UCL Centre for Languages & International Education (CLIE)

Your English language level is assessed by a combination of coursework and examinations. You will be required to produce a Research Essay of approximately 2,000 words, the topic of which relates to your future course of study, and also to give a short presentation about this to your classmates. In the final week of the course, there will be three examinations: listening and note-taking skills, reading skills, and the unseen essay paper. In total, your writing skills marks account for 40% of the total, and speaking, listening and reading each account for 20%.

It’s important to remember that students on the Pre-sessional courses have different language goals: some may be aiming for a final score of 65% while others may need 75% for their chosen graduate degree programme.

• A successful end-of-course score of 65% is accepted as an English language proficiency qualification by UCL’s Faculties of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, Built Environment and Clinical Sciences.
• A score of 70% is accepted by UCL’s Faculties of Arts and Humanities, Social and Historical Sciences, Life Sciences (including A100 Medicine, C800 Psychology and taught graduate Psychology programmes).
• The Faculty of Laws requires a final score of 75%.

See an overview of UCL's English Language Requirements for graduate degree entry.

A number of other leading institutions in the UK have accepted students on graduate degree programmes on the basis of their final score on the Pre-sessional Course. A comprehensive end-of-course report is provided with the breakdown of your final results, and so this information gives your prospective university a detailed picture of your English language profile.

For students applying to courses at universities which do not accept results from the UCL Pre-sessional Course as qualification for their English language requirements, we advise taking an IELTS test in central London.

All of your assessed pieces of work and all of your exam scripts are marked by two tutors in order to ensure that the high standards of the course are maintained. We realise that it is essential to produce your final results as quickly as possible, and so all of the tutors involved on the course work very hard to ensure that the final results are available by the Thursday afternoon following the end of the Pre-sessional Course, so this will be 13 September 2012. If you are applying to a UCL department, your results will be sent to Registry directly. If you are holding an offer from another UK university, it will be your responsibility to forward copies of your final results and end-of-course report to your prospective institution.