in collaboration

with

Workplace Literacy and Numeracy

(WPLN) Assessment

WPLN Candidate
Guide
 Introducing the Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WPLN)
Assessments

The Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WPLN) Assessments are a suite of computer-
delivered English language literacy and numeracy assessments from the British Council,
developed in collaboration with SkillsFuture Singapore Agency (SSG) for the WPLN program.
The assessments are used to assess English language literacy in Speaking, Listening,
Reading and Writing, and Numeracy ability.

The assessments do not assess at a single level. They include a range of questions designed
to allow you to show your best ability. The assessment results are reported both on a
numerical scale (0–50) and their corresponding WPLN proficiency levels. The English
language Workplace Literacy (WPL) assessments are also linked to the Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

This guide helps you prepare for the assessments. It has an overview of the assessments,
and each component is described. You will find advice on how to prepare for the
assessments, as well as information on how the assessments are marked.

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 Table of Contents

Introducing the Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WPLN) Assessments ....................................... 2

Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... 3
OVERVIEW: THE STRUCTURE OF THE WPLN ASSESSMENTS ................................................. 5
The Literacy Assessments .............................................................................................................. 5
The Numeracy Assessment ............................................................................................................ 5
Literacy Assessments ..................................................................................................................... 6
Numeracy assessment ................................................................................................................... 9
1. WPL Core Assessment (Grammar and Vocabulary)................................................................. 10
Sample grammar questions .......................................................................................................... 10
Written grammar ....................................................................................................................... 10
Spoken grammar ...................................................................................................................... 11
Sample vocabulary questions ....................................................................................................... 12
2. WPL Speaking Assessment.................................................................................................... 14
Sample speaking questions .......................................................................................................... 16
Speaking Part 1: Personal information ...................................................................................... 16
Speaking Part 2: Describe, express opinion and provide reasons and explanations ................... 19
Speaking Part 3: Describe, compare and provide reasons and explanations ............................. 23
Speaking Part 4: Discuss personal experience and opinion on an abstract topic ........................ 27
3. WPL Listening Assessment .................................................................................................... 30
Sample listening questions ........................................................................................................... 31
Listening Part 1: Information Recognition .................................................................................. 31
Listening Part 2: Information Matching ...................................................................................... 31
Listening Part 3: Opinion Matching ............................................................................................ 32
Listening Part 4: Monologue Comprehension ............................................................................ 33
4. WPL Reading Assessment ..................................................................................................... 34
Sample reading questions............................................................................................................. 36
Reading Part 1: Sentence comprehension ................................................................................ 36
Reading Part 2: Text cohesion .................................................................................................. 36
Reading Part 3: Opinion matching ............................................................................................. 37
Reading Part 4: Long text comprehension ................................................................................. 38
5. WPL Writing Assessment ....................................................................................................... 39
Sample writing questions .............................................................................................................. 41
Writing Part 1: Word-level writing .............................................................................................. 41
Writing Part 2: Short text writing ................................................................................................ 42
Writing Part 3: Three written parts of text, all of which require responses ................................... 44
Writing Part 4: Formal and informal writing ................................................................................ 46
Register ........................................................................................................................................ 48
6. Numeracy Assessment........................................................................................................... 49

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 Mathematical formula used in the WPN assessments ................................................................... 50
Units of measurement, symbols and their abbreviations ................................................................ 50
Sample numeracy questions ......................................................................................................... 51
Numeracy Part 1: Simpler questions (no calculator) .................................................................. 51
WPLN Assessments for all............................................................................................................ 55
Final checklist ............................................................................................................................... 56
Useful web resources ............................................................................................................... 56
For more information, please visit www.britishcouncil.sg/exam/wpln .............................................. 57

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 OVERVIEW: THE STRUCTURE OF THE WPLN
ASSESSMENTS
The Literacy Assessments
The Workplace Literacy (WPL) assessments consist of five components.

• Grammar and Vocabulary (Core)

• Speaking
• Listening
• Reading
• Writing

The Core assessment is mandatory. You will prepare for the Core Assessment and the skill
components you have chosen. You may be taking only one skill component (for example,
Listening) or all four skill components (Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing).

SPEAKING LISTENING READING WRITING

The Numeracy Assessment

The Workplace Numeracy (WPN) assessment is divided into two parts. In the first part, you
will complete the questions without using a calculator. In the second part, you will use a virtual
calculator to solve more complex questions. The assessment becomes increasingly more
difficult as it progresses.

The WPN assessment is designed to assess mathematical competencies and skills in

everyday workplace operations and situations. The assessment questions range from simple
questions on basic numeracy to more complex mathematical problems. The assessment is
based on four mathematical content areas:

• number and operation sense

• patterns, functions and algebra
• measurement and shape
• data, probability and statistics

It is a good idea to take a familiarisation assessment so that you understand what you need
to do. You can find familiarisation assessments for each of the components on the British
Council Singapore website https://www.britishcouncil.sg/exam/wpln/prepare.

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 Here is the structure of the Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WPLN) assessments.

