Checked 27 October 2026. WSET revises its specifications. The WSET qualification and exam facts here were checked on 27 October 2026 against the Level 2 Award in Wines Specification, Issue 2.1 (2026), and the qualification page on wsetglobal.com. Check with your course provider which issue your course follows.
The WSET Level 2 Award in Wines ends in a single one-hour theory exam. This guide sets out what WSET’s own specification says about it: how many questions there are, how they are marked, what you need to pass and to earn merit or distinction, how the questions are spread across the six learning outcomes, and how to plan your revision around that spread.
ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not part of WSET (the Wine & Spirit Education Trust), and nothing here is a WSET exam or a WSET exam question. The exam facts on this page come from WSET’s own pages, listed at the foot of the page; the study advice, the summaries and the product description are ours.
WSET Level 2 Award in Wines Specification, Issue 2.1 (2026). Read 27 Oct 2026.
The exam at a glance
| Item | What the specification says |
|---|---|
| Format | A closed-book theory exam of 50 multiple-choice questions, completed in 60 minutes |
| Answers | One correct answer per question, marked on a computer-readable answer sheet or on a computer or other device, depending on how the exam is delivered |
| Marking | One mark per correct answer; no marks are taken off for a wrong answer |
| Pass mark | 55% |
| Who runs it | WSET Approved Programme Providers, the schools that teach the course |
| Past papers | WSET does not release past papers for the Level 2 Award in Wines |
Because nothing is taken off for a wrong answer, never leave a question blank: a guess can only gain a mark. Fifty questions in sixty minutes is 72 seconds a question (our arithmetic), so use timed practice to check that you can answer 50 questions comfortably in 60 minutes.
Grades: what score you need
| Grade | Mark (specification) | Out of 50 (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|
| Fail unclassified | 44% or below | 22 or fewer |
| Fail | 45% to 54% | 23 to 27 |
| Pass | 55% to 69% | 28 to 34 |
| Pass with merit | 70% to 84% | 35 to 42 |
| Pass with distinction | 85% or more | 43 or more |
Each question is worth 2% of the mark, so the conversion is exact: 28 correct answers is 56%, the lowest passing score. WSET reserves the right to change the grading and the thresholds, so check the issue of the specification your course follows. Results come from WSET through your course provider, which passes on the certificate.
How the 50 questions are spread
The specification gives an exact number of questions for each learning outcome. This is the most useful fact for planning: learning outcome 3, the eight principal grape varieties and their regions, carries 19 of the 50 questions, and learning outcomes 3 and 4 together carry 31.
| Learning outcome | What it covers (our summary) | Questions | Share of the exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The vineyard | Parts of the grape, what a vine needs, ripening, climate and weather, vineyard choices, noble rot and frozen grapes, origin labels (PDO, PGI and national terms) | 5 | 10% |
| 2. Winemaking and bottle ageing | Fermentation, red, white and rosé making, sugar and acid adjustment, steel, concrete and oak, malolactic conversion, lees, blending, bottle ageing | 4 | 8% |
| 3. Principal grape varieties | The eight principal varieties in their named regions, and the Burgundy, Bordeaux, Alsace and German label terms | 19 | 38% |
| 4. Regional grape varieties | The 22 regionally important varieties, from Gamay to Furmint, in their named regions, with label terms such as Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva, Riserva, Classico, Cape Blend and Aszú | 12 | 24% |
| 5. Sparkling and fortified wines | Traditional and tank methods, Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, Asti, sweetness and vintage terms, Sherry and Port styles | 6 | 12% |
| 6. Storage, service and food pairing | Storage and preserving opened wine, service temperatures, opening and decanting, faults, food and wine interactions | 4 | 8% |
WSET Level 2 Award in Wines Specification, Issue 2.1 (2026), examination guidance. Read 27 Oct 2026.
The grapes and places
The qualification page counts 8 principal grape varieties, 22 regionally important varieties and more than 70 geographical indications. The principal eight are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Syrah/Shiraz among the black grapes, and Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris among the white. For each, the specification names the regions you need, from Pays d’Oc and Bordeaux to Napa Valley, Marlborough and the Barossa Valley. The learning outcomes include explaining and comparing how climate and place shape a wine’s style: a cool climate keeps acidity, a warm one gives riper fruit and more alcohol, an ocean or altitude cools a warm region.
