Understanding English Language Levels

How to understand the English language levels and requirements of UCC's international students

When:

This workshop will be offered a number of times each year. The workshop will last 90 minutes.

Dates for 2024:

1. Online: 10am-11.30am Tuesday 12th March 2024
2. Online: 2pm - 3.30pm  Tuesday 17th September 2024

If interested please fill out this registration form. If you would like this workshop to be provided at an alternative date and time, or as a training session for your unit / department / school, please email sally.orren@ucc.ie or infolang@ucc.ie to request.

Facilitator: Kerry Platts, UCC Language Centre

Overview

In this 90-minute interactive workshop, admissions teams, lecturers and all staff working with international students will gain an understanding of the English language admission requirement levels and the IELTS exam.

UCC has over 3,000 international students and all non-EU students are required to prove their proficiency in the English language. There are a number of exams that applicants can use as evidence of English and all of these can be aligned to the CEFR (The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

The majority of students at UCC take the IELTS exam and each year the IELTS exam is taken by more than 5 million people in 140 countries. It is, therefore, very important that we understand what this exam entails and how it can help us to understand our students better.

This workshop gives an understanding of the admission requirement levels and the IELTS exam. It will be useful to all those in UCC who work with international students; in both admissions and in teaching settings.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, you will:  

• Understand what is meant by "English language level" with reference to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and how this is reflected in UCC students’ use of English
• Receive an overview of the content and context of the English language exams for UCC entrance (IELTS)
• Understand how the scoring system in international English exams such as IELTS specifically relates to students’ writing ability
• Increase awareness of the challenges that students face when taking exams such as IELTS for university entrance
• Have an opportunity to ask questions regarding English language qualifications for students

Registration and further information 

• UCC staff can sign up for this 90-minute online workshop via ESS and we can also run sessions for individual UCC units or staff groups.
• For further information or to book a session, sign up with the registration form above or contact sally.orren@ucc.ie or infolang@ucc.ie.