Literacy Assessments
ASSESSMENT ASSESSMENT DESIGN ACTIVITY FORMAT

Core Part 1 Grammar Sentence completion 25 questions

with 3-option
25 minutes multiple choice

Part 2 Vocabulary Word matching (similar 5 tasks with 5

meaning). Match questions
words to definitions.

Sentence completion.

Word pairs or word

combinations (words
commonly used together)

Speaking Part 1 Personal Respond to three 30 seconds for

information personal information each response
questions
12 minutes

Part 2 Describe, Describe a picture 45 seconds for

express and answer three each response
opinion and additional questions
provide of increasing
reasons and difficulty
explanations

Part 3 Describe, Describe two contrasting 45 seconds for

compare and pictures and answer two each response
provide reasons additional questions of
and explanations increasing difficulty

Part 4 Discuss Answer three questions 1 minute to

personal on an abstract topic prepare
experience and
opinion on an
2 minutes
abstract topic
response time

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 Listening Part 1 Information Listen to a short monologue 3-option multiple
recognition or dialogue to identify specific choice
40 minutes information

Part 2 Information Match people’s monologues to 6 pieces of

matching information information.

4 people’s
monologues

Part 3 Opinion Listen to a dialogue and decide 2 questions.

matching who expresses an opinion
Man, woman or
both options

Part 4 Monologue Listen to two monologues and 2 questions

comprehension answer two questions for each
3-option
multiple choice

Reading Part 1 Sentence Choose words to complete 3-option multiple

comprehension sentences choice
35 minutes

2 tasks
Part 2 Text cohesion Put sentences into the correct
order
6 sentences
jumbled up in
each task

Part 3 Opinion Match people’s opinions to 7 statements

matching statements matched to 4
people’s opinions

Part 4 Long text Match headings to 7 paragraphs

comprehension paragraphs and 8 headings

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 Writing Part 1 Word-level Respond to messages 1–5 words
writing using individual words for each
50 minutes question

Part 2 Short text Write personal information 20–30 words

writing

Part 3 Three written Respond to written questions 30–40 words

responses to on a social network-type for each
questions website question

Part 4 Formal and Write an informal email to a About 50 words

informal writing friend and a formal email to for the informal
an unknown person email

120–150
words for the
formal email

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 Numeracy assessment
Numeracy Part 1 26 items No calculator will be provided A mixture of 4-
including option multiple
75 minutes questions choice
covering: questions (1
numbers, correct answer
algebra, per question)
measurement, and short
and data answer
questions

Part 2 24 items Virtual calculator provided A mixture of 4-

including option multiple
questions choice
covering: questions (1
numbers, correct answer
algebra, per question)
measurement, and short
and data answer
questions

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 1. WPL Core Assessment (Grammar and Vocabulary)
The Core Assessment consists of two parts. The first part assesses your knowledge of English
grammar. The second part assesses your knowledge of English vocabulary.

ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTION PREPARATION

DESIGN

Part 1 In this part of the To know which parts of grammar are

assessment, you will tested, see the British Council /
Grammar
answer 25 questions. EAQUALS core inventory. This is
free and available online at:
Most of the questions assess https://englishagenda.britishcouncil.
formal written English. A small org/continuing-professional-
number of questions assess development/cpd-teacher-
spoken English, such as trainers/british-council-eaquals-core-
knowing the appropriate inventory-general-english
grammar to use in a particular
situation (formal or informal
situations, for example). One great way to prepare for the
grammar assessment is to use the
All 25 questions are 3-option British Council’s LearnEnglish
multiple choice. Grammar App:
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/
Complete a sentence by grammar
choosing the correct word.
Part 2 In this part, there are 5 tasks To help you prepare for this part of
with 5 questions. the assessment, the LearnEnglish
Vocabulary
website has games and activities to
There are several help you improve your vocabulary.
question types: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/
vocabulary
Word matching: find a word with a
meaning similar to the target
There are also many useful websites,
word.
for example: www.englishclub.com
Word definition: match a
Another useful tip is to take note of
definition to the correct word.
interesting words or word
combinations when you read English
Word usage: complete a sentence
texts.
by choosing the correct word.

Word pairs or word combinations:

select the most common
combinations of words; you are
given a target word and a list of
words which may or may not be
commonly used in combination
with the target word. (e.g. where
card is the target word, birthday +
card is a common combination
but blue + card is not).

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 Sample grammar questions
There are two question types. The first focuses on written English grammar, and the second
focuses on the use of English grammar when speaking.

Here are some examples:

Written grammar

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 Spoken grammar

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 Sample vocabulary questions
In the first question type, you need to match words with similar meanings from a list of
options. To do this, click on the arrows and choose the similar word.

Here is an example:

For the next question type, you need to match a definition to a word. Click on the arrow and
choose the word that matches the definition.

Here is an example:

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 The next question type asks you to identify a word from a list that is commonly used with the
given word.

There is a final question type that asks you to complete a sentence using a word from a list.

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 2. WPL Speaking Assessment
For each question, you are given a maximum amount of time to speak but you can end the
recording early by clicking on a stop button. Please make sure you fully respond to the
question before you stop the recording.

