Grammar Structure
33.3%of exam
Listening Comprehension
33.3%of exam
Reading Comprehension
33.3%of exam
Quick Facts
- Product
- Academic-Core
- Scored skills
- Grammar, Listening, Reading
- Questions
- 49 multiple-choice
- Testing time
- 50 minutes
- Preparation
- 10 additional minutes
- Total session
- 60 minutes
- Grammar
- 25 items / 10 min
- Listening
- 14 items / 20 min
- Reading
- 10 items / 20 min
- Choices
- Four per item
- Wrong answers
- No penalty
- Score scale
- 0.0–6.0
- Universal pass
- Institution-defined
Grammar Scan
Role → Time → Agreement → Connection
Role: noun/verbTime: timelineAgreement: subjectConnection: logic
Academic-Core vs Academic-Plus
Core
- Grammar, Listening, Reading
- 50 testing minutes
- Three automated sections
Plus
- Adds writing and speaking
- 80 testing minutes
- Human-rated added sections
Three skills vs five skills
Grammar Answer Picker
- Sentence has blank→Identify required grammar role
- Segments are marked→Find incorrect segment
- Verb options differ→Map timeline, then agreement
- Pronouns differ→Trace antecedent
- Connectors differ→Name logical relationship
- Modifiers differ→Check attachment
- List forms differ→Enforce parallel structure
- Two answers seem possible→Test full sentence
Academic-Core Format
- Core skills
- Grammar, Listening, Reading
- Core question type
- Four-option multiple choice
- Total items
- 49
- Scored testing
- 50 minutes
- Pre-test preparation
- 10 additional minutes
- Total session
- 60 minutes
- Core scoring
- All sections automated
- Section weights
- Equal
- Wrong-answer penalty
- None
- Universal passing score
- Not set by iTEP
No-Penalty Rule
Eliminate → Choose → Never leave blank
Wrong: no penaltyBlank: no advantageGuess after elimination
Testing Time vs Session Time
Testing
- 50 minutes
- Scored sections only
- 10 + 20 + 20
Session
- 60 minutes
- Includes preparation
- Adds ten minutes
Preparation is not testing time
Delivery and Reporting
- Online delivery
- At home or institution
- Paper Core
- Available
- Score range
- 0.0–6.0
- Overall precision
- One decimal point
- Overall score
- Average of skill sections
- Skill scores
- Reported separately
- Framework
- CEFR aligned
- Result validity
- Two years from test date
- Testing ID
- Valid for twelve months
- Help button
- Reopens test directions
- Section timer
- Shows remaining time
- Target score
- Receiving institution decides
Completion vs Error Identification
Completion
- 13 questions
- Fill sentence blank
- Choose correct form
Error Identification
- 12 questions
- Inspect marked segments
- Choose incorrect form
Supply correct vs locate wrong
Grammar Format
- Grammar time
- 10 minutes
- Grammar total
- 25 questions
- Grammar parts
- Two
- Part 1
- 13 sentence completions
- Part 2
- 12 error identifications
- Difficulty range
- Beginner through advanced
- Completion task
- Choose fitting word or phrase
- Error task
- Choose incorrect segment
- Grammar review
- Back button while time remains
Section Weight vs Item Count
Section Weight
- Each section equal
- Three skill scores
- Overall averages sections
Item Count
- Grammar has 25
- Listening has 14
- Reading has 10
More items do not outweigh
Verb and Noun Grammar
- Subject-verb agreement
- Match finite verb to subject
- Simple present
- Habits or general truths
- Present continuous
- Action ongoing now
- Present perfect
- Past linked to present
- Past perfect
- Earlier past action
- Modal
- Follow with base verb
- A or an
- Nonspecific singular count noun
- The
- Specific or shared reference
- Count noun
- Many and fewer
- Noncount noun
- Much and less
- Pronoun agreement
- Match clear antecedent
- Parallel structure
- Match grammatical forms
Clauses and Connections
- Independent clause
- Complete thought
- Dependent clause
- Needs main clause
- Because
- Introduces reason clause
- Although
- Introduces contrast clause
- Despite
- Takes noun or gerund
- Who
- Refers to people
- Which
- Refers to things
- Whose
- Shows possession
- Zero conditional
- General result
- First conditional
- Real future possibility
- Second conditional
- Hypothetical present or future
- Third conditional
- Counterfactual past
- Subjunctive
- Recommendation plus base form
- Dangling modifier
- Missing logical subject
Core and Plus Boundary
- Academic-Core
- Grammar, listening, reading
- Academic-Plus
- Five language skills
- Plus additions
- Writing and speaking
- Core testing
- 50 minutes
- Plus testing
- 80 minutes
- Core total
- 60 minutes including preparation
- Plus total
- 90 minutes including preparation
- Official admissions
- iTEP recommends Academic-Plus
- Internal assessment
- Either version suitable
Listening Map
Who → Why → What → Result
Who: speakersWhy: purposeWhat: messageResult: outcome
One-Play Audio vs Reviewable Text
Listening
- Audio plays once
- Submitted answers lock
- Notes preserve evidence
Reading and Grammar
- Text remains visible
- Back button available
- Review while time remains
Confirm carefully; revisit visible text
Listening Answer Picker
- Short conversation starts→Track who, why, what
