IELTS Course (English as an Additional Language)

Year 12

We provide English language courses rather than support lessons.

Year 12 is a pre-IELTS programme that strengthens students’ academic and functional English in an integrated skills course that will help them to both prepare for the IELTS exam course in Year 13 and equip them for their A Level and university studies. The IELTS qualification is a British university requirement for students with English as an additional language who don’t have GCSE English Language.

Students entering the Sixth Form with English as an additional language will take a two year English language programme leading to an IELTS test (International English Language Testing System) which is a test of English language proficiency. The IELTS provides students with a certificate recognised by all British universities and many overseas institutions. The IELTS test is taken in the summer of Year 13, and assesses the ability to communicate in English in each of the four language skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening, giving a result for each of these as well as a composite level. There is no entry requirement. If a student has sufficient language to commence an A Level programme at Monkton, he or she can take the IELTS course. Even when students have attained the highest grades in the IGCSE in EAL, the IELTS course will still help them to develop and strengthen their English skills. This would be particularly important for language-based courses like Law and Economics.

Additional charges are made for workbooks and the University of Bath charges a £180 fee to take the IELTS test.

Students preparing for the IELTS have five English lessons a week. One of these lessons is dedicated to developing reading skills. Intensive and extensive reading skills are strengthened, alongside specific skills required to perform well in the reading section of the IELTS test, which is notorious for being challenging.

As universities vary in their requirements it is best for students to decide which course they want to take and at which university. They will then be able to discover from that university which IELTS level is necessary for entry. Generally speaking, a Level 6.5 or 7 is required for most courses, depending on how language-rich the subject is.