The most common reasons people receive lower scores than they expect include:

• not doing a proper sound check (details on how to do this are shown below)
• not speaking clearly
• not answering the questions
• giving under-length answers – not using the full amount of time to speak
• overusing words such as 'and' and 'so'
• speaking in simple sentence lists
• not using a variety of sentence structures.

ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTION PREPARATION

DESIGN

Part 1 In this part, you are asked to It’s a good idea to practise
answer three questions on introducing yourself and talking about
Personal personal topics. You are your personal experiences. Think
information expected to talk for 30 seconds about how you can talk about familiar
per question. topics (e.g. holidays, weekend
activities, sports) and practise giving
general information about those
topics.
Part 2 In this part, you are asked to You should try to be fluent and
describe a photograph and spontaneous, showing little sign
Describe, express then answer two questions of effort. Make sure you answer
opinion and related to the topic illustrated all three questions.
provide reasons in the photo. The three
and explanations questions increase in
complexity (from description
to opinion). You are expected
to talk for 45 seconds per
question.
Part 3 In this part, you are asked to To prepare for this task, practise
compare two pictures and comparing two different things
Describe, compare then answer two questions (e.g. two cities or two houses).
and provide related to the topic. The three Focus on describing their
reasons and questions increase in advantages and disadvantages.
explanations complexity (from description
to speculation). You are To achieve a very high score in this
expected to talk for 45 part, it’s important to make sure you
seconds for each question. are using correct grammatical
structures when you speculate.

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 Part 4 In the final part, you will see a A common error is to describe the
picture and be asked three photo. You will not receive a high
Discuss questions about an abstract score if you just describe the photo.
personal topic. The questions are more abstract
experience (e.g. how you feel about something).
and opinion You are given one (1) minute to
on an prepare an answer and during Another common error is to go off-
abstract this time you can take notes. topic. Focus on answering each
topic You are expected to talk for two question in clear, flowing, well-
(2) minutes. structured speech.

To prepare for this part it is a good

idea to practise speaking for two
minutes on an abstract topic (e.g.
How do you feel about ?).

Make sure you practise using your

planning time to structure what
you’re going to say.

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 Sample speaking questions
Speaking Part 1: Personal information
In this part, you answer some questions about yourself. Listen to the instructions and speak
clearly into your microphone when you hear the signal.

Each part of the assessment will appear automatically. You can stop recording your
response before the timer runs out by tapping on the stop button, but we recommend that
you try and speak for the full time available to maximise your score.

When the time to record comes, the timer begins. This tells you the amount of time you
have left (in the screenshot below the timer shows that you have 20 seconds more to record
your answer).

As each new question appears, the same procedure is followed.

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 The areas assessed in this part of the Speaking Assessment are how completely and
relevantly you have answered the question, grammatical range and accuracy, vocabulary
range and accuracy, pronunciation and fluency. Here is the marking scale.

Highest score - above the descriptor below.

Responses to all three questions are on-topic and show the following features:

Some simple grammatical structures are used correctly but basic

mistakes systematically occur.

Vocabulary is sufficient to respond to the questions, although inappropriate

lexical choices are noticeable.

Mispronunciations are noticeable and frequently place a strain on the listener.

Frequent pausing, false starts and reformulations but the meaning is still

clear.
Responses to two questions are on-topic and show the following features:

Some simple grammatical structures are used correctly but basic

mistakes systematically occur.

Vocabulary is sufficient to respond to the questions, although inappropriate

lexical choices are noticeable.

Mispronunciations are noticeable and frequently place a strain on the listener.

Frequent pausing, false starts and reformulations but the meaning is still

clear.
Responses to at least two questions are on-topic and show the following
features:

Grammatical structure is limited to words and phrases. Errors in basic patterns

and simple grammar structures impede understanding.

Vocabulary is limited to very basic words related to personal information.

Pronunciation is mostly unintelligible except for isolated words.

Frequent pausing, false starts and reformulations impede understanding.

Response to one question is on-topic and shows the following features:

Grammatical structure is limited to words and phrases. Errors in basic patterns

and simple grammar structures impede understanding.

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 Vocabulary is limited to very basic words related to personal information.

Pronunciation is mostly unintelligible except for isolated words.

Frequent pausing, false starts and reformulations impede understanding.

No meaningful language or all responses are completely off-topic (e.g.

memorised script, guessing).

Low Scoring

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 Speaking Part 2: Describe, express opinion and provide reasons and explanations

You will see a photo and answer three questions. You have 45 seconds to respond to each
question.

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 The areas assessed in this part of the Speaking Assessment are how completely and
relevantly you responded to the question, grammatical range and accuracy, vocabulary range
and accuracy, pronunciation, fluency and cohesion. Here is the marking scale.

Highest score - above the descriptor below.

Responses to all three questions are on-topic and show the following features:

Control of simple grammatical structures. Errors occur when attempting

complex structures.

Sufficient range and control of vocabulary for the task. Errors occur when
expressing complex thoughts.

