UKiSET and the Cambridge English Test
UKiset stands for United Kingdom Independent Schools’ Entry Test. It tests the skill level of students from outside the UK and determines their ability to learn more at school. The ukiset CET is taken by candidates between the age of nine and eighteen. Apart from the essay section, all sections are to be taken online.
Table of content
- UKiSET and the Cambridge English Test
- Components of UKiSET CET
- How to Prepare for UKiset CET?
- In Conclusion
The ukiset test is used by many schools in the UK as an admission test. It determines the skill levels of applicants and has become a guide for teachers to develop a study program for those admitted.
The UKiset test has three main sections; Reasoning, the Cambridge English test and the Essay Writing test. The Reasoning section is further sub-divided into verbal, non-verbal and numerical reasoning.
The ukiset CET test, a multiple-choice exam, assesses the applicant’s level of proficiency with English. Lasting thirty minutes, it is an online test.
In the Essay Writing section, the candidate has to write an essay by hand on a given topic. The applicant is not given a choice of topics and the topic changes every day. The essay may require the student to compare, contrast, evaluate or summarise.
Components of UKiSET CET
The Cambridge English test has papers as under:
Reading and Use of English
This is a one-and-a-half-hour paper and tests the candidate’s ability to read and respond to a variety of texts, including fiction, non-fiction, extracts from journals, newspapers, etc.
Here are some examples of the questions a candidate may expect in this paper (sample questions are taken from official Cambridge English website:):
Q1: Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
There is an example at the beginning (0).
0 A descriptive B imaginary C fabled D legendary
ADVENTURE TRAVEL
Wilfred Thesinger, the (0) D (legendary)explorer once said, ‘We live our lives second-hand’. Sadly, his words are true for far too many of us, as we (1) …….... in front of the television, (2) …….... in ‘reality’ television, living our adventures through the words and pictures of others. But it does not have to be that way – there are more opportunities than ever for taking a break from our increasingly sanitised lives and exploring not only some exotic (3) …….... of the globe, but also our own abilities and ambitions.
1 A droop B slump C sag D plunge
2 A captivated B gripped C engrossed D riveted
3 A corner B edge C angle D pocket
Q2: Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and eight words, including the word given. Here is an example (0).
Example:
0
Do you mind if I watch you while you paint?
objection
Do you ........................................................................... you while you paint?
0
have any objection to my watching
A. It’s impossible to predict how long it will take to do this job.
telling
There is .................................................................will take.
B. Not many people buy that particular product these days.
demand
There ................................................................ that particular product these days.
C. For me, his skill as a negotiator was most impressive.
how
I was most ................................................................. negotiator he was.
Writing
This is a one-and-a-half hour test and requires the candidate to write texts such as essays, reports, reviews, etc.
Some examples of the questions a candidate may expect in this paper (sample questions are taken from official cambridge english website:):
Q1:
Read the two texts below.
Write an essay summarising and evaluating the key points from both texts. Use your own words throughout as far as possible, and include your own ideas in your answers.
Write your answer in 240 – 280 words.
1 The Excitement of Advertising
Outdoor advertising has to attract, engage and persuade potential customers; it is the most important way of grabbing customers’ attention and outdoor media continue to undergo a transformation. At the core of this transformation is the digital screen media, which encompass everything from giant screens to digital billboards. The technology is cheap and advertising agencies rave about the creative possibilities for advertisements which entertain, amuse, inform, make the environment brighter and enliven the world we live in.
Advertising: an undesirable business
Once upon a time outdoor advertising was straightforward. Posters were stuck up on anything from a bus shelter to a motorway hoarding. Many people considered this kind of advertising to be fairly dull, a harmless blot on the landscape and chose to ignore it. These people now regard digital advertising as a form of unwanted, creeping commercialisation: it attracts a buzz simply because it is new. They feel that any advertising which targets children or vulnerable adults is a dubious practice at the best of times, and digital advertising is, moreover, wasteful, damaging to the environment and completely unnecessary.
Write your essay.
Q2:
Write an answer to the following question. Write your answer in 280 – 320 words in an appropriate style.
A travel magazine has asked readers to send in articles on their favourite public building, a town hall or a museum, for example. You decide to write an article in which you describe your favourite public building, explain why it is your favourite building and assess its significance for the wider community.
Write your article.
Listening
In this part of the test, a candidate has to hear and understand spoken materials such as lectures, interviews, news bulletins, etc. The candidate must then answer the questions in the paper. This section takes forty minutes to complete.
Here’s a sample question from official cambridge english website:
(The candidate has to listen to a taped passage)
You hear a man talking about a new project being launched in a group of small Atlantic islands.
Q1: What is the main objective of the project?
- to raise environmental awareness
- to encourage tourism in the islands
- to follow the movements of tides
Q2: What is the speaker’s opinion of the new project?
- The idea is over-ambitious.
- The approach is innovative.
- The experiment is unscientific.
How to Prepare for UKiset CET?
Sample papers and past papers are an excellent way to prepare for all sections of the Cambridge Language Test. These papers are available for free from the Cambridge website and from other websites.
It helps to start preparing well in advance of the exam – preferably two to three years in advance – in order to thoroughly gear up for this exam. In most cases, the format of the exam may be completely new to the candidate. As can be seen from the sample questions, the candidate is expected to glean a lot of information from the given passages. The passages may also be of a kind that the candidate does not regularly read. Hence it is important for the candidate to solve as many sample papers and test papers as possible so that the texts become easy to read and absorb.
A lot of aspirants find the audio section particularly difficult. This can be for a variety of reasons. The candidate may not be familiar with the accent, for example. Or the candidate may find the aspect of listening to a spoken passage rather daunting. Therefore, it is very important for the candidate to be exposed to as many spoken pieces of text as possible. The Cambridge website has sample audio passages for free download. It also helps for the candidate to listen to a wide variety of news bulletins, podcasts, audio books, etc. In most cases, these are available as free downloads or free subscriptions. It may be well worth the candidate’s time to also subscribe to paid channels, and purchase audio books read by professionals. These should be considered an investment in the future of the student.
The Cambridge website also has a large number of resources available for a fee. These include past papers with answers, sample papers with answers, audio downloads, video downloads and more. These resources are of great help in preparing for the Cambridge Language section that is part of the UKiSET examination.
It is also important for the candidate to practise with the online resources available from Cambridge. Since the UKiSET exam is mainly an online one, it helps to familiarise oneself with the format of online tests. Such tests also help the candidate learn to pace oneself so that tests are answered within the time frame allotted but with as much accuracy as possible.
UKiSET CET Conclusion
The Cambridge Language section is an important component of the UKiSET examination. It tests the candidate’s proficiency with the English language in reading, writing and listening. It is therefore crucial that an aspirant prepare for the section by using the range of resources available, such as audio downloads, sample tests, past papers and online testing. The candidate may use a mix of free and paid resources to prepare for the Cambridge Language exam. Such preparation is best begun a couple of years before the candidate seeks to undertake the test. This helps the student prepare thoroughly and well, helping him or her face the exam confidently.
