HOW TO PASS THE QTS LITERACY SKILLS TEST
Sample practice questions and answers proven to help you pass your QTS numeracy test first time.
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HOW TO PASS THE QTS LITERACY SKILLS TEST
Every applicant to the Initial Teacher Training in England must PASS the QTS Literacy Skills Test before starting their course. The test is hard. That is why we have developed this professional skills test revision workbook, which contains EVERYTHING you need to know to pass.
- Over 100 practice test questions and answers
- Plus a full mock test, based on the real assessment!
- If you are serious about passing the QTS, this is the only guide you need.
The QTS Literacy Skills Test is a computerised test which is divided into four sections, one for each main area of literacy: spelling, punctuation, grammar and comprehension. In order to pass the test, you must achieve at least 60%. The test is 45 minutes long, although you can be given additional time if your circumstances meet certain requirements. The test can be sat at Learndirect centres found all over the country, and your first attempt is free of charge. This makes passing on your first try even more preferable!
THE FOUR ELEMENTS OF THE QTS LITERACY SKILLS TEST
SPELLING & PUNCTUATION
SPELLING: The spelling section of the Literacy Skills Test will be the first that you face. You must complete this section first, and once completed you cannot return to it. There are 10 marks available for the spelling section, making it a considerable chunk of the overall test. Therefore, it’s important to take the time to improve your spelling skills in preparation for it!
Punctuation is an extremely important part of literacy. Without it, sentences don’t form properly and the meaning of a text can be lost in a block of words. In addition, punctuation signifies the flow of a sentence or paragraph; it allows you to get a feel for a passage, and can accentuate key points. For this reason, punctuation is a significant aspect of the Literacy Skills Test.
A firm grasp on punctuation is important for reading and writing, and therefore a teacher needs to be aware of the various devices at play. A teacher with a thorough understanding of punctuation will be able to help students to understand a text if they are struggling with it, and will be able to spot poorly- written materials when preparing lessons.
GRAMMAR & COMPREHENSION
GRAMMAR: Of all the aspects of literacy, grammar may be the most difficult to understand. There are a number of rules to remember and there are plenty of grammatical errors which people make on a day-to-day basis.
Grammar is essentially a set of rules and conventions which determine how language is structured. It is concerned with sentence boundaries, nouns, prepositions, and other devices and kinds of words. These may seem daunting at first, but in this chapter you will learn the grammatical rules which are likely to show up in the Literacy Skills Test.
COMPREHENSION: Unlike the rest of the test, which focuses mostly on your writing skills, the comprehension section evaluates your ability to read a piece of text and make assessments.
Reading is an essential part of being a teacher, regardless of your specialism. Modern teachers are often expected to read material which does not relate to their subject, but rather to teaching as a whole. School reports, government documents and other texts regarding education are often read by teachers. Some of this reading may be quite demanding, and might require a critical eye in order to identify key details.
HOW IS THE TEST PRESENTED?
As previously mentioned, the real test is computerised. This means that the types of question can ask you to do different things. For example, the spelling section of the test requires that candidates listen to words through headphones, and then type the correct spelling in. A question of this kind would look like the following:
Students acted as ……….. of the school during the trip.
In the real test you would: read the sentence, click the audio icon found where the missing word is, listen to the word, and then finally type the word in how you believe it to be spelled. If you have a hearing impairment, a multiple choice version of the same test is provided. Questions of this kind read as:
Students acted as ……….. of the school during the trip.
- Representatives
- Reppresentatives
- Reppressentatives
- Representitives
Ten questions of this kind will appear in the test, with ten marks available overall. Once you have completed this section of the test, you cannot return to it.
The punctuation section of the test will present you with a piece of text with most of its punctuation missing. You will need to add fifteen pieces of punctuation to the text in order to secure all fifteen marks:
So far seventeen students have been placed under observation, with at least five of them at risk of temporary suspension in particular, jordans suspension was being discussed by the leadership team his bad behaviour was considered among the worst. However the greater issue at play was that none of the teachers in the science department could control the students. the headteacher has been reminded that teaching isn’t purely about knowledge and the ability to put new ideas across it’s equally important to be able to earn the respect of the class, and respect them in return A strong, mutual agreement between a teacher and their students is vital to success in lessons.
The grammar section of the test will have you choosing the most grammatically appropriate option from a multiple choice list. See below for examples of grammar questions.
