Assessment and certification
LFA offers a range of courses, most of which are assessed/examined (e.g. the main 19-week general programme) and lead to the award of a certificate from the University of York. Some of our shorter courses are non-assessed. You can therefore choose whether you wish to study a language on a formal or informal basis.
Assessed courses:
- General LFA courses (19-week programme). For an outline of each course and its assessment, please go to our Language Courses page and click on the language which interests you, then choose the level of general LFA course you require. Participants in the general LFA programme are evaluated by end-of-year examinations (written, oral and listening) and successful completion of the course leads to the award of a certificate from the University of York. The LFA Certificate is graded as follows: 70% or over - Distinction; 60% - 69% - Merit; 40% - 59% - Pass.
- Business Language courses (8-week programme)
Non-assessed courses:
- languages@lunchtime courses (8-week programme)
- holiday language courses (4-week programme)
For details of the assessment of specialist courses, please consult your LFA tutor. Past papers of general LFA exams are available for consultation in the University library. On successful completion of your course and the end of year written examination, you will receive the LFA certificate. Students who register for the York Award may count LFA courses as part of their York Award activities.
LFA Statement of Assessment
1. Introduction
Languages for All (LFA) is a university-wide unit which provides courses in 14 languages at seven levels to undergraduate and postgraduate students in all departments of the university. Our courses are also open to members of staff and to members of the public. Some of our language programmes are unassessed (e.g. languages@lunchtime; Conversation and Culture courses) but our main 19-week general programme is assessed and leads to the award of a certificate. Under modularisation, students in some departments can take a course on the 19-week programme as a degree module, but most students take courses on the 19-week programme on an extra-curricular basis.
LFA staff also teach a range of specialist language courses for departments such as English and Related Literature. Where a specialist language course is taken for degree credit, it forms part of the departmental degree programme and the assessment procedures therefore come under those of the department concerned.
LFA is part of the Department of Language and Linguistic Science, and our assessment procedures follow those in the Language and Linguistic Science statement of assessment in so far as possible. As we do not offer full degrees, and as most of our courses are taken on an extra-curricular basis, there are nevertheless some differences in how the assessment of LFA courses operates.
This document gives information about how LFA modules are assessed, the role of examiners, the marking and classification of course results, feedback on work, what to do in case of illness, penalties of various sorts and academic misconduct and its consequences. Course outlines for individual languages/levels and their modes of assessment can be found on the LFA website at http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/ltc/lfa/courses/index.htm
2. LFA 19-week Programme: Outline of Course Format and Assessment
The main LFA programme runs as a long, thin module over three terms (19 weeks of teaching). Courses are organised on the basis of 19 x 2-hour seminars in groups of 20-25 students, with classes taking place mainly in the evening (6.15pm-8.15pm) and on Wednesday afternoons. The groups contain students from a range of departments, and may also have some participants who are members of staff or people from outside the university.
In addition to the weekly class, students are set an additional 2-3 hours of private study work each week in order to consolidate their language learning. This work may involve tasks such as online language learning activities on the VLE, completing worksheets or exercises set by the tutor, revising work done in class, practising pronunciation and learning vocabulary/grammar. Key aspects of the consolidation work done at home are checked by the tutor at the start of the class each week, and feedback is given to students.
The formal assessment for the course takes the form of three exams (written/reading comprehension, oral and listening) which evaluate the student’s progress in each of the language skills taught and are held at the end of the course. In addition, a short language test is given at the start of Term 2 in order to give students and tutors an indication of progress in the key areas of grammar/range of language after the first term. The formal and timing of the assessments are as follows:
Assessment task |
Formative or Summative |
Timing of the assessment |
Length of examination |
Contribution to the module mark |
Written Language Test |
F |
Wk 1 Term 2 |
1 hour |
|
Listening Exam |
S |
Wk 6 Term 3 |
30 minutes |
25% |
Oral Exam |
S |
Wk 6 Term 3 |
15 minutes (+ 15 min. prep.) |
25% |
Written Examination |
S |
Wk 7 Term 3 |
2 hours |
50% |
3. Registration for LFA Courses
Registration takes place online from 1 September until the start of the courses in Week 3 of Term 1. The list of courses offered is available from on the LFA website at http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/ltc/lfa/courses/index.htm , together with details about course prerequisites, aims, contact hours, teaching methods and assessment.
