Original independent EWS assessment practice with 11 Speaking and 8 Writing questions. It is not an ETS test, official score report or calibrated predictor. Scenarios, organisations, names and events are fictional.
Attempt each question before opening its model. Use the stated preparation and response windows. Speak aloud or make a recording on your own device if desired. Models are examples for comparison, not official scored performances.
Optional English device audio
Preview a named voice before use. Samantha is preferred when available. This is synthetic, single-voice rehearsal. A teacher or partner can use the separate scripts if audio is unavailable.
Attempt the task first, compare with a model, then revise. Models illustrate suitable responses and are not official scored performances. Teacher feedback is required for readiness decisions.
Study the text for 45 seconds. When preparation ends, read the displayed passage aloud for up to 45 seconds.
Thank you for visiting the Westbridge Business Centre. Our information desk is on the ground floor, opposite the main staircase. Visitors attending a booked appointment should sign in before going upstairs. If you arrive early, please take a seat in the waiting area. Your host will come to meet you. Wireless internet is available throughout the building, and the access details are displayed beside the desk. Before leaving, please return your visitor badge to a member of our reception team.
One possible response / review guide
Thank you for visiting the Westbridge Business Centre. Our information desk is on the ground floor, opposite the main staircase. Visitors attending a booked appointment should sign in before going upstairs. If you arrive early, please take a seat in the waiting area. Your host will come to meet you. Wireless internet is available throughout the building, and the access details are displayed beside the desk. Before leaving, please return your visitor badge to a member of our reception team.
Read the original words accurately rather than replacing them with synonyms.
Use meaningful pauses and clear sentence endings.
Make key words understandable with natural stress and intonation.
Keep a steady pace and finish within the response window.
2. Read an activity-day announcement
Use 45 seconds to prepare, then read every displayed word aloud within the 45-second response period.
Make your next team event easier to organise with Cedar Park Activity Days. We offer guided outdoor challenges for groups of different sizes, followed by a freshly prepared lunch. Our coordinators will help you choose activities that suit your group, so no previous experience is necessary. To check available dates, complete the short enquiry form on our website. Please include your preferred date, the expected number of participants and any access requirements. We will contact you to discuss a suitable programme before confirming your booking.
One possible response / review guide
Make your next team event easier to organise with Cedar Park Activity Days. We offer guided outdoor challenges for groups of different sizes, followed by a freshly prepared lunch. Our coordinators will help you choose activities that suit your group, so no previous experience is necessary. To check available dates, complete the short enquiry form on our website. Please include your preferred date, the expected number of participants and any access requirements. We will contact you to discuss a suitable programme before confirming your booking.
Read the original words accurately rather than replacing them with synonyms.
Use meaningful pauses and clear sentence endings.
Make key words understandable with natural stress and intonation.
Keep a steady pace and finish within the response window.
3. Describe picture A
Look at picture A for 45 seconds. Then describe what is visible for up to 30 seconds.
Describe the picture in as much relevant detail as you can.
One possible response / review guide
The picture shows two people at a reception counter. A woman seated behind the counter is handing a sheet of paper to a man standing in front of her. The man is wearing a backpack and reaching for the paper. There is a large plant behind the counter. The setting looks like an office reception area.
Identify the main visible action.
Add two or more accurate details about people, objects or location.
Organise the description so that it is easy to follow.
Avoid inventing a person’s name, exact job title, destination or reason for being there.
Use clear grammar and pronunciation within the thirty-second response window.
4. Describe picture B
Prepare from picture B for 45 seconds. Speak for up to 30 seconds after preparation ends.
Describe the picture in as much relevant detail as you can.
One possible response / review guide
A worker is pushing a trolley through a warehouse aisle. He is wearing a bright safety vest and has both hands on the trolley’s handle. Several sealed cardboard boxes are stacked on the trolley. Tall shelves containing more boxes run along both sides of the aisle. The main action is the movement of the loaded trolley.
Identify the main visible action.
Add two or more accurate details about people, objects or location.
Organise the description so that it is easy to follow.
Avoid inventing a person’s name, exact job title, destination or reason for being there.
Use clear grammar and pronunciation within the thirty-second response window.
5. Learning habits: frequency and place
Hear or read the question once. Take 3 seconds to prepare, then answer for up to 15 seconds.
How often do you learn a new skill, and where do you usually learn it?
One possible response / review guide
I usually learn a new skill every few months. I often start with an online lesson at home, then practise the skill at work or in a short class.
Answer both how often and where.
Use a direct, relevant reply with a little detail.
