English Test for Academic and Professional Purposes

ETAPP has been been developed to meet the needs and requirements of international students and the third level institutions which receive them, as well as non-Irish nationals wishing to work in a professional context in Ireland.

Recognition

ETAPP is accepted as the end-of-course exam for courses on the Department of Education and Science Internationalisation Register of ACELS approved courses.

ETAPP is accepted by the Department of Justice and the GNIB as a test of English language proficiency.

ETAPP has been accepted by the following third level institutions for entry onto their courses and it is under consideration by others:

• DCU   (Dublin City University)
• NUI Galway   (National University of Ireland, Galway)
• DIT  (Dublin Institute of Technology)
• DBS  (Dublin Business School)
• NCIRL  (National College of Ireland)
• UCC   (University College Cork)
• UCD  (University College Dublin)
• NUIM  (National University of Ireland, Maynooth)
• UL   (University of Limerick)
• RCSI   (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)

IOTCEF (Institutes of Technology Common Evaluation Forum). TIE and ETAPP (at C1) are accepted for entry onto their courses for non-standard applicants. The following institutes are all involved in this central evaluation process:

• 
  Athlone IT    
• Blanchardstown IT
• IT Carlow    
• Cork IT
• Dundalk IT    
• IADT
• Galway Mayo IT   
• Letterkenny IT
• Limerick IT    
• IT Sligo
• IT Tallaght    
• IT Tralee
• Waterford IT

Who should take ETAPP?

1. International Students preparing to study in third level institutions in Ireland
or

2. Non-Irish nationals who wish to work in a professional context in Ireland and who need to show evidence of language proficiency.

How do I apply?

You should contact TIE Examinations ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) at least 10 working days in advance of your preferred date to check availability; you can then submit an application form by post, email or in person.

Format of ETAPP

The test consists of four papers dealing with the four skills as outlined below:

• Listening
• Reading
• Writing
• Speaking

Listening (30 minutes) to be heard once only
1 lecture type transactional listening (4 minutes)
3-4 interactional texts (mini dialogues) (2 minutes each)
the lecture task will involve note-taking leading into a writing task where information will be reformulated
 
Reading ( 1 hour 15 minutes)
1 extensive text (related to lecture text)
1 shorter, more intensive text
Topic areas for longer texts taken from the Social Science (e.g. War and Peace, Crime and Punishment, Health, The Environment etc)
 
Writing (1 hour)
1 academic essay of approximately 250 words
1 shorter text of 75 words e.g. email to a tutor
some of the input for the first part of the writing paper will be taken from the reading and listening texts
 
Speaking (30 minutes)
Oral presentation on a prepared topic
review of source material in presentation
1:1 interaction with examiner
interaction with partner
 
Interpretation of ETAPP Scores:
B1 or B1+
Foundation Courses

(6-12 months' duration)
 
B2 or B+
Pre-sessional Courses

(3 to 6 months' duration)
 
C1 or

Higher Undergraduate/Postgraduate Courses
 
ETAPP is administered by TIE Examinations Ltd in cooperation with ACELS. For more information please contact Miriam Hallissey at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it