Students whose academic departments offer the option of taking an LFA course as a 20-credit degree module (under the new modularisation system) can find a list of all courses which can be taken as part of a degree at http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/ltc/lfa/courses/degree_modules_2011.htm
4. Language Levels and Learning Outcomes
LFA course levels are linked to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for languages, which divides learners into three broad stages, each of which is sub-divided into two levels. The learning outcomes are defined for each stage as follows:
A Basic Speaker A1 Breakthrough A2 Waystage |
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B Independent Speaker B1 Threshold B2 Vantage |
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C Proficient Speaker C1 Effective Operational Proficiency C2 Mastery |
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C1: Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices. |
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C2: Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. |
The pre-requisites for LFA courses, and the standard achieved at the end of the course, are defined under the CEFR as indicated below:
LFA Level |
Pre-requisite |
Standard at end of course |
Level 1 |
None |
A1 |
Level 1 Plus |
A1 |
A2 |
Level 2 |
A2 |
B1 |
Level 2 Plus |
Low B1 |
High B1 |
Level 3 |
High B1 |
B2 |
Level 4 |
B2 |
C1 |
Level 5 |
C1 |
C2 |
Details of the specific aims and learning objectives for each course can be found on the LFA website at: http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/ltc/lfa/courses/index.htm
5. Marking of LFA Courses
5.1 LFA marking scheme
The LFA marking scheme follows the format of the university mark scale for undergraduate degrees. Students taking an LFA course on an extra-curricular basis receive a certificate (graded as Distinction, Merit and Pass as outlined below) at the end of the course. Students taking an LFA course as a degree module have the mark incorporated into their degree in accordance with the assessment regulations of their academic department. All LFA work is marked on the university mark scale.
90-100% Class I; LFA Distinction Exceptional standard for the level of the course.
The candidate responds at an outstanding level to the task brief and shows evidence of an extremely high level of grammatical accuracy throughout the task. Knowledge of a very wide range of vocabulary and structures is evident.
In presentations and free writing, the information conveyed is very well structured and persuasively communicated, with a high degree of accuracy in the use of language.
In oral/listening tasks, the candidate is able to understand fully and to make a detailed response without hesitation; he/she is also able to maintain the flow of conversation at normal speed. Pronunciation and intonation are excellent.
70-89% Class I; LFA Distinction Excellent standard for the level of the course.
The candidate is able to respond fully to the task brief and shows evidence of a high level of grammatical accuracy throughout the task. Knowledge of a wide range of vocabulary and structures is evident.
In presentations and free writing, the information conveyed is well structured and clearly communicated, with evidence of accuracy in the use of language.
In oral/listening tasks, the candidate is able to understand and respond promptly and to maintain the flow of conversation effectively. Pronunciation and intonation are very good.
60-69% Class IIi; LFA Merit Good standard for the level of the course.
The candidate is able to respond fully to most aspects of the task brief, although there may be minor aspects of the task which are not sufficiently addressed. Knowledge of a fairly wide range of vocabulary and structures is evident.
In presentations and free writing, the information conveyed is generally clearly structured and effectively communicated in most sections.
In oral/listening tasks, the candidate is able to understand most of the message communicated and to respond appropriately. Pronunciation and intonation are generally good.
50-59% Class IIii; LFA Pass Satisfactory standard for the level of the course.
The candidate is able to respond to some aspects of the task brief, although some elements are not adequately addressed and some aims are not completely fulfilled. Knowledge of a range of vocabulary and structures is evident.
In presentations and free writing, the information conveyed is adequately structured and the main points of the argument are communicated in most sections.
In oral/listening tasks, the candidate is able to understand some of the message communicated and to respond appropriately at some points, although at others there are misunderstandings and hesitations. Pronunciation and intonation are generally fair.