- Long conversation starts→Map topic and outcome
- Lecture starts→Outline main idea and examples
- Main idea asked→Choose broad supported summary
- Detail asked→Use exact note
- Purpose asked→Name speaker goal
- Inference asked→Require audio evidence
- Unknown word appears→Preserve overall thread
Listening Format
- Listening time
- 20 minutes
- Listening total
- 14 questions
- Listening parts
- Three
- Part 1 audio
- Four short conversations
- Part 1 length
- Two to three sentences
- Part 1 questions
- Four total
- Part 2 audio
- Two-to-three-minute conversation
- Part 2 questions
- Four
- Part 3 audio
- Four-minute academic lecture
- Part 3 questions
- Six
- Playback
- Once only
- Listening notes
- Permitted
- Submitted response
- Cannot be reviewed or changed
Audio Evidence
- Main idea
- Overall message
- Key detail
- Explicit supporting fact
- Speaker purpose
- Reason for speaking
- Speaker relationship
- Roles revealed by context
- Attitude
- Tone plus word choice
- Inference
- Logically supported meaning
- Transition
- Signals direction change
- Example
- Illustrates preceding idea
- Paraphrase
- Same meaning, different wording
- Distractor
- Heard words, wrong relationship
Listening Note Map
- Topic
- Name subject briefly
- Purpose
- Mark speaker goal
- Problem
- Record central obstacle
- Solution
- Record proposed response
- Sequence
- Number major stages
- Contrast
- Use versus mark
- Cause
- Use forward arrow
- Example
- Indent beneath supporting point
- Opinion
- Label speaker name
- Unknown word
- Keep listening
Reading Map
Topic → Main Idea → Support → Purpose
Topic: subjectMain idea: messageSupport: evidencePurpose: function
Main Idea vs Detail
Main Idea
- Whole selection
- Topic plus central point
- Broad but supported
Detail
- Specific evidence
- Locate relevant sentence
- Narrow and exact
Whole message vs supporting fact
Reading Answer Picker
- Passage opens→Map topic and main idea
- Main idea asked→Cover entire passage
- Detail asked→Return to evidence
- Vocabulary asked→Substitute in context
- Reference asked→Trace grammatical match
- Inference asked→Choose supported extension
- Purpose asked→Name text function
- Time runs short→Answer every item
Current CEFR Bands
- A1 Beginner
- 0.0–1.9
- A2 Elementary
- 2.0–2.4
- B1 Intermediate
- 2.5–3.4
- B2 Upper Intermediate
- 3.5–4.4
- C1 Advanced
- 4.5–5.4
- C2 Mastery
- 5.5–6.0
Stated vs Inferred
Stated
- Explicit wording
- Directly located
- May be paraphrased
Inferred
- Not directly stated
- Strongly supported
- Evidence still necessary
Written directly vs supported conclusion
Reading Format
- Reading time
- 20 minutes
- Reading total
- 10 questions
- Reading parts
- Two
- Part 1 level
- Intermediate
- Part 1 passage
- About 250 words
- Part 1 questions
- Four
- Part 2 level
- Upper level
- Part 2 passage
- About 450 words
- Part 2 questions
- Six
- Reading review
- Back button while time remains
Passage Map
- Topic
- Passage subject
- Main idea
- Central message or point
- Paragraph role
- Function within passage
- Definition
- Term explained nearby
- Example
- Illustrates broader point
- Contrast
- Opposing ideas compared
- Cause-effect
- Reason linked to result
- Pronoun reference
- Trace matching antecedent
- Transition word
- Signals logical relation
- Conclusion
- Final implication or claim
Reading Evidence
- Main-idea answer
- Covers whole passage
- Detail answer
- Matches located evidence
- Inference answer
- Supported beyond exact wording
- Vocabulary answer
- Fits local context
- Purpose answer
- Explains why author wrote
- Negative stem
- Find unsupported option
- Too broad
- Exceeds passage scope
- Too narrow
- Covers one detail
- Outside knowledge
- Ignore unless passage supports
- Word match
- Not proof of meaning
Common Traps
Sixty scored minutes
Testing lasts fifty minutes ≠ Preparation adds ten minutes
Core includes productive skills
Core has three skills ≠ Plus adds writing/speaking
Grammar dominates overall
Grammar has most items ≠ Sections remain equally weighted
Leaving blanks
Wrong answers have no penalty ≠ Answer every question
Replaying audio
Listening selections play once ≠ Take compact notes
Choosing the corrected segment
Error task asks incorrect part ≠ Select the actual error
Inference means imagination
Inference extends evidence ≠ Outside assumptions fail
Keyword matching
Distractors reuse passage words ≠ Correct meaning must align
Universal pass score
iTEP reports proficiency ≠ Institution sets its target
Last Minute
- 1.Core = Grammar, Listening, Reading
- 2.Testing 50; preparation 10; total 60
- 3.Grammar: 25 questions, 10 minutes
- 4.Grammar: 13 completion + 12 error
- 5.Listening: 14 questions, 20 minutes
- 6.Listening split: 4 + 4 + 6
- 7.Reading: 10 questions, 20 minutes
- 8.Reading split: 4 + 6
- 9.Every item has four choices
- 10.No penalty; answer every item
- 11.Audio plays once; take notes
- 12.Reading and Grammar allow review
- 13.Sections are equally weighted
- 14.Scores run 0.0–6.0
- 15.Institution sets required score
- 16.Confirm Core meets receiving policy
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