Exams: Stage One
The most common program for prospective students is a preparatory course, which may have different names: in English-speaking countries - Foundation, Access, Fast Track - a change of name does not change the essence. In Germany, for applicants whose certificates do not meet admission requirements, there are special preparatory colleges - Studienkolleg. These programs are not strictly language courses. Although language learning takes up most of the curriculum, subject preparation for studies is also provided. At the end of the course, a language exam required for admission is taken.
But it should not be forgotten that it is very difficult to enter such a program with zero knowledge of the language. As a rule, “deaf-and-dumb” applicants are not accepted there. Sometimes an entrance test is enough for admission. But a certificate of passing one or another international exam may also be required. Although the requirements, of course, will be much lower than when entering a university.
Most language exams cannot be “failed.” You can only get a high or low score. One of the few exceptions is the Cambridge exams, which are graded “pass/fail.” As for the most popular among applicants and admissions committees TOEFL and IELTS, as well as exams in other languages, your admission or non-admission to a university depends on the points you score.
It should be noted that requirements for those taking international exams are constantly rising, and the tasks are becoming more complicated. It is quite difficult to keep track of this while preparing on your own, so it is better to prepare for exams in a native-speaker club or in courses.
But is it worth going abroad solely to complete an exam course? We think not. At least, the first steps are better taken at home. Many domestic language schools do an excellent job of preparing for international exams in English, as well as German, French, and Spanish. And you can also take any of the exams - English IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge and London, French DALF, German “line” of the Goethe Institute, Spanish DELE – at home, where in recent years many international exam centers have appeared. These are, first of all, branches of the British Council, which not only administer Cambridge exams of all levels and IELTS, but also prepare for them. British Council courses are highly respected throughout the world.
The Goethe Institute, only in the field of the German language, enjoys the same authority, where language courses are equated with exam preparation courses. Training is structured in stages: elementary, intermediate, advanced, and at the end of each stage the corresponding exam is taken. The DALF exam is administered at the French Cultural Center.
If you are going to enter a university after a preparatory program or (which is also possible) through preliminary study at a college of further education, then anyway, whether you like it or not, you will be learning the language already in the country of future study. And at the end you will certainly take an exam. But at a different level, “aiming” for the higher results necessary for studying at a university.
Before choosing an exam course - whether at home or abroad (if you do decide on the latter), - you need to know exactly what certificate will be required of you by the university. This is especially true for English. So, until recently, in Britain, Australia and New Zealand they required exclusively passing IELTS or Cambridge FCE, while in the USA and Canada they preferred to see applicants with a TOEFL certificate. In recent years, there have been fewer such strictness, but still in some places preferences exist. Just imagine that you successfully passed the most difficult TOEFL, and then suddenly found out that the admissions committee of your university demands IELTS or FCE – what could be more offensive?
For academic purposes
To help foreign applicants, special language courses for academic purposes also operate abroad. Now there are several varieties of such programs.
The most popular one is called exactly that: “Language for Academic Purposes” (abbreviated LAP). Such programs are taught both at universities and colleges, and in language schools of a number of countries. They differ from other, non-specialized courses in that along with a foreign language, students are taught the skills and techniques necessary for every student to successfully study at a university.
Such programs are taught in all countries that export education, and their range is quite wide. In recent years, they have also been adopted by the countries of the Bologna Agreement, which are introducing both English-language university programs and language preparation courses for further study in the language of that country. At a number of universities in Germany, applicants are taught a specialized course “German for Foreigners,” that is, intensive German lessons for those who are going to study at this or another university. At the Goethe Institute courses, they prepare for international exams in German, and at the Carl Duisberg Centren school you can prepare for and pass the PNDS.
At Canadian and American universities, before starting the actual academic course, you can (and should) take a summer program of “university readiness,” or, as they are also called, “university culture” for foreigners; here language learning is combined with elements of regional studies. It is clear that such courses operate mainly in countries where foreign applicants are especially eager to go: in the UK, Ireland, the USA, Australia, and also Canada.
The duration of study at LAP can vary - from two or three weeks to a year, but most often they are designed for a long period. In fact, only when lasting from 12 weeks are they truly effective. Long-term courses accept students with any initial level of language knowledge, even zero, but it is still advisable to enroll there already able, at least, to make oneself understood.