40-49% Class III; LFA Pass Poor standard for the level of the course.
The candidate is able to respond adequately to a few aspects of the task brief, despite frequent major omissions. Grammatical accuracy is poor, and there are consistent/major errors which show evidence of significant difficulties in the use of language structures.
In presentations and free writing, the information conveyed is poorly structured and only a few of the main points of the argument are communicated.
In oral/listening tasks, the candidate is able to understand some of the message communicated and to respond appropriately at a few points, although in most cases there are significant misunderstandings and hesitations. Pronunciation and intonation are in general poor.
0-39% Fail Unsatisfactory standard; level achieved is insufficient to pass the course.
The candidate may be able to respond to some aspects of the task at a minimal level, but self-expression is very limited. Grammatical accuracy is poor, with evidence of serious errors and a lack of ability to use language structures effectively. There are frequent serious errors and major omissions.
In presentations and free writing, the information conveyed lacks a comprehensible structure and the overall sense of the argument is not communicated satisfactorily.
In oral/listening tasks, the candidate has serious problems in understanding the message conveyed and is unable to make an appropriate response. Pronunciation and intonation are so poor that they are a barrier to communication and the message is not conveyed.
5.2 Recording of marks
Marks for summative assessments are recorded on the E-vision database. Candidates are identified by examination number and information about student names is accessible only to the Departmental Administrator.
5.3 Anonymous Marking
In accordance with standard University practice, all summative assessment is marked anonymously and is submitted by exam candidate number.
6. Feedback to Students
Feedback is an important part of the process of learning a language. During their LFA course, students will receive feedback on their progress in all four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) and will be given guidance on how to improve their communication skills outside the weekly class. Feedback will be given in a range of forms, as appropriate to the language/level of the course and to the skills being assessed. The LFA policy on feedback is as follows:
- Results for both formative and summative assessment will be communicated to students by marks on the University mark scale.
- All courses will provide an opportunity for students to receive formative feedback in each language skill before the summative assessment (end of year exams).
- Feedback will, wherever practicable, provide an indication of what would have improved the mark.
- Tutors will indicate at the start of a course the types of feedback they expect to provide for that module, and the timing for this feedback.
- For formative assessment, written feedback will be provided within three teaching weeks of the date that the work was submitted; oral feedback will be provided at the next relevant teaching session after all students have completed the assignment and the work has been marked.
- Feedback may take a variety of forms, such as: oral provision in class of correct answers to an exercise; oral comments (in class or individually) on student presentations; written comments on individual work; corrections and marks written on exercises; email answers to individual queries; individual discussion with the tutor outside the class; sample answers to exercises or exam questions; feedback sheets; model or outline answers.
7. Examinations and Examiners
7.1 LFA examinations
Written examinations take place for each language in Central Hall in Weeks 6-7 of Term 3, while oral and listening examinations take place in group/individual slots in Weeks 5-6 of Term 3. LFA exams (for both extra-curricular courses and degree modules) are included within the university’s main exam timetable, and the schedule for exams is also posted on the LFA website. It is the responsibility of students to check that they know the time and place of any exam they are taking.
Students sitting closed exams must confirm their identity by photo ID (for full-time University of York students, this must be via their University Card; for staff and members of the public who do not have a University Card, this may be by other valid forms of photo ID such as a passport or driving licence).
7.2 Students with individual requirements in examinations
Students who have specific requirements in examinations due to medical reasons, and who wish to request a modification of the standard LFA assessment format, should apply in writing (with supporting documentation) to the Director of LFA. If a student has already had such a request approved by his/her department and by the university Examinations office, the LFA office should be informed so that any adjustments can also be made within the context of LFA. In either case, the application for modification of assessment must be made in sufficient time before the assessment takes place so that appropriate arrangements can be made. In the case of dyslexia, the University requires a formal diagnosis and the support of the University’s Manager of Disability Services.
7.3 Internal examiners
The internal examiners for LFA courses are the course tutors (who are specialists in the language/level under examination). Each piece of summative assessment is marked by an internal examiner (normally the LFA tutor for the course), and these marks are then moderated by a second internal examiner. If the internal examiners fail to agree on the mark to be awarded, they will resolve the disagreement internally. These internal marks are communicated to the external examiner, who ratifies the marks.
