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PET (Preliminary English Test)
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Preliminary English Test (PET) was introduced in 1970. PET 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 PET level.
PET has three papers:
- Reading/Writing
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- Listening
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- Speaking
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Reading/Writing (Paper 1), 1 hour 30 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 straightforward written English, ranging from producing variations on simple sentences to 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), 10-12 minutes
The Speaking Test assesses the ability to interact, express themselves at B1 level, to ask and to understand questions and make appropriate response, to talk freely on matters of personal interest. It contains four parts, including an interaction with an examiner, another candidate and individual long turn. Students are provided with stimulus material such as photographs and drawings. They normally take the Speaking Test in pairs.
Results
Each component carries 25% of the total marks. 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 PET.
Once awarded Cambridge ESOL PET certificates are valid for life.
Find out more about PET
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