Finally, the comprehension section of the test will provide you with a longer piece of text. You will need to be able to identify the key points, choose appropriate headings/subheadings, recognise what statements that the text supports or contradicts, and much more.
PASS THE QTS LITERACY SKILLS TESTS WITH EASE…
- Key QTS Preparation Advice – tips on how to prepare for the tests effectively
- Learn how to tackle the test questions – become fully prepared and confident
- Assessment Criteria – How you will be assessed
- Hundreds of Questions – 100′s of practice questions and answers very similar to those in the ACTUAL TEST
- QTS – The best way to practice QTS Numeracy Skills Tests
- Nearly 300 pages of essential preparation advice and resources
- Full of Content – 30 testing sections, most with 25 sample test questions and answers
Pass the QTS Literacy Skills Test First time.
Crafted for everyone, no matter your skill level or background, this workbook was made to help you achieve one goal: to pass your QTS tests.
Scoring Criteria
Essential information about how you will be assessed during the testing stage of the selection process.
UP TO DATE FOR 2025
All questions have been verified by our assessment panel experts..
PRACTICE with over 100 sample questions and answers
Step-by-step information on how to pass the QTS tests including sample questions and answers to help you improve your scores and gain QTS.
CAREFULLY CRAFTED QUESTIONS
Expertly constructed answers questions so you can be confident in learning and improving your score.
INSIDER SECRETS
Insider tips on how to answer the questions and a breakdown on how you will be scored.
SCORE-BOOSTING STRATEGIES
Get ahead of the competition with unique and proven strategies 16 years in the making.
Sample Grammar Material
Grammar Advice and Tips
SHOULD HAVE/SHOULD OF
This is an incredibly common grammatical error which people make in their everyday lives. The way we speak is partially to blame: we often pronounce the ‘have’ of ‘should have’ as a ‘ve’. However, this often sounds like we are saying ‘of’, which is grammatically incorrect.
I should of gone to the meeting early to speak with the project leader.
This should read as:
I should have gone to the meeting early to speak with the project leader.
In a less formal context, it might be appropriate to use the contraction of ‘should have’: ‘should’ve’.
I should’ve gone to the meeting early to speak with the project leader.
This applies to many more of the modal verbs in the English language, such as:
Could | Would | Must
It is important to remember that ‘of’ never follows these words. If it sounds as though an ‘of’ is being added, it is mostly likely the word ‘have’, which may be contracted to ‘ve’ such as ‘could’ve’, ‘would’ve’ and ‘must’ve’.
The sounds which we make in spoken English can be deceptive, and the have/of confusion highlights this. When we speak, we naturally make contractions that we know other English speakers will understand. This is often done for the sake of briefness – it’s easier and quicker to say ‘could’ve’ than ‘could have’. Eventually, the ‘ve’ sound starts to sound like an ‘of’ sound, resulting in bad grammatical habits when writing. Remember that the sounds made in spoken English don’t always match those in standard written English.
Sample Grammar Questions
INCONSISTENCY IN PAST/PRESENT/FUTURE TENSES
For this question, choose the option which has the most coherent use of different tenses.
There were a number of teachers who were
A. prepare to accompany the class on the school trip on the condition that they would not have to supervise the students alone.
B. prepared to accompany the class on the school trip on the condition that they would not have to supervise the students alone.
C. prepared to accompanied the class on the school trip on the condition that they did not have to supervise the students alone.
D. prepare to accompanied the class on the school trip on the condition that they would not have to supervise the students alone.
COHESION
For this question, choose the option which makes best use of cohesive devices.
There were concerns that students were no longer taking PSHE lessons seriously.
A. However, the students were annoyed that PSHE had taken from one of their hours of PE.
B. Conversely, the students were annoyed that PSHE had taken from one of their hours of PE.
C. Moreover, the students were annoyed that PSHE had taken from one of their hours of PE.
D. In other words, the students were annoyed that PSHE had taken from one of their hours of PE.
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WHAT’S INCLUDED IN YOUR CAREER PACK?
- Lots of sample questions to help you get ready for your QTS Literacy test;
- Questions that are guaranteed to be very similar to the ones you will actually sit during the real test;
- A full breakdown of how to understand each question type;
- How you will be assessed – pass first time;
- Top tips on how to pass the test on the first attempt;
- Over 160 pages packed with 100s of practice questions and answers!
- A comprehensive overview of the 4 different literacy test question types!
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