How to prepare for the new ONLINE TOLES Advanced exam

From January 2022
Before you start any preparation, make sure you know the format of the exam:

  • the number of exercises
  • what you are expected to do in each
  • the time allowed.

Candidates may also find it useful to check the areas of law that they are tested on during the exam. These are all provided on the Boost your Legal English platform.

  • There are 12 exercises called Sections (previously 9), divided into two Parts.
  • The time allowed for this examination is 2 hours (120 minutes).
  • There are 140 questions to complete in total.
  • The score is 100.

For a full version of the online exam, go to: https://www.toleslegal.com/toles-advanced-exam-3


Section 1, Section 2, Section 3, Section 4, Section 5, Section 6, Section 7, Section 8, Section 9, Section 10, Section 11, Section 12


PART ONE focuses on your overall knowledge of legal collocations and the language accuracy.

SECTION 1

You are given a text describing a legal issue. There are 10 words missing. For each gap you need to choose the best words from 4 provided. This works like a typical multiple choice exercise.
When preparing for this part make sure you know your phrases well and no synonym or close synonym can distract or confuse you.
On the Legal English Boost platform there are exercises called Collocations which draw your attention to the proper legal combinations.

SECTION 2

There are 20 separate sentences with one gap. You need to choose a missing word from a set of 5 given. So it also works like a multiple choice. The advice given above applies to it as well.
You must be certain of which words go together. You will find all these words on the Legal English Boost platform.

SECTION 3

There are 10 separate sentences with prepositions missing. For each gap you suggest a proper preposition. Two points are awarded for each correct answer. But this time no help is given.
On the Legal English Boost platform there are exercises called Prepositions where you can test your knowledge and prepare better for this exam task.
Alternatively, you can practise your prepositions with Legal Prepositions Boost where you find around 80 for each area of law.

SECTION 4

There is an email with 20 words and phrases missing. For each gap you need to choose a correct answer out of four. It works like a typical multiple choice exercise.
However, apart from legal phrases you need to know your practical grammar well.

SECTION 5

There is a summary of a case study. There are 10 words which you need to transform into a correct word. Two points are awarded for each correct answer.
The word formation exercise was also in the previous version of the exam.
If you know your legal phrases, you will have no problems here.
On the Legal English Boost platform there are exercises called Collocations which draw your attention to the proper legal combinations.

SECTION 6

This is a new type of exercise called self-correction.
There are 10 sentences, each divided into three sections. One of the sections contains a mistake. You must mark the section of each sentence which contains the mistake.
You must know your legal phrases really well for this type. You need to memorise how they are exactly used. There may be a spelling mistake, a wrong preposition or an incorrect work used, e.g. general instead of legal English.


PART TWO – NEW

This is a new part of the exam paper which is exclusively devoted to the knowledge and proper use of legal phrases in contracts.

On the Legal English Boost platform there are exercises called Collocations in the contract law Unit which draw your attention to the proper legal combinations.

SECTION 7

There is an extract from a contract with 10 missing parts. You must choose the correct part from a list of four provided. You are awarded two points for each correct answer.
To be successful in this Section, you must really know your legal phrases and memorise the tiniest details that appear in them. The phrases missing are typically used in the contractual provisions, so the more you read, the better you remember them.

SECTION 8

There is an extract from a contract with 10 underlined words or phrases. You need to match 10 definitions provided to one of the underlined words in the contract. You are awarded two points for each correct answer.
This time you must know the exact meaning of the phrases used in contracts.
What helps is to notice which part of speech is defined, i.e. a verb, an adjective or a noun.
On the Legal English Boost platform there are exercises called Formal-informal (Flashcards) which draw your attention to the proper legal combinations and their definitions.

SECTION 9

There is an extract from a contract. There are 10 words missing. For each gap you need to suggest a correct word. This is a typical open cloze gap exercise. This time you need to know which words are used in contracts.
However, these words are also typical collocations which you practise on the Legal English Boost platform.

SECTION 10

Section Ten
There is an extract from a contract with 5 missing prepositions. You need to choose the correct preposition out of 10 provided to complete each gap.
For more practice of your prepositions visit the Legal English Boost platform of Legal Prepositions Boost.

SECTION 11

Once again the new type of self-correction exercise. There are 10 sentences from contractual provisions, each divided into three sections. You must choose the section of each sentence which contains the mistake.
To be successful in this Section, you must really know your legal phrases and memorise the tiniest details that appear in them. These sentences are typically used in the contractual provisions, so the more you read, the better you remember them.
There may be a wrong preposition, incorrect spelling or a form of a word.

SECTION 12

There are three clauses from the same contract, each with missing 5 parts. You must choose the correct parts from a list of 3 provided to complete the clauses. You are awarded two points for each correct answer.
To be successful in this Section, you must really know your legal phrases and memorise the tiniest details that appear in them. The parts missing are typically used in the contractual provisions, so the more you read, the better you remember them.