Pronunciation is intelligible but inappropriate mispronunciations put an

occasional strain on the listener.

Some pausing, false starts and reformulations.

Uses only simple cohesive devices. Links between ideas are not always clearly
indicated.

Responses to two questions are on-topic and show the following features:

Control of simple grammatical structures. Errors occur when attempting

complex structures.

Sufficient range and control of vocabulary for the task. Errors occur when
expressing complex thoughts.

Pronunciation is intelligible but inappropriate mispronunciations put an

occasional strain on the listener.

Some pausing, false starts and reformulations.

Uses only simple cohesive devices. Links between ideas are not always clearly
indicated.

Responses to at least two questions are on-topic and show the following
features:

Uses some simple grammatical structures correctly but systematically makes

basic mistakes.

Vocabulary will be limited to concrete topics and descriptions. Inappropriate

lexical choices for the task are noticeable.

Mispronunciations are noticeable and put a strain on the listener.

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 Noticeable pausing, false starts and reformulations.

Cohesion between ideas is limited. Responses tend to be a list of points.

Response to one question is on-topic and shows the following features:

Uses some simple grammatical structures correctly but systematically makes

basic mistakes.

Vocabulary will be limited to concrete topics and descriptions. Inappropriate

lexical choices for the task are noticeable.

Mispronunciations are noticeable and put a strain on the listener.

Noticeable pausing, false starts and reformulations.

Cohesion between ideas is limited. Responses tend to be a list of points.

Below the descriptor above or no meaningful language or the responses

are completely off-topic (e.g. memorised script, guessing).

Low Scoring

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 Speaking Part 3: Describe, compare and provide reasons and explanations

In this part, you will see two photos and answer three questions.

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 The marking scale is the same as for Part 2.

Highest score - above the descriptor below.

Responses to all three questions are on-topic and show the following features:

Control of simple grammatical structures. Errors occur when attempting

complex structures.

Sufficient range and control of vocabulary for the task. Errors occur when
expressing complex thoughts.

Pronunciation is intelligible but inappropriate mispronunciations put an

occasional strain on the listener.

Some pausing, false starts and reformulations.

Uses only simple cohesive devices. Links between ideas are not always clearly
indicated.

Responses to two questions are on-topic and show the following features:

Control of simple grammatical structures. Errors occur when attempting

complex structures.

Sufficient range and control of vocabulary for the task. Errors occur when
expressing complex thoughts.

Pronunciation is intelligible but inappropriate mispronunciations put an

occasional strain on the listener.

Some pausing, false starts and reformulations.

Uses only simple cohesive devices. Links between ideas are not always clearly
indicated.

Responses to at least two questions are on-topic and show the following
features:

Uses some simple grammatical structures correctly but systematically makes

basic mistakes.

Vocabulary will be limited to concrete topics and descriptions. Inappropriate

lexical choices for the task are noticeable.

Mispronunciations are noticeable and put a strain on the listener.

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 Noticeable pausing, false starts and reformulations.

Cohesion between ideas is limited. Responses tend to be a list of points.

Response to one question is on-topic and shows the following features:

Uses some simple grammatical structures correctly but systematically makes

basic mistakes.

Vocabulary will be limited to concrete topics and descriptions. Inappropriate

lexical choices for the task are noticeable.

Mispronunciations are noticeable and put a strain on the listener.

Noticeable pausing, false starts and reformulations.

Cohesion between ideas is limited. Responses tend to be a list of points.

Below the descriptor above or no meaningful language or the responses

are completely off-topic (e.g. memorised script, guessing).

Low Scoring

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 Speaking Part 4: Discuss personal experience and opinion on an abstract topic
In this part, you need to answer three questions but this time you answer them all in one
response.

You have one minute to prepare a structured response. When preparation time is over, the
message appears at the bottom 'You now have two minutes to talk'. You should speak until
the recording automatically stops after two minutes.

During the preparation time in Part 4, it’s important to make notes, as these will help you
organize your response and remember what you want to speak about. Rather than writing
out exactly what you want to say, make brief notes and use these to structure your
speech.

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 Areas assessed in this part are how completely and relevantly you have answered
the questions and the grammatical range and accuracy, vocabulary range and
accuracy, pronunciation, fluency and cohesion of your response.

Here is the marking scale:

Highest score - above the descriptor below.

Response addresses all three questions and is well-structured.

Uses a range of complex grammar constructions accurately. Some minor errors

occur but do not impede understanding.

Uses a range of vocabulary to discuss the topics required by the task. Some
awkward usage or slightly inappropriate lexical choices.

Pronunciation is clear and intelligible.

Backtracking and reformulations do not fully interrupt the flow of speech.

A range of cohesive devices are used to clearly indicate the links between
ideas.

Responses to all three questions are on-topic and show the following features:

Some complex grammar constructions are used accurately. Errors do not

lead to misunderstandings.

Sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topics required by the task.

Inappropriate lexical choices do not lead to misunderstanding.

Pronunciation is intelligible. Mispronunciations do not put a strain on the listener

or lead to misunderstanding.

