KET (Key English Test)

Key English Test (KET) is at Level B1 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) . The Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) has developed a framework which covers six levels of proficiency aligned to the CEFR and shows what learners can typically do at KET level .

KET has three papers:

1. Reading/Writing
3. Listening
5. Speaking

Reading/Writing (Paper 1), 1 hour 10 minutes

Reading assesses the ability to understand the meaning of written English with a variety of texts, ranging from very short notices to longer continuous texts. Writing assesses the ability to produce simple written English, ranging from producing one-word answers to short pieces of continuous text.

Listening (Paper 2), 30 minutes

This paper assesses the ability to understand dialogues and monologues in both informal and neutral settings on a range of everyday topics.

Speaking (Paper 3), 8-10 minutes

The Speaking Test assesses the ability to answer and ask questions about themselves and about factual non-personal information.

Results

The Reading and Writing paper carries 50% of the marks and Listening and Speaking each carry 25% of the total mark. There are two pass grades (Pass with Merit and Pass) and certificates are awarded to candidates who achieve these grades. Candidates who achieve a fail grade (Narrow Fail or Fail) are judged not to have reached the required standard for KET.

Once awarded Cambridge ESOL KET certificates are valid for life.

Find out more about KET