Unsupervised Test of Written Expression for Level B or C (COVID-19)

  • Test description

    This test was developed by the Public Service Commission of Canada to help departments and agencies fill bilingual positions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    This test is an unsupervised internet test. The person being assessed does not need to be tested in a federal government office, but they must have access to a computer and an Internet connection.

    It assesses a person’s knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and other aspects of written expression needed to perform work-related writing tasks required for the B or C level and takes into account the following points:

    • only the B or C level is assessed
    • the required level is determined by the department or agency requesting the test
    • hiring managers choose the pass mark that corresponds to the linguistic proficiency level required for the position:
      • Level B: 17/30 (56%)
      • Level C: 24/30 (80%)
  • Requirements of the level assessed

    The requirements of the assessed level (B or C) are defined in accordance with the Qualification Standards in Relation to Official Languages.

    Level B Level C
    Ability to write short descriptive or factual texts. Ability to write explanations or descriptions in a variety of informal and formal work-related situations.
    A person at this level can:
    write with sufficient mastery of grammar and vocabulary to deal with explicit information on work-related topics.
    A person at this level can:
    write texts in which the ideas are developed and presented in a coherent manner and in which vocabulary, grammar and spelling are generally appropriate and require few corrections.
    Pass mark:
    17/ 30: Meets the requirements of the assessed level
    Pass mark:
    24/ 30: Meets the requirements of the assessed level
    Note: A person who achieves a score between 0 and 16 does not meet the requirements for level B. Note: A person who achieves a score between 0 and 23 does not meet the requirements for level C.
  • Protecting test integrity

    All test content is copyrighted material of the Public Service Commission and is designated Protected. It may not be copied, reproduced, translated, distributed or disseminated, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Any unauthorized reproduction, recording or disclosure of test content is in contravention of the Policy on Government Security and the use of such improperly obtained or transmitted information could be found to contravene the provisions of the Public Service Employment Act.

    Parties involved in the disclosure or improper use of protected test content may be investigated under the Public Service Employment Act, where a finding of fraud may be punishable on summary conviction, or may be referred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

    The Public Service Commission monitors the web for inappropriate and fraudulent duplication, in whole or in part, of its assessment tools.

  • Cheating awareness

    It is essential that candidates respond to questions honestly, by themselves, without assistance from other people or other resources (for example, books, and notes). In fairness to all those being assessed, it is also essential that they respect the confidentiality of the testing material and agree not to share or copy any of it.

    If the Public Service Commission has reason to doubt the validity of an applicant's test result, that individual may be required to retake the test prior to any appointment being made on the basis of the test result. Any suspected cheating will be referred to the responsible manager and the Public Service Commission's Personnel Psychology Centre for action.

    Suspected cheating may result in the invalidation of the test result and may be the subject of an investigation under the Public Service Employment Act. A finding of fraud may be punishable on summary conviction or the case may be referred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

    Contact the PPC at cfp.cpp-ppc.psc@cfp-psc.gc.ca if you think you have seen Public Service Commission test questions posted or shared online (for example, on a website or a private chat room) or shared in another manner (for example, practice test).

  • Administering the Unsupervised Test of Written Expression for Level B or C

    As of March 1, 2023, the Public Service Commission is no longer approving new requests to administer unsupervised internet tests of written expression and reading comprehension for second language evaluation in the Public Service Resourcing System. Departments and agencies with an approved unsupervised second language evaluation test in this system have until June 30, 2023, to use it.

    You should now use the Candidate Assessment Tool to administer unsupervised tests of written expression and reading comprehension. This modern, accessible and self-serve testing platform allows results to be centrally managed and therefore transferable from one organization to another.

    Learn more about how to assess your candidates using the Candidate Assessment Tool (accessible only on the Government of Canada network).

    • Accommodation measures

      Candidates who need accommodation measures to fully demonstrate their abilities should advise the hiring organization. If they meet all other qualifications and have indicated a need for accommodation measures, the hiring organization will need to contact them to make alternative arrangements.

      Accommodation requests for unsupervised internet tests must be submitted by human resources to the Public Service Commission through the Assessment Accommodation Request System.

      Only the Public Service Commission (Personnel Psychology Centre) can determine assessment accommodation measures when a Public Service Commission test is administered.

    • Cost of test administration

      Unsupervised Test of Written Expression for Level B or C administered through the Public Service Resourcing System

      Core jurisdiction clients

      There is no fee for core jurisdiction clients (departments and agencies that are governed under the Public Service Employment Act for their appointments).

      Extended jurisdiction clients

      The administration service fee is $660 per “UIT” assessment tool that is selected ($1,320 if both the unsupervised test of written expression and the unsupervised test of reading comprehension for level B or C are used) for departments and agencies that have their own appointment authority.

      Note:
      This fee will be applied when you add 1 or both “UIT” assessment tools to the job poster in the Public Service Resourcing System.

    • Result and validity period

      Result

      • The result can be used to staff the position for which the assessment was conducted.
      • The result can also be reused for other appointments within the same department or agency. However, the result is not transferable to appointments in other departments.
      • Hiring managers are responsible for providing persons being assessed with their result, either "Meets the requirements of the assessed level" or "Does not meet the requirements of the assessed level."
      • Hiring organizations are responsible for documenting and tracking the results for staffing purposes. The Public Service Commission keeps records of the results for internal record-keeping only; candidates who request their test result will be referred to the hiring organization.

      Validity period

      • The result is valid for 5 years.
      • When the validity period expires, the result is valid for an indefinite period, but solely for the position held by the person, as long as the linguistic profile of the position is not raised to a higher level than what the employee was granted.
      • Hiring managers may reassess a person at any time before or after making an appointment if there are concerns about their proficiency level, or to respect departmental policies on updating expired test results.
    • Retest period

      There’s no retest period for this test since the result is not transferable across departments and agencies.

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