Some pausing while searching for vocabulary but this does not put a strain on
the listener.

A limited number of cohesive devices are used to indicate the links between
ideas.

Responses to two questions are on-topic and show the following features:

Some complex grammar constructions are used accurately. Errors do not

lead to misunderstandings.

Sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topics required by the task.

Inappropriate lexical choices do not lead to misunderstanding.

Pronunciation is intelligible. Mispronunciations do not put a strain on the listener

or lead to misunderstanding

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 Some pausing while searching for vocabulary but this does not put a strain on
the listener.

A limited number of cohesive devices are used to indicate the links between
ideas.

Responses to at least two questions are on-topic and show the following
features:

Control of simple grammatical structures. Errors occur when attempting

complex structures.

Limitations in vocabulary make it difficult to deal fully with the task.

Pronunciation is intelligible but occasional mispronunciations put an occasional

strain on the listener.

Noticeable pausing, false starts, reformulations and repetition.

Uses only simple cohesive devices. Links between ideas are not always clearly
indicated.

Response to one question is on-topic and shows the following features:

Control of simple grammatical structures. Errors occur when attempting

complex structures.

Limitations in vocabulary make it difficult to deal fully with the task.

Pronunciation is intelligible but occasional mispronunciations put an occasional

strain on the listener.

Noticeable pausing, false starts, reformulations and repetition.

Uses only simple cohesive devices. Links between ideas are not always clearly
indicated.

Below the descriptor above or no meaningful language or the responses are

completely off-topic (e.g. memorized script, guessing).

Low Scoring

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 3. WPL Listening Assessment
The Listening Assessment has four task types. You can choose to listen to the question
once or twice.

ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTION PREPARATION

DESIGN

Part 1 In these questions, you Visit the British Council's LearnEnglish

listen to a short phone website for lots of very useful activities,
Information message, or a short tips, apps and podcasts:
recognition monologue or dialogue and http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en
you need to identify specific
information such as a The elementary podcasts are useful
phone number, a time, or a preparation for these questions.
place.

Part 2 In these questions, you There are quite a few useful practice
listen to four people’s videos and podcasts on the
Information monologues and match the LearnEnglish website, so that's a very
matching person to the information. good starting point. In addition, try to
There are six pieces of listen to as much English as possible
information to match to the (e.g. films, television or radio). Another
monologues. possible source is the BBC World
Service radio
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio

Part 3 In this task, you listen to a Listening to authentic speech,

dialogue between a man such as television drama
Opinion and a woman and then programs or films, is a good way
matching decide who expresses an to prepare for this task.
opinion.
There are two questions.
Your task is to decide if the
man, woman or both the
man and woman have
expressed the opinion.
Part 4 In these tasks, you listen to There are several higher-level
a monologue and answer podcasts on the LearnEnglish
Monologue two questions. website. Also, try the BBC World
comprehension The focus here is not on
Service radio station.
understanding the
meaning of what the
speaker is saying, but on
identifying clues in their
language or tone to help
identify the attitude of the
speaker, their
intention or opinion.

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 Sample listening questions
Remember that if you'd like to hear a question for a second time, just click on the Play
button ( ). The system will not allow you to listen more than twice.

Listening Part 1: Information Recognition

You listen to a short monologue or dialogue and identify specific information such as a
phone number, a time, or a place.

Listening Part 2: Information Matching

You listen to four different people and match the person to the information.

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 Listening Part 3: Opinion Matching
You listen to a dialogue between a man and a woman and decide who expresses a
particular opinion – the man, the woman or both.

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 Listening Part 4: Monologue Comprehension
You listen to a monologue to identify the attitude of the speaker, their intention or opinion.

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 4. WPL Reading Assessment
This assessment assesses your reading ability. The tasks become more difficult as the assessment
progresses.

ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTION PREPARATION

DESIGN

Part 1 In this part, you need to choose a Make sure you read each sentence
word (you’re given three to choose and all the possible answer words
Sentence from) to complete a sentence. carefully before trying to answer
comprehension There are five sentences to be this question.
completed.
The best way to become a
This part assesses your ability to better reader is to practice. Easy
read a sentence and to complete books written especially for
the sentence with an appropriate English language learners might
word. help. For example, try:

Cambridge Bookworms Starter

/ Stage 1

Cambridge Readers Level 1

Penguin Readers – Level 1

Macmillan Readers – Starter

/ Beginner

Headway Skills series.

Part 2 In this part, you will see five Read all the sentences carefully
sentences that make a whole text. first. Then, decide on the correct
Text The sentences need to be put in order (the first sentence is
cohesion the correct order. There is only identified for you).
one correct way to organise the
sentences. Your task is to click on Appropriate graded readers for
each sentence and then move preparation for this level are:
them so each one is in the correct
position. There are two of these Cambridge Bookworms Stage 1
tasks. and 2

This part assesses your Cambridge Readers – Level 2

knowledge of the cohesion of a
text. You need to look for clues in Penguin Readers – Level 3
each sentence that show how it
links to the sentences around it. Macmillan Readers – Elementary.

