Overview
Regent’s offers an online English proficiency test that's free of charge and open to all conditional offer holders* who would like to use it as proof of their English language level for admissions purposes. The Regent’s English Proficiency Test consists of two stages:
- Stage 1 – an online speaking test with a Regent’s staff member
- Stage 2 – an online listening, reading and writing test (LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator Written)
Stage 1 - Speaking (11-14 minutes)
Your speaking test will be conducted by a Regent’s staff member via Microsoft Teams. It will consist of three parts:
Part 1: The examiner will ask you general questions about yourself, what you're planning to study at Regent’s and why, and a range of familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies and interests. This part lasts between 4 and 5 minutes.
Part 2: You'll be asked to talk about a particular topic. You'll have 1 minute to prepare before speaking for up to 2 minutes. The examiner will then ask one or two questions on the same topic to finish this part of the test.
Part 3: You'll be asked further questions connected to the topic in Part 2. These questions will give you the opportunity to discuss more abstract ideas and issues. This part of the test lasts between 4 and 5 minutes.
Stage 2 – Listening, reading and writing (2 hours and 40 minutes)
Once you've taken your speaking test, and achieved a score of at least 5.5, you'll be given an access code to register for LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator Written exam. This consists of listening, reading and writing.
Listening (30 minutes)
Part 1: 7 multiple choice questions (each with 3 options).
Task: Listen twice to 7 unfinished conversations between 2 speakers. 1 conversation is formal.
Part 2: 6 multiple choice questions (each with 3 options).
Task: Listen twice to 3 conversations each consisting of 2 speakers to identify: topic, purpose, context, speakers, gist, relationship between speakers, roles, functions, attitudes, feeling and opinions. Choose the appropriate response to complete or continue each question.
Part 3: 7 questions (write notes on the message pad based on information in the recording).
Task: Listen twice to a radio broadcast, narrative, presentation, etc to identify specific information. Jot down answers of 1 to 5 words.
Part 4: 6 multiple choice questions (each with 3 options).
Task: Listen twice to a discussion to identify gist, examples, fact, opinion, contrast, purpose, key ideas, attitude, cause and effect. Choose the appropriate response for each question.
Reading
Part 1: 6 multiple choice questions (each with 3 options).
Task: 1 long text: news story, article, review or proposal. Choose the appropriate response for each question.
Part 2: 6 multiple choice options to fill in an incomplete text (1 is a distractor).
Task: A text with 6 sentences removed, e.g. topic sentence, summarising sentence, developing idea, emphasising a point, opinion, contrast, sequence, forward and back reference, transition to new idea. Choose the appropriate sentence for each gap in the text.
Part 3: 7 questions (4 texts provide the answers to each question).
Task: Read the 4 short texts, e.g. email, article, advert etc. and choose which text answers which question.
Part 4: 7 questions (requiring short answers of up to 5 words).
Task: A continuous text: narrative, descriptive, explanatory, expository, biographical, instructive.
Writing
Part 1: 100 - 150 words (produce a formal response for an intended public audience).
Task: Respond appropriately to the intended reader using a clearly defined number of content points.
Part 2: 150 - 200 words (produce a personal letter, a narrative composition/ story or a descriptive composition).
Task: Produce an informal piece of writing for a specified reader on a general subject that does not require specialist knowledge but addresses a clearly defined number of content points.
Important information
- You'll take the test online from home – please don't travel to Regent's
- You need to take the online test in a quiet, private room. The exam won't proceed if you're in a café, public place, car, busy office, or similar environments.
- You need to have a good internet connection and a laptop – you can't take the test on your phone or iPad
- Stage 1 (speaking) is conducted via MS Teams – you should join the online meeting through Chrome or Firefox, and not through Safari.
- You'll be asked to show your passport or ID card at the start of the test – please make sure you have it ready
- Specific instructions will be emailed to you once you've registered for the exam.
- Once you have taken the REPT stage 1 (speaking) and your result is at least 5.5 or above, we are going to email you the instructions for stage 2 (reading, writing and listening). Stage 2 exam is called LanguageCert and is provided by an external company. You will need to register directly on their website, following the instructions and using the exam voucher provided by Regent’s.
- It is your responsibility to ensure you have access to a suitable computer with a wired headset, keyboard and mouse and a single web camera which you can rotate 360 degrees, in a private, quiet room with sufficient light and a tidy desk. You will need to download ExamShield 24 hours before stage 2 exam and have your physical passport or photo identity card ready at the start of the exam to show to the exam proctor. The exam will not go ahead if you do not meet these requirements and the exam voucher provided by Regent’s cannot be used again to book another attempt. In such a case you will need to purchase a new voucher directly from LanguageCert website.
Results
Once you have taken both stage 1 and stage 2, we are going to convert your scores for each skill (reading, writing, listening and speaking) and calculate the overall score. Please note the certificate provided by LanguageCert will not be sufficient to meet the criteria for your degree course at Regent’s. Instead, we will send a combined REPT certificate directly to the Admissions team. Please do not forward the LanguageCert certificate to us. Your REPT certificate will be available approx. 4-5 working days from the date you took the second stage of the exam.
Preparation
In order to prepare for the test:
Stage 1 – Speaking – use IELTS speaking practice materials and past papers.
Stage 2 – Listening, Reading and Writing – use LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator Written exam materials and past papers, available here.
You can also book an English language course at Regent’s through the Regent's School of English.
The exam is available on a number of dates. Please book Stage 1 – Speaking online using the button below.
*The test is currently unavailable to students based in India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. This is due to current issues regarding the security of the test and the results we've experienced in those regions. We would therefore require a secure English Language test, such as IELTS or Pearson PTE for UKVI if you're applying from within these jurisdictions. We review the situation at various points throughout the academic year and this position may change.