UTAS English Placement case studies
UTAS English Placement · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The UTAS English Placement is not a published standalone credential. What the University of Tasmania's English Language Centre (ELC) does publish is a suite of English programs and a test centre: the Direct Entry / English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Program, group General English options delivered in Hobart, study tours, and an English Test Centre that offers "a range of English tests designed to assess your ability to communicate in English in all four skills: Listening, reading, writing and speaking." Placement into the right starting level is handled by the ELC as part of admission to those programs, so this page is written for candidates who need to know what to expect and how to prepare, not as a description of a publicly documented exam. The UTAS English Placement case studies are 5 cases and about 3,722 words.
1The Rescheduled Airport Shuttle
Li Wei is 18 minutes into a 30-minute listening section. Part 2 is a single recorded voicemail from a homestay coordinator, played once.
763 words, about 4 min2Three Passages, Forty Questions, Sixty Minutes
Amara has 60 minutes to complete three reading passages and 40 questions. She decides to read Passage 1 word by word because it is about a familiar topic, coastal erosion.
729 words, about 4 min3The 380-Word Essay With No Position
Jonas has 40 minutes for Writing Task 2. The prompt asks whether universities should prioritise employable skills or knowledge for its own sake, and to discuss both views and give his opinion.
740 words, about 4 min4Part 3: From One-Word Answers to a Memorised Monologue
During Speaking Part 3, the examiner asks Mei Ling, 'Why do some people prefer to cycle to work even when public transport is available?' She answers, 'Yes, because healthy.' The examiner rephrases: 'What reasons do cyclists give?' Mei Ling then delivers a 75-second speech she has memorised about global warming, mentioning carbon emissions three times but never referring to cycling, cost, time or convenience. At 40 seconds the examiner interrupts and asks, 'What about cost?' She says, 'Sorry, I don't know,' and stops.
765 words, about 4 min5True, False or Not Given: The Museum Funding Trap
Kai is answering True/False/Not Given questions on a passage about museum funding. The passage says: 'The committee rejected a flat fee for all visitors.
725 words, about 4 min