listening tasks.

Aidan's Career Change

This conversation focuses on Aidan's career shift.

• Previous job: Aidan used to work for a chain of department stores as a sales assistant.
• Motivation for change: He wanted a more creative job than he had at Kelly's (likely his previous employer).
• Wife's reaction: His wife was worried about his decision to resign.
• Business investment: Aidan spent his investor's money on his products and the shop itself, not just a website.
• Inspiration: The person who inspires Aidan also changed careers.

Identifying Conversation Topics

This task requires matching short conversations with their main theme.

• Conversation 1: Explaining why he/she can't have any overtime work.
• Conversation 2: Suggesting a way to make someone's job less busy.
• Conversation 3: Describing an experience of solving problems at work.
• Conversation 4: Explaining a job application process.
• Conversation 5: Asking for money for a business idea.

Speaking: Expressing Opinions and Engaging in Discussion

The speaking section evaluates your ability to answer questions, ask questions, and discuss statements, demonstrating fluency, coherence, and appropriate vocabulary and grammar.

Partner Questions and Discussion

• Topics: Hypothetical scenarios like what would you do if you can do any job you want?, want to buy a bargain? Where would you go shopping?, set up a new project for a year?, can travel for six months anywhere in the world?, can only go to one shop for a year? Which would you choose?
• Statement discussion: Agreeing or disagreeing with the statement: A good work–life balance is very important. and providing reasons.
• Skills assessed: Fluency, spontaneity, vocabulary, grammar, ability to express and justify opinions, and interactive communication.

Frequently Asked Questions about Intermediate English Skills Tests

What are the key areas covered in an Intermediate English test?

An Intermediate English Skills Test typically covers grammar (e.g., verb forms, reported speech), vocabulary (e.g., job-related terms, shopping vocabulary, word formation), pronunciation (e.g., stress, sounds), reading comprehension, writing tasks (e.g., blog posts), listening comprehension, and speaking (e.g., discussions, answering questions).

How can I improve my grammar for the test?

Focus on common intermediate grammar points like -ing forms versus infinitives, and mastering reported speech. Practice exercises that require you to transform sentences into reported speech and choose the correct verb form after different verbs or prepositions. Regular practice with specific grammar rules is key.

What kind of vocabulary should I study for an Intermediate English test?

Broaden your vocabulary, especially in areas like jobs, careers, and shopping. Learn how to form different parts of speech from root words (e.g., verb-noun transformations). Reading various English texts, like blog posts or articles, can expose you to new words in context.

How important is pronunciation in an Intermediate English test?

Pronunciation is important for both speaking and listening. Tests often include tasks that check your ability to identify stressed syllables and differentiate between similar sounds. Practicing these elements helps improve clarity in your own speech and your ability to understand others.

How can I prepare for the reading and writing sections?

For reading, practice active reading of English articles or blog posts, focusing on identifying main ideas, specific details, and the author's purpose. For writing, practice different text types, such as blog posts, within specified word counts. Pay attention to structure, coherence, and grammar to convey your message effectively.