The main difference between LAP and all other language courses is that they teach not only to speak, but also to study in a foreign language. Here you will understand what will be required of you when you become a student, and become acquainted with new forms of academic activity. Of course, the language is given in full, and upon completion of LAP you will certainly pass the required exam. But the main thing in training is language skills that will be especially useful at university. That is, reading and writing. Also taught are the culture of written speech, elements of practical stylistics, and the technique of writing various types of student papers.
Much attention is paid to listening comprehension: after all, native speakers speak quickly and their diction is not ideal. At LAP, this is the second most important skill that students master.
Teaching conversational speech is also subordinated to the requirements dictated by the university audience. Speaking at a seminar, answering questions to the point, expressing and justifying one's own opinion - all these skills can be obtained at LAP courses.
Naturally, the program includes a place for phonetics and grammar, vocabulary expansion and theoretical aspects of the language. The course schedule, as a rule, allocates time for an elective: students choose to study phonetics, reading, writing - in short, the subject that they believe requires additional work.
Some LAP programs, especially at universities and colleges, also include imitation of university classes: students listen to lectures by subject teachers, take notes, and participate in seminars. In addition to language, some places also teach other disciplines that are most in demand among applicants: related to business, law, medicine. But still, most LAP programs are purely linguistic, and the skills they provide are universal, that is, applicable to mastering any subject.
LAP courses are hardly worth taking for applicants entering the first year of a bachelor's program after a domestic school, that is, through any of the pre-university preparation programs. But if you intend to bypass the Foundation, for example, you have a course or two of a domestic university behind you, or you are entering a postgraduate program, then 'Language for Academic Purposes' is the optimal form of language preparation for study. By the way, not only applicants can study under this program, but also those who have already entered a university. But why complicate the already difficult life of a foreign student?
Beacons and milestones
In the sea of foreign language programs, it is sometimes difficult to find one's bearings. The confusion, to be honest, is sometimes caused by the educational institutions themselves, inventing names for their courses behind which it is unclear what lies. So it turns out that an ordinary long-term general language preparation course is sometimes 'positioned' as a pre-exam course, and an exam preparation course as 'Language for Academic Purposes'. Meanwhile, these are all programs of different orientations and, consequently, different content. So it is necessary to find out exactly what you will be taught in advance, preferably with the help of an experienced educational consultant.
In particular, one should not confuse two programs with similar names - 'Language for Academic Purposes' and 'Academic Language Year'. Because the second one is not, in the strict sense, preparation for studying at a university. Although it can be of considerable benefit and contains some elements of pre-university preparation. It usually lasts 24 or 36 weeks, with an intensity of 20 to 28 (intensive course) hours of foreign language per week. Language can be combined with general education subjects. The first stage of study is entirely devoted to the formation of language knowledge, maximally bringing the student closer to the level of a native speaker. Importantly, almost all 'Academic Year' programs involve preparation for international language exams - TOEFL, IELTS, CAE, FCE.
And once the required level of knowledge is achieved (not lower than Upper Intermediate), the second stage begins, in which the acquired language knowledge is used to study academic disciplines. Another valuable property of such programs is that they often also offer services for organizing applications to higher education institutions.
It must be said that neither LAP nor 'Academic Year', with rare exceptions, guarantee admission to a university. So you can choose any one, at your discretion, depending on your needs. Only, I repeat, do not confuse them.
In the process of choosing programs, you should also think carefully about where you will take it. After all, courses intended one way or another for applicants are taught both in language schools and in universities and colleges of further education. There are also special preparatory colleges where the language program is brought closer to a pre-university preparation course. Actually, there is no particular difference between the programs themselves. But many believe that a university is preferable, especially if you intend to study there later. On the other hand, language programs for universities are not a priority, unlike preparatory colleges, where this is one of the main aspects of study. In language schools, as a rule, groups are small, the atmosphere is warm, and course dates are more flexible. But there is no university atmosphere, which is created in universities and colleges.
True, sometimes language schools run their programs under the auspices of universities, which gives graduates if not a guarantee, then advantages in admission. And in principle, language programs, unlike Foundation, are not a 'loophole' into university, so you shouldn't demand the impossible from them. All they will give you is a high score on the exam and proficiency in the language at the level of a 'native' student. When you think about it, that's not so little.