Versant English Test Explained (2026): New Format, GSE Scoring & Sample Questions
Chapters
- The Short Answer
- The Name Has Changed
- Five Versant English Tests
- How You Take It
- Speaking and Listening: Six Parts
- Retell and Opinion
- The Four-Skills Essentials Test
- How Scoring Works
- What Score Do You Need?
- How to Prepare
- Sample Questions, Part One
- Sample Questions, Part Two
- Recap
Audio from the Open Exam Hub video of the same name; the video shows the numbers and practice questions on screen.
The Versant English test explained from Pearson's official Versant by Pearson pages and test descriptions, as of October 2026. Pearson says its Versant English Speaking and Listening Test is designed to replace the Versant English Test, and the family is now branded Versant by Pearson: Speaking and Listening (17 minutes on Pearson's flyer, about 20 in the test description), English 4-Skills Essentials (30 minutes), Writing (35), Placement (50) and Professional English (60). The Speaking and Listening Test has about 40 items in six parts: short answers (~8), repeat the sentence (~16, 5 to 15 words), conversations (~6), passage questions (~6), retell a passage (2-3, 30 seconds) and give your opinion (2-3, 40 seconds), plus an unscored 30-second speech sample. You take it on the free Versant by Pearson app or a computer with a headset, any time, with no examiner; the system moves on when you stop speaking. The 4-Skills Essentials Test (~70 items) adds sentence builds, typed sentence completion and dictation (25 seconds each) and passage reconstruction (read 30 s, write 90 s). Scores: GSE 10 to 90 with a CEFR level (older Versant reports used 20 to 80). Overall = Speaking 50% + Listening 50%; Manner of Speaking is half of Speaking; about 75% content and accuracy, 25% manner. Pearson's CEFR table for this test: B1 43-50, B2 59-66, B2+ 67-75, C1 76-84, C2 85-90. No pass mark: employers set their own cut score. Standard error about 4 GSE points. Then 8 original sample tasks to answer out loud, with model answers. Prep tips are our own suggestions. Independent guide, not affiliated with Pearson.
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Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:57 The Name Has Changed
1:47 Five Versant English Tests
2:31 How You Take It
3:14 Speaking and Listening: Six Parts
3:59 Retell and Opinion
4:41 The Four-Skills Essentials Test
5:38 How Scoring Works
6:33 What Score Do You Need?
7:09 How to Prepare
7:56 Sample Questions, Part One
9:36 Sample Questions, Part Two
11:33 Recap
Exam facts are from the official Pearson (Versant by Pearson) pages as of 2026-10-25. Fees and rules can change, so confirm on the official site before you enroll. Open Exam Hub is an independent study resource, not affiliated with Pearson. Practice questions are not from a real exam. Narration is an AI-generated voice.
Music
"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
"Almost Bliss" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
"Carefree" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.
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