Speak clearly within fifteen seconds.
6. Learning habits: next skill
After the question, use 3 seconds of preparation and a maximum response time of 15 seconds.
What is one practical skill you would like to learn next?
One possible response / review guide
I would like to learn basic spreadsheet skills. They would help me organise information and check simple budgets more accurately in my daily work.
Name one skill clearly.
Add a relevant reason or use.
Keep the response understandable and within fifteen seconds.
7. Learning habits: course preference
Use 3 seconds to organise your answer, then explain your preference for up to 30 seconds.
Do you prefer a short intensive course or several weekly classes? Explain your preference with reasons.
One possible response / review guide
I prefer several weekly classes because I can practise between sessions. If I have a question after trying a skill at work, I can ask the teacher in the next class. Weekly lessons also fit my schedule more easily. An intensive course is useful when time is limited, but I usually remember more when learning is spread out.
Choose or clearly explain a preference.
Support it with relevant reasons or an example.
Connect ideas naturally rather than listing unrelated phrases.
Stay within the thirty-second response period.
8. Event enquiry: venue and registration
After the shared schedule-reading period, take 3 seconds to prepare and answer for up to 15 seconds.
Northbank Skills Morning
Saturday 22 August 2026 · Maple Training Centre, 18 River Road
Fee: LKR4500. Includes: Drinks and digital learning materials. Lunch is not provided.
Programme for questions 8–10
Time
Activity
Speaker
Place
09:00–09:20
Registration
—
Lobby
09:20–09:30
Welcome
Event organiser
Hall 2
09:30–10:10
Writing clear emails
Leena Perera
Hall 2
10:10–10:25
First break
—
Refreshment area
10:25–11:05
Managing customer requests
Arun Silva
Hall 2
11:05–11:15
Second break
—
Refreshment area
11:15–11:55
Presenting ideas clearly
Maya Chen
Hall 2
11:55–12:10
Question panel
All three session presenters
Hall 2
Read the schedule for 45 seconds once before question 8. Scroll back to this table for questions 9–10.
Where will the event take place, and when does registration begin?
One possible response / review guide
The event is at Maple Training Centre, 18 River Road. Registration begins at nine o’clock in the lobby.
Use the supplied schedule rather than inventing details.
Answer every detail requested in the question.
State times, names and prices accurately.
Correct a false assumption politely when necessary.
Speak clearly within the allotted response time.
9. Event enquiry: correct a fee assumption
Take 3 seconds after the question, then correct the assumption politely within 15 seconds.
I understand that lunch is included in the fee. Is that correct?
One possible response / review guide
No, lunch is not provided. The fee is four thousand five hundred rupees, and it includes drinks and digital learning materials.
Use the supplied schedule rather than inventing details.
Answer every detail requested in the question.
State times, names and prices accurately.
Correct a false assumption politely when necessary.
Speak clearly within the allotted response time.
10. Event enquiry: two later teaching sessions
Hear or read the SAME question twice. Start the 3-second preparation period after the second reading, then answer for up to 30 seconds.
Which two teaching sessions take place after the first break? Please give the topics, speakers and times.
One possible response / review guide
After the first break, Arun Silva presents Managing Customer Requests from ten twenty-five to eleven oh five. The next teaching session is Presenting Ideas Clearly, led by Maya Chen from eleven fifteen to eleven fifty-five. Both sessions take place in Hall Two. There is a short second break between them.
Use the supplied schedule rather than inventing details.
Answer every detail requested in the question.
State times, names and prices accurately.
Correct a false assumption politely when necessary.
Speak clearly within the allotted response time.
11. A quiet room at work
Plan your position and supporting points for 45 seconds. Then speak for up to 60 seconds.
Some workplaces provide a quiet room where employees can work without interruptions. Do you think this is a good use of office space? Explain your view with reasons or examples.
One possible response / review guide
I think a shared quiet room is useful, especially in an open office. Some tasks, such as checking a detailed report, need steady concentration. A person working on that task could use the room for an hour without asking the whole office to remain silent. The room could also help employees finish an urgent piece of writing before returning to normal team work. However, it should be a shared resource rather than a private office for one person. A simple booking system and a reasonable time limit would make access fair. With those arrangements, a quiet room could support focused work while leaving the main office available for discussion.
Give a clear opinion that answers the actual question.
Develop connected reasons and at least one relevant example.
Use understandable pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.
A qualification is useful when relevant, but it must not replace the main answer.
Finish within sixty seconds without memorising an unrelated speech.