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 Part 3 In this part, you will match First, read and understand each
people’s opinions to statements. person’s opinion Then read the
Opinion You will read four people’s statements and decide which
matching opinions on the same topic. Then person the statement best
you need to read seven matches.
statements and decide which
person’s opinion matches each Appropriate readers for this
statement. level are:

This part tests your ability to Cambridge Bookworms Stage 2

read and understand short and 3
texts.
Cambridge Readers – Level 3, 4
and 5

Penguin Readers – Level 4

Macmillan Readers –
Pre-Intermediate.

Part 4 In this part, you will read a long Read the main text carefully but
text (about 750 words). You will as quickly as you can. Then
Long text also read seven headings. The carefully read the headings. Do
comprehension task is to match seven of the all this before starting the task.
headings to paragraphs in the Look for clues to connect the
text. There is always an extra headings to the paragraphs;
heading that does not fit with these might be similar words,
any paragraph. ideas or topics.

This part is designed to assess Appropriate readers for this

your ability to read and level are:
understand a long text. To get
the correct answers you need to Cambridge Bookworms Stage 4, 5
be able to demonstrate an and 6
understanding of how the
headings reflect the paragraphs Cambridge Readers – Level 4, 5
in different ways (sometimes and 6
using similar words, sometimes
similar ideas, or by sharing a Penguin Readers – Level 5 and 6
topic).
Macmillan Readers –
Intermediate and Upper
Intermediate.

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 Sample reading questions
Reading Part 1: Sentence comprehension
In this part, you must select the appropriate word from a drop-down list. You should
complete this in about three (3) minutes.

Reading Part 2: Text cohesion

In the second part, you must sort the sentences into the correct order to make the text make
sense. You do this by clicking on a sentence and dragging it to its correct position. There are
two of these tasks in this part.

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 Reading Part 3: Opinion matching
In the third part, you match four people’s opinions to seven statements.

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 Reading Part 4: Long text comprehension
For the final part, you must scroll the reading text to see all of it. You can do this by clicking
on the sidebar and moving the bar up and down. To complete the task you need to match
seven headings to the correct paragraphs in the text.

Select the appropriate heading from the drop-down list on the right-hand side.

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 5. WPL Writing Assessment
There are four parts to the Writing Assessment. You will interact in a social media-
type written conversation and write emails. All writing tasks are marked by an
examiner.

Make sure you fully understand the questions. Plan what you are going to write and then edit
your writing before clicking on the next question. The most common mistakes include:

• Not answering the questions (going off-topic).

Read the question and understand what you need to do.
• Writing too much but with poor grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Keep to the word count and focus on accuracy.
• Not using a variety of sentence structures.
• Not writing in sentences or paragraphs.
• Using SMS (text messaging) spelling.

The total time allowed for the Writing Assessment is 50 minutes. The timings for each
section below are recommendations only.

ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTION PREPARATION

DESIGN

Part 1 In the first part, you have The focus is on communication

joined a club, course or activity (this means spelling,
Word-level and must answer a series of capitalisation and grammar will
writing five text messages from other not be considered by the
members of the club, course or markers).
activity. There is no extended
writing in this part (no
sentence writing), just
individual words.

If you are targeting a very

high score, you should
spend no more than three
(3) minutes on this part.
Part 2 This part is about form filling. In You are asked to write 20–30
this part, you need to write in words. The focus is on writing
Short text sentences. sentences that are on-topic and
writing have accurate grammar,
If you are targeting a very punctuation and spelling.
high score, you should spend
no more than seven (7) A common error is to write more
minutes on this part. than 30 words and as a result,
making a lot of mistakes. Keep to
the word limit and focus on
accuracy.

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 Part 3 In this part, you will have a social Answer all three questions and
network-type interaction. You will don't go off-topic.
Three receive three questions and need
written to respond. Focus on accurate spelling and
parts of punctuation and write sentences
text, all of If you are targeting a very high that link together and make sense.
which score, you should spend no more
require than ten (10) minutes on this part. Keep to the word count of 30–
responses 40 words per answer.

Part 4 This part requires that you write two Keep to the word count of about
emails: 1) an informal email to a 50 words for the first email and
Formal and friend; and 2) a more formal email to 120– 150 words for the second
informal an unknown person. Both emails are email.
writing in reaction to information about a
change. Make sure your emails are written
for different people. The first email
You should spend all of your should clearly be an informal email
remaining time on this part (around to a friend or close family member,
30 minutes). while the second should clearly be a
formal email to a company.

You are also assessed on how

accurately you write and your
flexibility with the English
language, so check your writing
and use a wide range of
vocabulary, grammar and
cohesive devices.

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 Sample writing questions
Writing Part 1: Word-level writing
You need to write five pieces of information.

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 Writing Part 2: Short text writing
There may be one or two questions.

The areas assessed are how complete and relevant your answer is, grammatical range
and accuracy, punctuation, vocabulary range and accuracy, and cohesion. Here is the
marking scale:

Highest score - above the descriptor below.

On-topic.

Uses simple grammatical structures to produce writing at the sentence level.