One grape, three places: Sauvignon Blanc
A small table like this beats a list when the question is “which region gives which style”. The summary is ours.
| Region or wine | Why | Style in the glass |
|---|---|---|
| Marlborough | Sunny days, cool nights | Pronounced gooseberry, passion fruit, green pepper |
| Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé | Cool continental climate | Green fruit and citrus, sometimes stony or smoky notes |
| Pessac-Léognan | Moderate; blended with Semillon, oaked | Fuller body, citrus, toast |
- 50 questions to start with
- One question per key rule
- All 6 learning outcomes covered
- Three sets of 20 minutes
- Every answer explained
The course behind the exam
| Item | What WSET says |
|---|---|
| Study time | A minimum of 28 hours: 16 hours with a course provider (classroom or online), 11 hours of personal study and revision, and the 1-hour exam (qualification page; the specification counts 17 guided hours, including the exam) |
| Entry requirements | None |
| Exam eligibility | Candidates must be over the legal minimum age for the retail purchase of alcohol in the country where the exam is held, or be preparing for the exam as part of a recognised full-time programme of study, or have a parent’s or guardian’s consent |
| Tasting | Candidates under that age, or who choose not to taste alcohol, do not taste during the course, and this is not a barrier to completing the qualification |
| Prior knowledge | None needed. Candidates sitting in English who are not native speakers are strongly recommended to have IELTS 6 or above, or an equivalent level |
| Languages | The qualification page lists 12, including English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese (Traditional) and Japanese |
| Tasting | Tasting is part of the course, using the WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine; the exam is a closed-book theory examination |
| Regulation | Regulated by Ofqual |
WSET’s pages give no course fee, and delivery varies by provider (classroom or online). Our advice: compare the fees and dates of providers near you or online. The course is the main source of the knowledge the exam tests; WSET says its recommended study materials contain the information needed to answer the questions.
Exam day and resits
| Topic | What the regulations say |
|---|---|
| Identity | Photo ID before the exam |
| What you may have | Pens, pencils, erasers and drinking water; no reference material or electronic devices, other than the device used to sit the exam |
| In the room | No leaving in the first 15 minutes; late arrivals are not admitted once any candidate has left, and normally not after 30 minutes |
| Remote exams | Where a provider offers remote invigilation, candidates are given the rules in advance |
| Resits | No limit on attempts after a fail; a candidate who has passed may not resit to improve the grade |
| Re-marks | Requested through your provider, with an enquiry and feedback form |
Exam papers stay with WSET and must not be copied or shared. Candidates with special examination requirements, supported by an independent written assessment, notify their provider’s examinations officer when they enrol.
How to pass: a plan built on the weighting
| Stage | What to do |
|---|---|
| Week 1 to 2 | Learn the principles first (learning outcomes 1 and 2): how climate and ripeness change a wine, and what each winemaking choice does. These principles help explain many of the wine-style questions in later outcomes. |
| Week 2 to 3 | Spend the most time on learning outcome 3 (19 questions). For each principal grape, make a grid of its regions: climate, style, label terms. Learn the German Prädikat order and the Burgundy and Bordeaux ranks. |
| Week 3 | Learning outcome 4 (12 questions): one line per regional grape, its regions and its signature trait (Nebbiolo pale but tannic, Barbera high acid and low tannin, Gewurztraminer low acid and aromatic). |
| Week 4 | Learning outcomes 5 and 6 (10 questions together): sparkling methods, Sherry and Port styles, service temperatures, faults and the food and wine rules. |
| Last week | Timed practice: 50 questions in 60 minutes. Note which learning outcome costs you marks, and revise that, weighted by how many questions it carries. |
Several pairs are easy to mix up under time pressure and worth learning side by side: Pouilly-Fumé (Loire Sauvignon Blanc) and Pouilly-Fuissé (Mâconnais Chardonnay); Amarone (dry) and Recioto (sweet), both from dried grapes; the Montepulciano grape of Abruzzo and the Tuscan town of Montepulciano, whose Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is based on Sangiovese; Fino (flor, pale, dry) and Oloroso (oxygen, brown, dry); Prädikat ripeness levels and the dryness terms trocken and halbtrocken.
Practise against the clock
For timed practice, ProSyllabus sells an independent WSET Level 2 practice test: three mock exams of 50 questions in 60 minutes, each split across the learning outcomes the way the specification weights them, a practice set for each learning outcome, your score by learning outcome next to its weight in the exam, and the reason behind every answer. A separate 3-question free sample is the only free part. The questions are our own, not WSET’s.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the WSET Level 2 exam?
50 multiple-choice questions, each with one correct answer, in 60 minutes. The exam is closed book.
What is the WSET Level 2 pass mark?
55%: at least 28 of the 50 questions correct. Merit starts at 70% (at least 35 correct) and distinction at 85% (at least 43 correct); the conversions to correct answers are our arithmetic.
Are marks taken off for wrong answers?
No. Each correct answer is worth one mark and nothing is subtracted for a wrong one, so answer every question.
Which topics carry the most questions?
Learning outcome 3, the eight principal grape varieties and their regions, with 19 questions, then learning outcome 4, the regionally important varieties, with 12. The other four outcomes carry 5, 4, 6 and 4.
Is there a tasting exam at Level 2?
No. Tasting is part of the course, using the WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine, but the exam is a closed-book theory examination of multiple-choice questions.
Can I get WSET Level 2 past papers?
No. WSET does not release past papers for the Level 2 Award in Wines. Practise with questions written on the learning outcomes instead.
What if I fail?
You can resit; the specification sets no limit on attempts. If you pass, you cannot resit to raise your grade.
More in this series
Sources
- official — WSET: Level 2 Award in Wines Specification, Issue 2.1 (2026)
- official — WSET: Level 2 Award in Wines, qualification page
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
