WSET Level 2 Help & Support
If you are studying the WSET Level 2 Award in Wines course and need online resources to help you pass the exam, we are here to help. Many Level 2 students may not have studied for a while and so we have created this page to outline how you might structure your study, using ThirtyFifty students can access it here. Flash Cards and mock exam questions to best prepare you for the course.
The WSET Level 2 course book "Wines, Looking Behind the Label" contains all the information required to pass the course. However, there are a number of tools available that can help improve your efficiency and excel in the exam, such as Flash Cards , mock exam, the L2 specification and this study guide. The following sections contain all the latest information to help you pass the WSET Level 2 Wine exam with flying colours!
Course Structures
There are different courses available which run across a number of consecutive days or weeks; below are some of the options and pros/cons:
Over 3 Consecutive Days
While popular, this course can prove too intense for some people. You can cover all the material but you must study each evening and risk studying with the effects of residual alcohol in your blood from the tasting that day (even when spitting, the body absorbs alcohol from your cheeks). We (Chris & Jane Scott) did of course spit when we did our WSET Level 2 over 3 consecutive days and it was tough. Best for those who are in a hurry and can give 100% focus to the course.
Over 3 Consecutive Weeks, 1 Day a Week
This is ThirtyFifty's preferred way of presenting the Level 2 course. The WSET recommend that you study for a minimum of 28 hours to successfully complete the full programme. The hours will usually be a combination of tutored study and private study time. They recommend the teaching delivery time is not less than 16 hours. ThirtyFifty's course timings are from 9.00am to 5.00pm on 3 Saturdays or 3 Mondays, once a week.
Study Planning
The minimum home study time that the WSET recommend is 12 hours. We believe that active learning is the quickest and most efficient way of learning. As a result we recommend the following general approach using Flash Cards and mock exam questions
Using Flash Cards
Our Flash Cards have been written to be used in two modes. Initially we recommend using "Follow the Book" mode. The Flash Cards are ordered as they appear in the WSET course text book. As you read each chapter's sub-section, test yourself with the flash cards. As you go, rate each flash card as hard, medium or easy. 'Easy' questions are the ones you already knew the answer to, before reading the chapter. 'Hard' questions are flash cards that you think you will have trouble remembering. Everything else stays set to 'Medium'.
After completing the chapter, you should go through the chapter again in 'Follow the Book' mode, but this time without checking the text book. Any questions you get wrong you can increase your rating to Medium/Hard. Those you answer correctly, keep the rating the same.
When ever you get a spare 5 minutes, you can come back and select several chapters you would like to test yourself on, choose the "Random Card" mode and select only the Medium and Hard cards. When you have seen a card several times and are confident that you can recall the answer, drop the card's difficulty level. Any you get wrong, increase the difficulty level.
It is a good idea from time to time to either go back through all the cards in "Follow the Book" mode or include the easy questions as a refresher.
WSET Level 2 Mock Exams
ThirtyFifty has created 250 multi-choice Level 2 Wine exam questions that follow the current WSET Level 2 Award in Wines syllabus and exam guidance. The 5 mock exams can be purchased by any student for £15. They are freely available to ThirtyFifty's students.
You should attempt the official WSET mock exam after you have completed studying as the exam covers the entire course. You should be aware that the questions in the WSET mock exam paper appear harder than the sample questions in the WSET Level 2 Award in Wines Workbook, this is a common comment from students, so the more exam questions you can do the better you will be prepared.
WSET Level 2 Wine Exam
The exam comprises 50 multi-choice questions and the required pass mark is 55%. The breakdown of how points are allocated is shown on Page 14 of the Specification and you should use this as the basis for determining your study time allocation. Below are the results you can attain and the marks required:
| Commendation | Mark |
| Distinction | 85% and above |
| Pass with Merit | Between 70% and 84% |
| Pass | Between 55% and 69% |
| Fail | Between 45% and 54% |
| Fail unclassified | 44% and below |
Exam Technique
The exam comprises 50 multi-choice questions with a pass mark of 55%. From experience, students who have adequately prepared and are used to sitting exams can finish the Level 2 exam in 40-50 minutes, so timing is not normally an issue. However, if it has been a while since you sat a test, English is not your first language, or you have struggled to keep up with your studies, then following some simple steps can radically improve your chances of passing.
We think it is best to make multiple passes through the exam paper. Some questions you will know the answer straight away. Others maybe 50:50 and some will be 'I have no idea but I may be able to work it out'. We suggest the following exam technique:
Go through and answer all the questions you are certain about. Questions you are unsure of fill in the answer sheet with your best guess (you can change it later on if needed). Do not get bogged down at this point, any question you are unsure of mark the exam question sheet with a ? margin. Also mark the question paper with basic notes on the question sheet to help you later on, such as a light line through obviously wrong answers or underline a key point.
Every 10 questions check that the number you are filling in aligns with the question (yes I have made this mistake and this check has saved me from a disaster!).
After your first cut through, go back through the questions you marked with a ? Read the question carefully and cross out answers you know are wrong. Make sure the exam reflects the best answer you can.
Make a final pass through all questions not marked with a "?". Often silly mistakes can be spotted in the answers you were most confident about.
If you run out of time at least you would have given the best answers you can and have at least given a guess for all questions.
