Format of the SWELT

The SWELT consists of the following component papers:

READING : 1 hour

WRITING : 1 hour

GRAMMAR AND ACADEMIC VOCABULARY : 1 hour

LISTENING: 30-40 minutes

Where to take the SWELT

All four components are normally taken at a single session, on the same day.

Each component is scored in a banding system equivalent to the IELTS banding, and an overall band is obtained by averaging performance across the four components.

The SWELT may be taken at Swansea University, but at present it is mainly intended for students from China who are contemplating study at Swansea and wish to have their level of English assessed in order to finalise their admission in advance of their journey to the UK. For this purpose, ELTS organises administrations of the SWELT in various cities in China. For 2008, it is planned to offer the test in China in January, May/June and August. These sessions are administered on site by ELTS staff who travel to China. Scores are usually available within two weeks following the examination.

For details of venues and dates of SWELT administrations in China, contact Kevin Child

For details of the format of the SWELT, contact Steve Tanner

SWELT scores and Swansea University entry requirements

The table below shows which SWELT scores are normally required for entry to various Swansea University courses. Students should check with individual departments for specific courses, whose requirements may vary.

SWELT scores and Swansea University entry requirements

BAND	COURSE
7	Linguistically demanding courses e.g. MA TEFL most Ph.Ds
6.5	Postgraduate courses in Business Studies, including MBA
6	LLB (Law) MA IN TRANSLATION Undergraduate degree schemes
5.5	Admission to the PRE-SESSIONAL COURSE and PRE-MASTER'S PROGRAMME
4.5	Admission to the INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION YEAR
4	Admission to the ENGLISH FOR UNIVERSITY STUDIES Course

Content of the SWELT

READING 60 minutes

This test consists of two or three texts, totalling not more than 2000 words. Texts will be from articles of general interest, including one text of an academic style. Comprehension of the texts is assessed by 40 questions, of a variety of types including:

Multiple Choice

True/False/Not Given

Short answer

Matching paragraph headings

Summary gap-fill

Matching definitions to vocabulary

SAMPLE SWELT READING TEXT WITH ANSWERS

WRITING 60 minutes

This test consists of two tasks, for each of which the candidate is required to write about 200 words.

Task 1 requires the candidates to summarise and interpret numerical data , shown in the form of a chart, such as a graph, bar chart or pie chart.

Task 2 is thematically related to Task 1, and requires the candidate to express personal opinions on a topical subject.

Performance is assessed on accuracy of grammar and vocabulary, range of structure, fulfilment of task and organisation .

Each task carries 50% of the total marks for the paper.

Sample SWELT Test of Writing

GRAMMAR AND ACADEMIC VOCABULARY 60 minutes

This tests is in two parts, Grammar (30 minutes) and Academic Vocabulary (30 minutes).

Grammar (30 minutes)

This consists of two parts

(1) 40 multiple-choice questions, testing knowledge of grammar.

(2) 10 error-correction questions , testing ability to edit.

Sample SWELT Test of Grammar

VOCABULARY (30 minutes)

This test consists of 50 sentences with one word omitted . Candidates are required to choose the correct completion from four alternatives.

The vocabulary tested is all from the ACADEMIC WORD LIST  or  UNIVERSITY WORD LIST

Sample SWELT Test of Academic Vocabulary

LISTENING (30-40 minutes)

This test consists of recordings of a variety of conversations, short talks and news items. Comprehension is tested by a range of questions, including multiple choice, short answers (single word or number), completion of tables and labelling of diagrams.