A spelling, grammar and proofreading test measures how accurately someone writes and checks written British English. This guide explains what the three parts of the test cover, works through generic examples of the errors it looks for, and gives practical advice for candidates and employers.

Why written accuracy matters

Clients, customers and regulators judge an organisation by its writing. A misspelt name in a letter, a confusing sentence in a report or an error in a published notice all undermine trust, and some mistakes change the meaning. For administrators, secretaries, customer-facing staff, communications teams and anyone who writes for others, written accuracy is a core skill.

The Viewpoint Spelling, Grammar and Proofreading Test has 30 questions in 15 minutes, across three parts: spelling, grammar and usage, and proofreading a workplace text. It measures accuracy in written British English. The report gives an overall score band and a breakdown by part.

Worked examples

The following are generic illustrations written for this article, not items from the Viewpoint test.

Spelling. Which is correct: "accommodation", "accomodation" or "acommodation"? The answer is "accommodation", with double c and double m. Other common traps include "separate", "necessary", "definitely" and "liaise".

Grammar and usage. "The team has finished their report" or "The team has finished its report"? In formal British English, "its" keeps the verb and pronoun consistent. Usage questions also cover pairs that are often confused, such as "affect" and "effect", "practice" (the noun) and "practise" (the verb), and "fewer" and "less".

Proofreading. "Please find enclosed the signed contract, we look forward to recieving your confirmation by Friday 3rd." Two errors: "recieving" should be "receiving", and the comma joining two complete sentences should be a full stop or semicolon. A good proofreader also checks facts that can be checked, such as whether a date matches the day of the week given.

What the three-part breakdown tells you

Because the report breaks results down by part, an employer can see the shape of someone's skills. A candidate may spell well but miss errors when proofreading a longer text, which is a different skill: proofreading needs slow, deliberate attention to each word. Knowing which area is weaker makes the result more useful at interview and for development.

Using the test well

For employers, the test suits administrative, secretarial, legal support, customer service, communications and other writing-heavy roles. Read results in bands from Very Low to Very High, use the breakdown to guide interview questions, and combine it with other relevant evidence such as a copy typing test for secretarial roles.

For candidates, read each sentence slowly and word by word, especially in the proofreading part. Read it once for meaning and once for errors. Remember that the test uses British English spellings.

See the Spelling, Grammar and Proofreading Test page or all our ability tests.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the test take?

It has 30 questions across three parts, with a time limit of 15 minutes.

Does it use British or American English?

British English.

What are the three parts?

Spelling, grammar and usage, and proofreading a workplace text.

What does the report show?

An overall score band and a breakdown by part.