Practice section
Skills Practice: technical questions for your trade
Skills Practice asks the technical questions for your trade. You explain how you do a job, step by step, out loud. AI marking then compares your answer with a model answer.
What Skills Practice is
You may do the job well with your hands. In an interview you must also explain it in words. Skills Practice trains this. The questions are grouped by skill for your trade, and you pick up to 3 skills for each set.
A pre-recorded interviewer asks each question on video. Some questions also show a picture of the job. Press "Bigger" to see the picture larger. The trades page shows which trades have questions now.
Who it helps
This section helps you if:
- you know the job, but not the English words for the tools, parts and steps
- you find it hard to explain a method in the right order
- you forget to say the safety steps out loud
- you want to hear how a strong technical answer sounds
If the trade words are new to you, start with the Picture Quiz.
How a question works
Pick your skills
Choose 1 to 3 skills for your trade, then press "Start practising".
Watch and look
The interviewer asks the question on video. Look at the picture, if the question has one.
Explain the job out loud
The microphone starts after the interviewer finishes. Say the steps in order.
Use the buttons
"Listen again" replays the question and pauses the clock. "Start again" clears your answer.
Finish your answer
Press "I have finished", or let the timer end. The time is set by your English level.
Read your feedback
See your score, the points you covered, the points you missed and a stronger answer.
The how it works page explains the timer and every button.
How it is marked
Skills Practice uses AI marking against a model answer. It compares the substance of your answer, not the exact wording. If you describe a different method that is valid, you get full credit. An unsafe step in your answer is flagged on the feedback screen. Marking allows for simple English and for speech-to-text mistakes.
The score is from 0 to 10, in steps of 0.5. Each marked answer uses one marked question from your plan. "We did not hear an answer" does not count. See pricing.
Tips for getting the most from it
- Say the steps in the order you do them: first, next, then, last.
- Say the safety steps out loud, even when they feel obvious to you.
- Name the tools and materials you use.
- Explain why you do a step, not only what you do.
- Read "What to add", then press "Try this one again".
- Next, try Real-Life Scenarios for problems on the job site.
What a question looks like
The example below is a real question from the Skills Practice bank. It is shown without the model answer, the same way you see it before you answer. Think about the steps you would say, in order.
Vehicle spray painter · Skill: Teamwork & Handover
Tell me about how you worked with panel beaters in your past jobs. How did the panel shop and the paint shop work together to get cars out on time?
A real question from the practice bank. The model answer is shown only after you answer.
More ways to practise
Questions and answers
Which trades have questions?
See the trades page. It shows the trades that have questions now.
What if I use a different method from the model answer?
A valid different method gets full credit. The marking compares the substance, not the exact words.
Does every question have a picture?
No. Some questions show a picture of the job. Others show the question only.
What does "Unsafe step in this answer" mean?
The marking found a step in your answer that is not safe. Read "A stronger answer" to see a safe way.
How long do I have for each answer?
Foundation level has 90 seconds, Working has 75 seconds and Fluent has 60 seconds.
Is this a skills assessment?
No. It is practice at explaining your trade. We are not part of any skills-assessment body. Check the official website for the real requirements.
Practise explaining your trade
Create your account, choose your trade and answer your first technical question out loud.