English Language Program Registration & Placement Exams
English placement
Fall (September) 2012
Online language registration opens July 15th for returning students from the Bologna and DC campus. New students should take the English placement test (given on the first Tuesday of classes). Please contact Dr. Gay Washburn if you have any questions.
In addition to the TOEFL or IELTS exams required for admission, ALL non native speakers of English and international students whose native language is not English need to take an English placement exam to determine whether they need further training to succeed in their studies at SAIS. The test is administered at the end of pre-term or in the first week of classes. Students who do not pass the English placement exam will be required to take English classes during their tenure at SAIS and may be asked to reduce the number of non-language courses taken per semester.
The next placement exam will be given in September 2012.
Description of English placement exams
The placement test takes about 2 hours and tests listening, reading, writing and speaking skills. The listening test tests real life listening and consists of two audio clips, one academic and one more social/personal narrative. You will only hear it one time and then you will answer questions about the main ideas and details, make reasonable inferences and identify the meaning of words or phrases used in the listening text. Similarly, the reading part will ask you to read a text and answer questions about the main idea, details, and vocabulary. In the writing section you will be asked to summarize, paraphrase, and give an opinion on the topic you read about. The speaking portion will ask you to describe, theorize, interact, and support an opinion. This is done is small groups and recorded.
Exemption from placement exams
An international student who studied at least the last three full years of high school in an English medium, accredited high school may request a waiver from the first semester English placement exam requirement. In order to get exempted, a student needs to provide a letter from his/her school stating the number of years/ semesters attended at this school, as well as the name of the school ' accreditation agency. Graduates of American Schools Abroad also need to provide this information. Check the admissions web page for a list of SAIS recognized accreditation agencies. Students who have attended a school affiliated with the British system and who have achieved British A level accreditation can use this to demonstrate having studied high school in English and to demonstrate grounds for exemption from the first semester English placement exam requirement.
Online language registration opens July 15th for returning students from the Bologna and DC campus. New students should take the English placement test (given on the first Tuesday of classes). Please contact Dr. Gay Washburn if you have any questions.