Aptis reading Test: General Tips and Strategies

Part 1: In this part of the test, you are going to answer three personal questions about 
yourself and your interests. You will have 30 seconds to answer each question. Begin speaking 
when you hear the beep.
1.1 Do you have any pets at home? 
I have two cats. They are Burmese cats and because I live in a flat on the fourth floor they don’t 
go out. This is probably a good thing because they are very domesticated and can’t look after 
themselves very well. They don’t seem to miss going out though and they seem to like their routine. 
Actually, they are more like little dogs and they follow us from room to room.
1.2 Do you shop online or do you go out shopping? 
I get most of the things I need online and since March I have done my shopping online too. I never 
liked shopping much and now I just buy the things I need and so that makes life cheaper. With big 
companies like Amazon, online shopping is extremely easy although it isn’t good news for many 
shops and not good for town and city centres.
1.3 What music do you like? 
I enjoy most styles of music except maybe modern jazz and heavy metal. I like to think my musical 
tastes are quite eclectic and I can listen to anything from 1930s music to rap and hip hop to classical 
music. I think that as you get older music become less important to you which is a pity because it is a 
beautiful way to express yourself.
 
Part 2: In this part of the test, you are going to describe what is happening in a picture. 
Then, I will ask you two questions about them. You will have 45 seconds for each response. 
Begin speaking when you hear the beep.
2.1. Describe this picture. 

---

In the foreground of the picture is a wide river or lake and reflected in it are the houses that make 
up a small village on the banks of the lake. The countryside is very green and it looks like it might be 
spring or early summer from the trees, although I think that it’s in northern Europe or America. The 
buildings appear to be made of wood and in the background, there’s a forest. The landscape is very 
quiet and it feels lonely and isolated there. I think that it would be a hard place to live during the 
winter and that I would get very cold and snowy.
2.2. Would you like to live in a place like this? 
I’d like to live there during the summer because it looks so clean and healthy but I imagine it gets 
extremely cold and lonely there for the rest of the year. Ideally, I would stay there for June and July, 
and go south after that. My ideal place to live is somewhere that has four seasons but doesn’t get too 
cold or too hot. I’m not sure how I would cope with the isolation either. It seems a good idea to get 
away from crowds but after a while, I think I’d need something more to keep me from getting bored. 
 
2.3. Do you prefer the city or the country? 
Generally speaking, I prefer the countryside. I don’t mean just for holidays but as a way of life. 
Okay, you have all the amenities you need in the city like cinemas, bars, restaurants and galleries 
but the downsides are full buses or nowhere to park or crowded shops. In the country, you can relax 
in your garden and grow your own vegetables and watch the world go by, particularly if you work 
from home. You do have to put up with less entertainment but these days there is so much stuff 
online you can do or watch.