IELTS Research Reports

A multiple case study of the relationship between the indicators of students’ English languagecompetence on entry and students’ academic progress at an international postgraduate universityHowever, IELTS has issued guidelines relating test scores to courses categorised by linguistic demandand academic load. Only band score 7.5 is graded as ‘acceptable’ for the most demanding programmessuch as medicine and law, although 7 is ‘probably acceptable’. Conversely, ‘acceptable’ and ‘probablyacceptable’ levels of 6 and 5.5 are suggested as suitable for animal husbandry and catering, whichare classified as ‘linguistically less demanding training’ courses. Courses classified as either moreacademically or linguistically demanding fall in between this range. From the UK HEI perspective,whether the course guidelines classification adequately reflects the current diverse landscape of UKhigher education might be questioned following the growth in interdisciplinary courses, the variationsin course type (research and taught) and level (under- and postgraduate). However, IELTS issuesguidance for institutions or departments wishing to set their own standard of score level which is moreappropriate to their own context.Band ScoreQualitative description of capability7 Good user Has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriacies andmisunderstandings in some situations. Generally handles complex language well and understandsdetailed reasoning.6 Competent user Has generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriaciesand misunderstandings. Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiarsituations.5 Modest user Has partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning in most situations, though is likelyto make many mistakes. Should be able to handle basic communication in own field.4 Limited user Basic competence is limited to familiar situations. Has frequent problems in understanding andexpression. Is not able to use complex language.Table 1. IELTS band scores and descriptors (Taken from the IELTS Handbook 2007)Whilst it would seem desirable to restrict university entrants to a single test for comparison andcontinuity, this is not practical, so most UK HEIs accept specified alternative tests as evidence ofEnglish language proficiency. Some of the more commonly used tests include the Test of Englishas a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Cambridge ESOL series of Certificates and the Test ofEnglish for International Communication (TOEIC). Each test has a different structure which makesstandardisation difficult but tables of broad equivalence between the scores of different tests arepublished (Gillett, 2008) and several university websites quote requirements for the various tests. TheTOEFL, for instance, exists in two different forms: paper and internet based which reflect emphaseson different language skills in each test format. Certain UK HEIs have produced their own Englishlanguage examination, for example the Test of English for Educational Purposes (TEEP) at theUniversity of Reading and the University of Warwick English Test (WELT).1.2.2 UK university entrance requirements for English test scoresAs we have seen, IELTS recommends scores between 6 and 7.5 for entry to tertiary study and themajority of HEIs conform to these recommendations as searches for institutional requirements on theIELTS website confirm, although 7.5 is only rarely cited and then almost exclusively for medical andveterinary courses. The great majority lie between 6 and 6.5, implying that students possess ‘generallyeffective command of the language’. However, there are a number of institutions which accept lowerIELTS Research Reports Volume 11135