Errors with basic structures common. Errors do not impede understanding of the
response.

Mostly accurate punctuation and spelling.

Vocabulary is sufficient to respond to the question(s).

Some attempts at using simple connectors and cohesive devices to link

sentences.

On-topic.

Uses simple grammatical structures to produce writing at the sentence level.

Errors with basic structures common. Errors impede understanding in parts of
the response.

Punctuation and spelling mistakes are noticeable.

Vocabulary is mostly sufficient to respond to the question(s) but inappropriate

lexical choices are noticeable.

Response is a list of sentences with no use of connectors or cohesive devices

to link sentences.

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 Not fully on-topic.

Grammatical structure is limited to words and phrases. Errors in basic patterns

and simple grammar structures impede understanding.

Little or no use of accurate punctuation. Spelling mistakes common.

Vocabulary is limited to very basic words related to personal information and is

not sufficient to respond to the question(s).

No use of cohesion.

Response limited to a few words or phrases.

Grammar and vocabulary errors are so serious and frequent that the
meaning is unintelligible.

No meaningful language or all responses are completely off-topic (e.g.

memorised script, guessing).

Low Scoring

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 Writing Part 3: Three written parts of text, all of which require responses

In Part 3, you will answer social media-type questions which will look like the following:

51

The areas assessed are how completely and relevantly you answer the question, punctuation,
grammatical range and accuracy, vocabulary range and accuracy and cohesion. Here is the
marking scale:

Highest score - above the descriptor below.

Responses to all three questions are on-topic and show the following features.

Control of simple grammatical structures. Errors occur when attempting

complex structures.

Punctuation and spelling mostly accurate. Errors do not impede understanding.

Vocabulary is sufficient to respond to the questions.

Uses simple cohesive devices to organise responses as a linear sequence of

sentences.

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 Responses to two questions are on-topic and show the following features.

Control of simple grammatical structures. Errors occur when attempting

complex structures.

Punctuation and spelling mostly accurate. Errors do not impede understanding.

Vocabulary is sufficient to respond to the questions.

Uses simple cohesive devices to organise responses as a linear sequence of

sentences.

Responses to at least two questions are on-topic and show the following
features.

Uses simple grammatical structures to produce writing at the sentence level.

Errors with simple structures common and sometimes impede understanding.

Punctuation and spelling mistakes are noticeable.

Vocabulary is not sufficient to respond to the question(s). Inappropriate lexical

choices are noticeable and sometimes impede understanding.

Responses are lists of sentences and are not organised as cohesive texts.
Response to one question is on-topic and shows the following features:

Uses simple grammatical structures to produce writing at the sentence level.

Errors with simple structures common and sometimes impede understanding.

Punctuation and spelling mistakes are noticeable.

Below the descriptor above or no meaningful language or the responses
are completely off-topic (e.g. memorised script, guessing).

Low Scoring

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 Writing Part 4: Formal and informal writing
The areas assessed are task fulfilment and register (see below for more information about
register), grammatical range and accuracy, vocabulary range and accuracy, and cohesion.

Highest score - above the descriptor below.

Response shows the following features:

Response on-topic and task fulfilled in terms of appropriateness of register. Two

clearly different registers.

Range of complex grammar constructions used accurately. Some minor errors

occur but do not impede understanding.

Range of vocabulary used to discuss the topics required by the task. Some
awkward usage or slightly inappropriate lexical choices.

A range of cohesive devices is used to clearly indicate the links between ideas.

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 Response on-topic and task fulfilled in terms of appropriateness of register:
appropriate register used consistently in both responses. Response shows the
following features:

Some complex grammar constructions used accurately. Errors do not lead to

misunderstandings.

Minor errors in punctuation and spelling occur but do not impede understanding.

Sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topics required by the task.

Inappropriate lexical choices do not lead to misunderstanding.

A limited number of cohesive devices are used to indicate the links between
ideas.
Response partially on-topic and task partially fulfilled in terms of
appropriateness of register: appropriate register used consistently in one
response. Response shows the following features:

Some complex grammar constructions used accurately. Errors do not lead to

misunderstandings.

Minor errors in punctuation and spelling occur but do not impede understanding.

Sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topics required by the task.

Inappropriate lexical choices do not lead to misunderstanding.

A limited number of cohesive devices are used to indicate the links between
ideas.
Response partially on-topic and task not fulfilled in terms of appropriateness of
register: appropriate register not used consistently in either response. Response
shows the following features:

Control of simple grammatical structures. Errors occur when attempting

complex structures.

Punctuation and spelling are mostly accurate. Errors do not

impede understanding.

Response not on-topic and task not fulfilled in terms of appropriateness of

register. No evidence of awareness of register. Response shows the following
features:

Control of simple grammatical structures. Errors occur when attempting

complex structures.

Punctuation and spelling are mostly accurate. Errors do not

impede understanding.

Below the descriptor above or no meaningful language or the responses

are completely off-topic (e.g. memorised script, guessing).

