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UNIcert® III English for Academic Purposes

Students enrolled on the BA degree programmes "Anglophone Studies" and "GuK" - History and Cultural Studies" can (optionally!) take the UNIcert® III exam "English for Academic Purposes." This is designed to assess and certify language skills at level C1 CEFR. After passing the exam, a certificate is issued that can be submitted, for example, when applying for a master's programme.

The UNIcert® III exam "English for Academic Purposes" is competence-, not knowledge-oriented, i.e. it does not test knowledge of the language (grammar, vocabulary), but the ability to use the language effectively, especially in an academic context. To this end, tasks are set which simulate typical communicative situations in academic settings. The four language skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking are assessed and graded individually.

 

Prerequisites:

Pass grades in the following four practical language courses:

Reading & Writing I, Reading & Writing II, Speaking & Listening I, Speaking & Listening II

 

Exam structure:

  1. Listening (45 minutes)
  2. Speaking (up to 30 minutes)
  3. Reading (60 minutes)
  4. Writing (90 minutes)

All tasks are entirely self-explanatory and do not require any specific preparation in advance of the test.

 

Grading:

Each of the four parts of the exam is marked out of 15 and counts for 25% of the total mark. The examination will be considered passed if at least 5 points are scored and no part mark is below 5 points. A failed examination or failed parts of the examination can be repeated once within one year from the date of the announcement of the result. In the event of an exam being repeated, credit will be given for the scores of passed sections of the examination. Please note, however, that only one examination date is offered in each academic year - retaking a failed examination is therefore only possible one year later.

 

Certificate:

A bilingual (English/German) certificate is issued for the successful completion of the exam. In addition to the personal details of the candidate, the certificate contains information about the chosen foreign language (English), the chosen specialization ("for Academic Purposes"), the UNIcert® level achieved (III), and the grades of the individual parts of the examination as well as the overall grade in the form of a number and a paraphrase. It also contains general information in German and English on the form of the examination and the interpretation of the performance levels, as well as an indication of which level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages the awarded certificate is based on.

 

Date 2024:

The four parts of the exam are held on two days:

  1. Listening, Reading, Writing: Tuesday, 3 September 2024, 10:00 s.t. – 14:00; venue: Phil. I, B 009
  2. Speaking: Wednesday, 4 September 2024: The individual time slots will be announced during the written exam on 3 September. Venue: Phil. I, B 009.

 

Registration:

To register, please email Dr. Frank Mattern (Frank.Mattern@anglistik.uni-giessen.de) by Thursday, 29 August 2024, enclosing a FlexNow transcript showing that you have successfully completed Reading & Writing I, Reading & Writing II, Speaking & Listening I and Speaking & Listening II.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Further information:

Available from any member of the Language Practice team.