DZI English Language study guide
DZI English Language · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The DZI English Language exam is a multiple-choice assessment of practical English proficiency across seven weighted domains: grammar and usage, vocabulary and word meaning, reading comprehension, sentence structure and completion, punctuation and mechanics, writing and composition, and listening comprehension. It suits candidates who need to demonstrate working command of English for academic study, employment screening, or professional communication where clear, accurate written and spoken English matters. The DZI English Language study guide has 7 sections and about 1,872 words.
01Grammar and Usage
Grammar and Usage questions check whether you can identify the grammatical role a word plays in a sentence and whether the sentence obeys agreement, tense, and pronoun rules. Core concepts include subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, pronoun case and reference, modifier placement, countable versus uncountable nouns, and correct use of articles and prepositions.
306 words, about 2 min02Vocabulary and Word Meaning
Vocabulary items ask you to choose the word that fits a context, identify a synonym or antonym, or infer meaning from surrounding clues. The concepts you need are denotation (dictionary meaning), connotation (positive, negative, or neutral shading), register (formal versus informal), collocation (words that naturally pair, such as heavy rain , not strong rain ), and morphological analysis (roots, prefixes, suffixes).
270 words, about 1 min03Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension measures whether you can extract stated information, infer unstated meaning, identify main idea and purpose, trace an author's attitude, and evaluate evidence. You must separate what the passage says from what you already believe, and distinguish a supported inference from a plausible guess.
270 words, about 1 min04Sentence Structure and Completion
This domain covers sentence types (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex), clause recognition, and the logic of filling blanks in longer texts. You need to recognise independent and dependent clauses, coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, and the transition words that signal addition, contrast, cause, example, or sequence.
250 words, about 1 min05Punctuation and Mechanics
Punctuation questions test commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, apostrophes, quotation marks, hyphens, and capitalisation. The underlying concepts are separation (joining or dividing clauses and items) and possession (showing ownership or contraction).
265 words, about 1 min06Writing and Composition
Composition questions assess paragraph unity, coherence, organisation, development, and revision. You must recognise topic sentences, supporting detail, transitions, and appropriate tone, and decide how to combine, split, reorder, or delete sentences to improve a draft.
242 words, about 1 min07Listening Comprehension
Listening items test main idea, detail recall, inference, speaker purpose and attitude, and understanding of signposting language in spoken English. Spoken discourse differs from writing: it contains fillers, false starts, repetition, and intonation that carries meaning.
269 words, about 1 min