General English Proficiency Test - Overview

Overview

There are four levels of the test currently being administered: elementary, intermediate, high-intermediate, and advanced. A fifth level, the superior level, was administered only once and then suspended, pending further need. With the exception of the advanced level of the test, which is only conducted in Taipei at the LTTC headquarters, the GEPT is administered at sites located around the island of Taiwan as well as on offshore islands including Penghu and Kinmen.

The GEPT Elementary level is presumed to be appropriate for students who have studied English through junior high school. The GEPT Intermediate level is seen as suitable for high school graduates or university freshmen. The GEPT High-intermediate level is thought to be suitable for university graduates majoring in English. The GEPT Advanced level test is considered adequately difficult that only someone with a graduate degree from a university in an English-speaking country would be able to pass it.

Reportedly, comparability studies that will relate the GEPT to the Common European Framework standards of language proficiency are underway.

Each level is administered in a two-stage process. First, all examinees at each level take a listening and reading comprehension test. Those examinees who pass this first stage are allowed to register for the second stage, the speaking and writing portions of the test.