For University Transfer/ Associate Degrees
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All students must meet the college’s English Language requirements before they would receive the official Letter of Acceptance.
- Present minimum external standardized English test scores (see tables below)
- Present minimum required scores in English 12 in British Columbia
- Present minimum required scores in first-year English taken at another college or at university in British Columbia, listed in the BC Transfer Guide
- Take the Columbia College's Language & Writing Assessment (LWA)
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Students are placed in either university transfer (credit) English or university preparatory (non-credit) English based on their results from Columbia College’s Language and Writing Assessment (LWA) or acceptable external standardized English test scores (see tables below).
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If you provide both LWA results and external test scores, your placement will be based on the higher score. All test scores must be no more than two years old at the time of registration.
Language and Writing Assessment (LWA)
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The Language and Writing Assessment (LWA) is Columbia College’s placement test.
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The LWA is made up of two components: a multiple-choice part and writing part. We use the computer-based Michigan English Placement Test (MEPT) for the multiple-choice part. This 60-minute test assesses language proficiency by measuring performance in listening comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Minimum placement ranges are used as guidelines for level placement.
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Our English assessor provides academic advisors a placement guideline based upon the result of the LWA.
External English test scores
University Transfer Courses and Non-credit English Courses
| English 101 | English 100 | English 099 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | Overall Band 6.5 & Writing Band 6.5 | Overall Band 6.5 & Writing Band 6.0 | Overall Band 6.0 & Writing Band 5.5 |
| PTE Academic | Overall 65 & Writing Minimum 65 | Overall 60 & Writing Minimum 60 | Overall 55 & Writing Minimum 55 |
| CAEL | 70 or over & Writing 70 | 60-69 & Writing 60 | 40-49 & Writing 40 |
|
LWA
MEPT: Listening Grammar Vocabulary Reading Placement Range Writing |
23-25 18-20 17-20 12-15 70-80 Level Assessment |
20-25 17-20 14-20 11-15 62-69 Level Assessment |
20-25 15-20 13-20 9-15 57-61 Level Assessment |
| TOEFL iBT: | |||
| Writing | 21 plus two of: | 19 plus two of: | 16 plus two of: |
| Reading | 21 | 19 | 17 |
| Listening | 21 | 19 | 17 |
| Speaking | 21 | 19 | 16 |
| Total (TOEFL iBT): | 88 | 79 | 71 |
For High school
Students will be placed in the right English level before starting a High School Program. They can demonstrate their English proficiency by submitting External English test scores (see table below) or by taking Columbia College’s English Placement Test (LWA).
High school English Courses
| English 12 | English 11 | English 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | Overall Band 6.0 and Writing Band 5.5 | Overall Band 5.5 and Writing Band 5.5 | Overall Band 5.0 and Writing Band 5.0 |
|
LWA
MEPT: Listening Grammar Vocabulary Reading Placement Range Writing |
20-25 17-20 14-20 11-15 62-69 Level Assessment |
20-25 17-20 14-20 11-15 62-69 Level Assessment |
20-25 14-20 12-20 7-15 53-56 Level Assessment |
| Grade Completion | Completion of Grade 11 English | Completion of Grade 10 English | Completion of Grade 9 English |
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In cases where no other English proficiency test is available, the Duolingo English Test may be accepted.
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Students with an English level below English 10 can begin their studies at one of Columbia College’s ESL partner schools.
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Senior Secondary High School: Students who have completed Grade 10 English overseas will be placed in Grade 10 English, which is a mandatory course for Senior Secondary students in BC.
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Accelerated High School: Students who have completed Grade 10 or 11 English overseas will be placed in either Grade 11 or 12 English, depending on their prerequisites.
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Adult High School: Students must have completed both Grade 10 and 11 English, either in Canada or overseas.
