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 universitystudents who are currently studying at their home institution to apply to take the final year of studyat Cranfield in order to gain a double degree award from both institutions, the final year being anMSc from Cranfield. The route is restricted to continental institutions that have signed a partnershipagreement with Cranfield. Currently, the Cranfield website lists 64 institutions in 15 countries but newinstitutions are being added, particularly from central Europe. The scheme has grown in recent yearsand the majority of non-UK EU Masters students now enter Cranfield by this route (330 out of 508in 2007/8). The change has been reflected in the nationalities participating in the English languageSummer Programme. Formerly dominated by the developing countries and the Pacific Rim, around50% of students now come from Europe.Admission and selection procedures for students entering through the EPP route who are non-nativeEnglish speakers are distinct from other applicants. After first applying to their host institution andthen to Cranfield, applicants are interviewed in their own country by a member of Cranfield staff.In some cases, Course Directors may also interview EPP applicants, although this practice is notuniversal. Assessment of English language proficiency is then made by the Academic English staffand Course Directors, based upon the interview assessments and written applications. Some studentsin this group may have sat formal English language tests but by no means all. For example, to gain aDiploma in the French Grandes Écoles system, students must achieve a TOEIC score of 750 (whichis lower than the Cranfield entry requirement of 830). The relevance of this finding lies in the largenumber of French students entering Cranfield each year since there are partnership agreements with29 French HEIs. There are advantages to the EPP procedure. Over time, Course Directors becomeincreasingly familiar with the undergraduate courses from which students apply and so are able toassess their academic abilities in some detail from their transcripts. Another advantage is an immediateopinion on a borderline student’s need for pre-sessional academic English tuition. In this case thestudent will be offered a place, conditional on the successful completion of the on-campus, presessionalSummer Programme. In 2007/8, of 29 students on the Summer Programme, 14 were EPPtaught Masters students.The circumstances of students whose first language is not English and who cannot participate in theEPP necessitate different arrangements for the assessment of English language proficiency. Europeanstudents who are attending institutions outside the EPP are required to produce a satisfactory test scorein line with the regulations. For students beyond Europe, however, there are numerous grey areas suchas applicants with prior experience of English at work or in education for whom a formal test mightbe redundant. Where there are doubts, the Course Director is encouraged to interview these applicantsby telephone, if necessary, to assess the applicant’s language skills and, depending upon the outcome,either request a test or waive the requirement.6.2.2 Academic English provisionIn recent years the increasing number of overseas students at Cranfield has raised awareness of theneed for academic English support. Students who have not gained a 6.5 score may be admittedprovided they attend an intensive pre-sessional English programme (Summer Programme) beforethe start of the year in October. The Summer Programme runs from July to September and aims toimprove students’ ability and confidence in the four language skills in the context of academic studyat Cranfield. Broadly speaking, an IELTS score of 6 requires a minimum of one month’s tuition, a 5.5score requires two months and a student with a score of 5 must take the full three month course. Usinga similar rule of thumb, students may improve by 0.5 of a band score for each month’s tuition but thisis very variable. The programme has the following capacity which varies with the students’ ability:up to 6 students may attend the full three months, 12 for two months and a maximum of 30 for theIELTS Research Reports Volume 11143