Low Scoring

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 Register
'Register' means the different ways language is used in different situations, depending on the
relationships between the speaker and listener, or the author and the intended reader. This is
an important part of language use. For example, your language choices will be different when
you’re writing to a new business partner and when you’re writing to a friend.
To be successful in Part 4, you need to show that you can write in both casual and formal
registers. The first section of Part 4 asks you to write in an intimate or casual register (one used
among family members and close friends). The second part asks you to write in a formal
register (one used between strangers or in a business setting).

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 6. Numeracy Assessment
The Numeracy Assessment has two parts.

In Part 1, you will answer 26 questions without using a calculator. When you need to do
calculations, you should use the pen and paper provided on your desk.

In Part 2, you will answer 24 questions. You can use a calculator, which will be provided on
the screen. The questions will get more difficult as the assessment continues.

The questions are a mixture of multiple-choice and short-answer items. For the short-
answer items, you will only need to key in numbers. You cannot key in letters or special
characters in the answer box in short answer items.

Each time you complete a question and move onto the next screen your answer is locked.
This means that you cannot go back during the assessment and change your answer.

ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTION PREPARATION

DESIGN

Part 1 In this part of the To prepare for this part, you should
assessment, you practice adding, subtracting,
Simpler questions answer 26 multiplying and dividing from 0 to
(no calculator) questions. 100 without a calculator, adding and
subtracting units of time, calculating
percentages, or interpreting simple
line graphs and pie charts.

It is also a good idea to make sure

you understand basic mathematical
symbols and abbreviations such as
$, kg, or m (a list of symbols and
abbreviations is provided on the
following page).

Part 2 In this part of the To prepare for this part, you should
assessment, you practice applying operations such as
More complex answer 24 the Pythagorean Theorem, using
questions with questions. and manipulating formulas,
calculator computing the probability of
A calculator is provided. combined events, and using various
To access it, click on the algebraic methods as problem-
calculator icon at the top solving tools.
right-hand corner of your
screen.

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 Mathematical formula used in the WPN assessments
Area of a rectangle 𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ × 𝑊𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ
1
Area of a triangle × 𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ × 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡
2

Circumference of a circle 2 × 𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 × 𝜋

Diameter of a circle 2 × 𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠

Perimeter of a rectangle 2 × (𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ + 𝑊𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ)

Pythagorean theorem 𝑐 2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏2

𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
Speed 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒

Surface area of a cylinder 2 × 𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 × 𝜋 × 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡

Surface area of a sphere 4 × 𝜋 × 𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 2

Volume of a box 𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ × 𝑊𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ × 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡

1
Volume of a cone × 𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 2 × 𝜋 × 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡
3

Volume of a cylinder 𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 2 × 𝜋 × 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡

Units of measurement, symbols and their abbreviations

$ dollar sign g gram

° degrees (angle) or degrees kg kilogram

celsius (temperature)

mm millimetres ml millilitre

cm centimetres l litre

m metre mins minutes

km kilometre h hours

cm² centimetre squared mA milliamps

m² metre squared A amps

cm³ centimetre cubed V volume

m³ metre cubed am ante meridiem (before midday)

pm post meridiem (after midday)

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 Sample numeracy questions
Numeracy Part 1: Simpler questions (no calculator)

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 Numeracy Part 2: More complex questions with calculator

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www.britishcouncil.org 54
 WPLN Assessments for all
The British Council is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in testing. We
believe that the WPLN Assessments should be accessible to anyone who wants to take them.
We also believe that each person should have the opportunity to perform to the best of his or
her ability on the WPLN Assessments.

If you have a disability and believe that the WPLN Assessments are not accessible to you or
believe that the form of the assessment will not allow you to show your true level of English
or numeracy, please contact British Council Singapore Customer Service to talk about ways
in which the assessment can be modified for your needs. We can make changes to the
assessment such as offering a Braille version or adjusting the font size on screen. We need
at least 4 weeks’ notice to prepare these adjustments so please contact us as early as
possible.

Please discuss your needs with us to ensure that we can support you with an assessment
which is both fair to you and maintains the high standards and reliability of the WPLN
Assessments.

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 Final checklist
We hope these notes will help you prepare for your Workplace Literacy and Numeracy
assessments. Here is a checklist to make sure you’re fully prepared:

Review the different grammar parts:

http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/continuing-professional-development/cpd-teacher-
trainers/british-council-eaquals-core-inventory-general-english

Visit the LearnEnglish website to prepare for the grammar and vocabulary
assessment: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en

Visit the English Club to prepare for the vocabulary assessment: www.englishclub.com

Practise your English skills at every opportunity. Listen to English radio (e.g. BBC World
Service), watch English-language television and films and read the graded readers (e.g.
Cambridge, Penguin, Macmillan and Headway).

Read the tips in this booklet on how to prepare for each assessment.

Useful web resources

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/british-council-eaquals-core-inventory-general-english

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/vocabulary

https://www.englishclub.com/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio

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For more information, please visit www.britishcouncil.sg/exam/wpln

© British Council 2019

The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and
builds trust between them worldwide. A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales SC037733
(Scotland.

www.britishcouncil.org 57