7.4 External examiners
External examiners are members of the academic staff of a university other than York. They are appointed because they are experts in the language being taught and can provide an independent appraisal of the unit’s assessment practices. External examiners are approved by the University’s Standing Committee on Assessment on behalf of Senate. They have a fixed term of office (normally three years). They bring an impartial and objective attitude to the assessment of students’ work.
LFA has eight external examiners to cover all of the languages which can currently be taken as degree modules (Arabic, Chinese, Classical Latin, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Medieval Latin, Russian and Spanish). External examiners approve examination papers and comment on the marking of written and listening exam scripts and oral material (audio files). Samples of each piece of double-marked assessed work (written, oral and listening) are sent to external examiner for comment; the sample includes material from approximately one third of the group, selected across all levels of performance (plus all fails).
7.5 LFA Board of Examiners
The LFA board of examiners consists of all the teaching staff in LFA and the eight external examiners. The board receives the results of examinations, considers any special cases and makes recommendations for resits where appropriate. The current chair of the LFA board of examiners is Dr M. Ferguson.
7.6 Illegible examination scripts
If the two designated internal examiners of the scripts for an examination cannot read an examination script, it will be transcribed at the student’s expense. Transcription will be carried out by postgraduates who teach approved by the Standing Committee on Assessment (SCA). The student will be charged at the published rate paid for assistant invigilators. The transcribed script will not be marked until the payment has been received. Any disputes between the transcriber and the student must be recorded by the transcriber and include the student’s signature. Disputes will be referred to the Chair of the board of examiners for resolution. All cases will be reported to the SCA for monitoring and all students referred to Disability Services for disability testing. Should a relevant disability then be confirmed, the fee will be refunded and an amanuensis will be provided for any future LFA examinations.
8. Course Attendance
8.1 Notification of Absence
In order to learn a language successfully, regular practice in each language skill is essential and attendance at all LFA classes is therefore recommended in order to be able to complete the end of year examinations successfully. Students who are unable to attend a class due to illness or other extenuating circumstances should inform their tutor or the LFA office by email or telephone (contact details are provided on the LFA website at http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/ltc/lfa/general/staff.htm ) so that they can be updated on the work missed. Students should also consult the VLE site for their course for copies of any materials distributed in the class which they have missed.
8.2 Unsatisfactory attendance
If a student misses more than 50% of the teaching for an LFA course and has not informed the LFA office/the course tutor of any extenuating reason for this absence, we will send him/her a warning letter about unsatisfactory performance and offer an appointment to meet with a member of teaching staff so that appropriate help can be given to make up for the teaching missed.
9. Resit Examinations
If a student fails to achieve the pass mark of 40% in the June examinations and is taking the LFA course as a degree module, he/she will be required to resit the examination(s) in August. The precise elements to be retaken (oral, listening, written/reading) will be determined, in the light of the student’s performance in each skill, by the Board of Examiners and the External Examiner in the language concerned. The requirements of progression for a student taking an LFA degree module will be determined by the assessment rules of the academic department for which the module has been taken.
If a student is taking an LFA course on an extra-curricular basis and does not wish to resit the LFA examinations in August, we can offer him/her a letter of attendance/achievement which shows that the course has been taken and indicates the level of language skill attained. Extra-curricular students who do not achieve the pass mark of 40% in either the June or the August examinations are not awarded the LFA certificate.
10. Results
After the LFA exams in Weeks 5-7 of Term 3, the scripts and oral exam digital material go through the internal marking process. One-third of the double-marked scripts/orals (plus any fails) are then forwarded to the appropriate external examiner. The Exam Board meets in Week 10, and the LFA results are then released. Marks are forwarded to academic departments via E-Vision for students who are taking a course as a degree module, and certificates are produced for extra-curricular students. All extra-curricular students are also informed of their result by email.
