All degree programmes in the UK are taught in English. This means that you will need to be able to show that you have a good enough knowledge of English to be able to understand and follow the programme, to be able to read academic literature in English and to be able to write your assignments and dissertation/thesis with an acceptable standard of English. There are normally four indicators that show you have an acceptable standard of English language:
• If you come from a country where English is the everyday language, and where the education system operates in English, for example Australia, Jamaica, most of Canada.
• If you have completed your first degree at a university in which the language of teaching is English, for example if you are a student from China who has completed their first degree at a university in Australia or the United States.
• If you attend an interview for the programme and can demonstrate that your spoken and written English is of a high enough standard.
• If you have a formal qualification in English language that meets the minimum standard the university requires.
For most international applicants it is the fourth of these that is the usual way of showing English language competence. Each university sets its own minimum standards, so you will need to find out from the university website or from their prospectus what those standards are. However, there are some common standards used by most universities and these are minimum levels achieved in recognised international tests of English language ability.
More, including further information about English language tests and qualifications, is provided in Chapter 3 of the book Postgraduate Study in the UK by Nicholas and Rosalind Foskett.
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