Inside the EETC: objective language tasks and professional writing

Two parts, two different kinds of challenge

The EETC (English Exit Test for Certification) tests English-sector teacher-certification candidates in Quebec on their professional language competence. It is divided into two parts that assess different dimensions of English proficiency — and you must pass both to be certified.

Understanding each part clearly — what it tests, how it is scored, and what the examiners are looking for — is the foundation of effective preparation.

Part One: Objective Language Tasks

Part One is a multiple-choice examination of the grammatical rules of English. As described in CEETC policy, the content covers English grammar, spelling, punctuation, participles, and related objective language knowledge. These are rules and conventions that can be clearly right or wrong — hence “objective.”

Scoring

Part One is reported as a mark out of 30. The pass standard is approximately 70 per cent — that is, around 21 correct out of 30, as set out in CEETC policy. Confirm the precise current threshold with CEETC, as our information is drawn from the 2016 CEETC policy document.

What to focus on

The objective language tasks reward candidates who have a solid, systematic understanding of English grammar — not just an intuitive “feel” for correctness. Many fluent English speakers are surprised to find gaps in their formal grammatical knowledge when they revisit the rules they apply automatically in speech and writing.

Common areas tested include:

• Subject-verb agreement across complex sentence structures.
• Correct use and placement of participles and participial phrases.
• Punctuation rules — commas, semicolons, apostrophes, colons.
• Spelling of commonly confused or misspelled words.
• Sentence structure and grammatical completeness.

The most effective preparation is deliberate: identify which rules you are uncertain about, study them explicitly, and practise applying them in multiple-choice contexts where the distractors are plausible.

Part Two: Professional Writing Tasks

Part Two is a very different kind of test. You complete two written tasks — the exact nature of the tasks is described in CEETC preparation materials — and each is assessed independently as either Pass or Fail. You must pass both writing tasks to pass Part Two.

There are no partial marks, no numerical scores for writing quality that might average out to a pass. Each piece of writing either meets the standard or it does not.

The nine-criterion marking rubric

As set out in CEETC policy, failing grades on Part Two writing tasks are assigned against a detailed taxonomy of approximately nine criteria. Understanding these criteria is one of the most valuable things you can do to prepare.

The criteria include the expected dimensions of writing quality:

• Content — whether the writing addresses the topic meaningfully and with sufficient substance.
• Organisation — logical structure, coherent flow, clear progression of ideas.
• Vocabulary — range, appropriateness, and precision of word choice.
• Grammar — accuracy of grammatical structures throughout the text.
• Spelling — correctness across the whole piece.
• Punctuation — correct use of punctuation at sentence and text level.
• Syntax and register — sentence variety, complexity, and appropriateness of language level for a professional context.

And two criteria that candidates sometimes overlook:

• Instructions not followed — if the task sets specific parameters (format, audience, purpose, constraints) and your response does not follow them, this is a distinct grounds for a failing mark. This is not just about writing quality; it is about whether you read and respected the task requirements.
• Under minimum word count — similarly, if a task specifies a minimum word count and your response falls short, this is its own basis for failure, separate from any judgment about the quality of your writing.

Why these last two criteria matter so much

The writing-quality criteria are areas where strong writers can be confident and where weaker writers can improve with practice. But the “instructions not followed” and “under minimum word count” criteria are traps that catch even capable writers who are rushing, anxious, or not reading carefully.

A beautifully written response that misses a key instruction — “write this as an email to a parent,” “address a colleague rather than a student,” “include a heading” — can still receive a failing mark. So can a response that stops 30 words short of the required minimum because the candidate ran out of ideas or ran out of time.

The practical implication: read every task instruction deliberately before you begin writing. Annotate the requirements. Check your word count before you stop.

The overall pass standard

To pass the EETC as a whole:

• Pass Part One at approximately 70% (around 21/30), as set out in CEETC policy.
• Pass both Part Two writing tasks independently.

Since January 2013, if you fail only one part, you resit only that part. But passing both in the same sitting remains the goal — every resit means a delay to your internship placements and, ultimately, your certification.

Note: verify current pass thresholds and sitting conditions directly with CEETC, as policies may have been updated since the 2016 documents our information is based on.

Prepare for both parts deliberately

The EETC rewards candidates who prepare both parts with equal seriousness. Part One requires systematic grammar study; Part Two requires practised, disciplined writing that follows instructions precisely and meets every stated requirement.

SN Academy’s free diagnostic test shows you where your current grammar knowledge has gaps and where your professional writing needs development — so you walk into the exam knowing what to focus on.

Take the free diagnostic test at SN Academy →

— The people of SN Academy