Exams
Six elements are assessed in the Language exams: Listening, Oral, Reading, Writing, Presentation and Coursework
Balance and distribution of marks
| Skill | Duration | Timing | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | 1 hour | Lent | 20% |
| Oral | 15 min. (no oral for beginners) | Michelmas | 15% |
| Reading | 1 hour | Lent | 15% |
| Writing | 1 hour | Lent | 15% |
| Presentation | 15 min. (including oral for beginners) | Lent | 20% |
| Continuous assesment | Michelams and Lent terms | 15% |
Guidelines
Oral exams and Presentation
- Oral exam - students will be given questions 15 minutes before the exam starts in order to prepare. (this does not apply to beginners). The exam takes 10 minutes for beginners and 15 minutes for other levels. Beginners have no oral in Michaelmas term, but a combined presentation and oral exam in Lent term.
- The Presentation is on a topic chosen entirely by the student; the title of the Presentation should be given to your teacher 2 weeks before the Presentation date.
- the Presentation should not exceed 8 minutes and time will be left for discussion.
Listening
- The length of the listening exam is appropriate to the level: higher listening exams consist of longer and more complex audio/video extract than the lower levels.
- Examination instructions are written in English for beginners and lower intermediate and in the target language on all other levels. The number of tasks is consistent across languages and levels.
| Level | Approx. length of AV | Language of Instructions | Number of tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginners | 3 min. | English | 3/4 |
| Lower Intermediate | 4 min. | English or TL | 4 |
| Middle Intermediate | 4/5 min. | TL | 4/5 |
| Upper Intermediate | 5 min | TL | 5 |
| Advanced | 6 min | TL | 5/6 |
Reading and writing
- The length of the reading and writing exam are appropriate to the level.
- The length and complexity of the texts increase with the level.
- Examination instructions are written in English for beginners and lower intermediate and in the target language on all other levels.
- The number of tasks is consistent across languages and levels.
| Level | Approximate length of text | Language of intsruction | Length of written text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | ½-1 page | English | 150-200 words |
| Lower intermediate | 1 page | English | 200-250 words |
| Middle intermediate | 1 - 1½ pages | Target language | 250-350 words |
| Upper intermediate | 1 - 1½ pages | Target language | 300-400 words |
| Advanced | 1 ½ - 2 pages | Target language | 400 - 500 words |
Marking
The marking at the LU complies with the marking system within the University in terms of moderation and scaling.
Retakes
If students are not able to take an exam the following procedure applies:
Listening
The listening exam involves a special room, invigilator, VCR, etc. It is extremely difficult to re-schedule (only exceptional cases will be considered and a letter from DoS will be required)
Reading and writing
The student contacts the LU director. The student should have a good reason for not taking the exams (e.g. clashes, illness, etc.).
Oral exams and presentation
They are easier to reschedule, even though there should be a good reason to re-arrange the date as well. Students make arrangements with their teacher.
