UCL Students Have Very Good English Language Skills

UCL's Language Institute has conducted an evaluation consisting of two major parts. In 2006, students at the start of the first Bachelor year participated in an English language test (the Oxford Quick Placement Test. May 2009, having arrived at the end of their third Bachelor year, 210 of them participated in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), in order to obtain a certificate of fluency in English. The results of the two tests were compared thanks to a conversion system for language test results elaborated by the Council of Europe. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages foresees six different levels: "basic user" (A1-A2), "independent user" (B1-B2) and "proficient user" (C1-C2). The progress made by the students is definite: at the start of their academic career, 35% of the students had a basic level of English and only 3% were proficient users. After having followed English classes at the ILV for three years, 97 % of the students have reached at least the level of independent user (B2) and within this group no less than 78% have become proficient users (C1 and C2).

These excellent results show that UCL's "Language Plan" is paying off. Launched in 1998, the plan aimed at enlarging the offer of language courses within the curriculums of the various faculties. The results also allow the ILV to validate the learning objectives that it fixed itself. 

It is the first time that UCL conducted an external evaluation of the skills of its students in such a manner. The aim for the future will be to extend the initiative to other languages taught at the ILV, in particular Dutch.