11. Academic Misconduct
11.1 Fairness in examinations
The University and LFA make considerable efforts to ensure that the examination process is fair to each student, and it is expected that candidates will approach assessment in the same way. In particular, there is the expectation that all assessed work will be the unaided work of the candidate concerned and that the candidate has not attempted to secure unfair advantage or to misrepresent his or her work. Any evidence of academic misconduct with be taken very seriously.
11.2 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the representation of the work of another as one’s own, and is punishable under University regulations by a range of severe penalties. Plagiarism does not require intent to deceive and includes those cases where a candidate has unintentionally used the words of another; for example, when a candidate uses notes which were made some considerable time ago, but which were taken verbatim from the work of someone else.
11.3 Other examples of academic misconduct
- Memorising the text of an essay for use in a closed examination (even if the text is your own). A closed examination presupposes that the material that you submit is all composed during the examination session.
- Giving material to another candidate which that candidate submits as if it were his/her own work. Both persons involved are guilty of academic misconduct in such cases.
- Deliberately exceeding time limits for examinations, with the intention of accepting a mark penalty in order to gain the time to complete more questions.
- Copying and pasting information from the web into an essay or language exercise, without quoting the material inserted and without acknowledging its source.
- Plagiarism also includes cases where the copied material has been translated into another language: for example, French source material translated into English, or English source material translated into German.
The University takes a serious view of these academic offences. Regulation 5.4 ( http://www.york.ac.uk/admin/aso/ordreg/r5.htm#5.4 ) states: “The University regards any form of academic misconduct as an extremely serious matter. Candidates must not, in relation to assessed work at any stage of their course:
- cheat i.e. fail to comply with the rules governing examinations e.g. by making arrangements to have unauthorised access to information;
- collude i.e. assist another candidate to gain an advantage by unfair means, or receive such assistance;
- fabricate i.e. mislead the examiners by presenting work for assessment in a way which intentionally or recklessly suggests that factual information has been collected which has not in fact been collected, or falsifies factual information;
- personate i.e. act, appear, or produce work on behalf of another candidate in order to deceive the examiners, or solicit another individual to act, appear or produce work on their own behalf;
- plagiarise i.e. incorporate within their work without appropriate acknowledgement material derived from the work (published or unpublished) of another.
Any failure to observe these regulations may result in disciplinary action being taken. The regulations above apply to the conduct of University examinations, but LFA takes exactly the same view with respect to all work submitted by students, whether in examinations or for other assessment. Failure to observe these regulations may result in disciplinary action being taken. When academic misconduct is suspected in any assessment, the Chair of the Board of Examiners will inform the Chair of the University’s Standing Committee on Assessment, who will determine the appropriate course of action. If a full investigation is warranted, the Chair of the Board of Examiners will establish a subcommittee including the relevant external examiner. The subcommittee will inform the candidate that academic misconduct is suspected and will subsequently interview the candidate to establish whether academic misconduct has taken place. It will recommend to the Board of Examiners and the Chair of the Standing Committee on Assessment the mark to be awarded and whether any additional penalties shall be applied.
Any piece of assessment which contains plagiarised material may lose a substantial proportion of marks.
Information about academic misconduct, and how to avoid e.g. unintentionally plagiarising work, can be found at:
http://www.york.ac.uk/admin/eto/exams/AcademicMis.htm
http://www.york.ac.uk/admin/eto/exams/Guide.htm
11.4 Appeals
Section 6.5 ( http://www.york.ac.uk/admin/aso/ordreg/r6.htm#6.4 ) of the University of York’s
Ordinances and Regulations gives details of the University’s Appeals Procedures.
11.5 Training in plagiarism awareness
There is an on-line tutorial as part of the Virtual Learning Environment which explains what is meant by plagiarism and provides information on the key issues affecting every student. At the end of the tutorial there is a two-part test.
All new students have to complete the online plagiarism tutorial/test and obtain the training certificate. We will contact internal students in Term 1 to check if they have already completed this tutorial within their academic department. If not, they will be required to take the tutorial as part of their LFA course. All external course participants and members of staff will also have to take the tutorial if they have not previously completed it and obtained the training certificate.