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 universityThe diversity evident in the selection processes amongst SOE Course Directors differs from thecollective approach found in SOM and suggests that authority for selection is more likely to rest atCourse Director than at School level.The selection practices in SAS differ again from the other two Schools. The proportion of EPP studentsin the School is the highest amongst the sampled programmes, 66 out of around 125 students, andselection procedures reflect this. Whilst some Course Directors interview students, they leave theresponsibility for assessing linguistic ability to their colleagues. There is a close working relationshipbetween the SAS directors and linguist staff which extends beyond selection to ongoing language supportfor students on SAS programmes. How this works in practice is described in the following extract.Extract 4“It’s useful to differentiate between the EPP students and the non-EPP students The EPPstudents have all come to us with a recommendation from the linguist staff and I’ve reliedon them to provide the English language judgement because they’ve met the individuals. Fornon-EPP students, we look for the IELTS and go quite strongly on IELTS or equivalent tests.A small minority we will interview by telephone and usually if I do that, I will get someonelike the linguist staff to help me. I will be concentrating on the more technical aspects andthey will be looking at the English language.”SAS1B Course DirectorThe association predates recent campus relocation before which some SAS programmes and theacademic English staff occupied a separate campus several miles away from the main campus.SAS Course Directors who have always been located on the main campus did not evince such closeworking relationships with linguist staff.8.1.1 Demand for placesThe hypothesis that demand for places might influence selection practices is directly related to thecontemporary UK debate about degree standards and internationalisation. No evidence was found forthe lowering of entry requirements in response to lessening demand for a specific course. However, therewas support in courses where demand was high, as Directors were able to consider raising language entryrequirements and consciously reflected upon using English language entry requirements as a filter todetermine the allocation of places. This could take two concrete forms. It could, as in the case of SOE1,which has few competitors in its field elsewhere in the UK, simply raise the English test score requiredfor entry. Alternatively, a Course Director might face fewer difficult decisions on candidates whoseEnglish entry proficiency was borderline. In Extract 5 a Course Director in SOE describes how demandand English language entry requirements are related on his course.Extract 5Course Director: “We were able to more or less guarantee that because with more than 400applicants we could just pick the ones. You can really cherry pick.”Interviewer: “Could you raise the entry level requirement?”Course Director: “I don’t know that, I haven’t thought about it but I don’t know whether wewould need to.”SOE4 Course DirectorSimilar examples occurred in SOM and SOE but only in courses designated as high demand.IELTS Research Reports Volume 11153