Bradford Academic Skills and Language Test (BASALT)

The Bradford Academic Skills and Language Test (BASALT) is for students whose first language is not English and who want to start their degree course without attending an English language programme. If this is you, you need to prove your ability in English by taking a test which is recognised by the university. BASALT is one of the tests available to you for this purpose.

When and where can I take the BASALT?

The BASALT is administered by the University of Bradford throughout the year in different locations both in and outside the UK, including the university campus.

If you have been offered a place at the university, a member of the Outreach and Recruitment team will contact you with information about when and where you can take the test.

What does the BASALT include?

The BASALT includes the following components, each of which is worth 25%:

Part 1 Reading (Understanding main ideas and details)
Part 2 Listening (Lecture Listening)
Part 3 Writing (Essay)
Part 4 Speaking (Discussion)

Part 1 - Reading

Reading 1: Detailed reading

Duration	Input	Question types	Purpose
45 minutes	1500 words (+/- 10%) from undergraduate level textbooks, quality newspapers or journals on an area of general academic interest.	Around 30 questions chosen from the following question types: Multiple choice Short answer Gap-fill	To test your ability to understand the key ideas and supporting details and how they relate to each other in a general academic text.

Part 2 - Listening

Duration	Input	Question types	Purpose
Around 20 minutes	A 10 minute (+/- 1-2 minutes) extract from a lecture on an area of general academic interest. You will have 5 minutes to read the questions before hearing the lecture and 5 minutes after the lecture is played to check your answers.	Around 30 questions chosen from the following question types: Multiple choice Short answer Gap-fill	To test your ability to understand the key ideas and supporting details and how they relate to each other in a general academic lecture

Duration

Input

Question types

Purpose

Around 20 minutes

A 10 minute (+/- 1-2 minutes) extract from a lecture on an area of general academic interest.

You will have 5 minutes to read the questions before hearing the lecture and 5 minutes after the lecture is played to check your answers.

Around 30 questions chosen from the following question types:

Multiple choice
Short answer
Gap-fill

To test your ability to understand the key ideas and supporting details and how they relate to each other in a general academic lecture

Part 3 - Writing

Duration	Input	Question types	Purpose
55 minutes	A single question as a topic of general academic interest with 3 optional prompts.	Write an essay of around 400 words in response to the question. Question types will be chosen from: Problem-solution Cause-effect Advantages-disadvantages Opinion	To test your ability to construct and develop a coherent idea with a logical progression which is relevant to the question. To test your ability to use language accurately and appropriately

Duration

Input

Question types

Purpose

55 minutes

A single question as a topic of general academic interest with 3 optional prompts.

Write an essay of around 400 words in response to the question. Question types will be chosen from:

Problem-solution
Cause-effect
Advantages-disadvantages
Opinion

To test your ability to construct and develop a coherent idea with a logical progression which is relevant to the question.
To test your ability to use language accurately and appropriately

Part 4 - Speaking

Duration	Input	Question types	Purpose
14-16 minutes per 2 candidates	A topic of general academic interest with optional prompts provided for part 2. Two minutes planning time before part 2. Four minutes planning time before part 3.	There are 3 sections: İntroduce yourself with your name. Give your opinion about a question on a topic of general academic interest. Discuss the question with the other candidates. To test your ability to express and develop a coherent idea with a logical progression which is relevant to the question. To test your ability to interact with other participants in a seminar situation.	To test your ability to express and develop a coherent idea with a logical progression which is relevant to the question. To test your ability to interact with other participants in a seminar situation.

Duration

Input

Question types

Purpose

14-16 minutes per 2 candidates

A topic of general academic interest with optional prompts provided for part 2.

Two minutes planning time before part 2.

Four minutes planning time before part 3.

There are 3 sections:

İntroduce yourself with your name.
Give your opinion about a question on a topic of general academic interest.
Discuss the question with the other candidates.
To test your ability to express and develop a coherent idea with a logical progression which is relevant to the question.

To test your ability to interact with other participants in a seminar situation.

To test your ability to express and develop a coherent idea with a logical progression which is relevant to the question.

To test your ability to interact with other participants in a seminar situation.

Area representatives

Region	Contact
UK (including on-campus tests)	Claire Pryke T: +44 1274 235703
EU	Claire Pryke T: +44 1274 235703
Americas	Claire Pryke T: +44 1274 235703
China & East Asia	Lei Ding T: +86 10 5879 7566
Middle East, North Africa, South East Asia and South Asia	Melissa Seraphin-Thomas T: + 971 4 439 3694
Sub-Saharan Africa	Sheillah Chimungeni T: +44 7766 242063