All students must meet the college’s English Language requirements before they would receive the official Letter of Acceptance. To demonstrate your English ability, you must do one of the following:
- 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)
- Present proof of completing the most recent 4 years of full-time study in an English-speaking country and/or recognized international curriculum where English is the language of instruction and attain a minimum of a C in English 12 or approved equivalent. Please note that this exemption is only for issuance of Letter of Acceptance. It is not for placement into any English courses.
Students may be placed in university transfer (credit) English or university preparatory (non-credit) English, on the basis of Columbia College’s Language and Writing Assessment (LWA) results or on the basis of acceptable external standardized English test scores. If you take the LWA and also present external test results (as listed below), we will place you according to whichever score is better. We do not accept external tests written more than two years before you register at the college.
External English test scores1
University Transfer Courses and Non-credit English Courses
| English 101 | English 100 | English 099 | English 098 | EAP 097 | EAP <097 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Overall Band 5.5 & Writing Band 5.0 | Overall Band 5.0 & Writing Band 4.5 | - |
| CAEL | 70 or over & Writing 70 | 60-69 & Writing 60 | 50-59 & Writing 50 | 40-49 & Writing 40 | - | - |
|
LWA:7,8,9
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 62-89 Level Assessment |
20-25 15-20 13-20 9-15 57-61 Level Assessment |
20-25 14-20 12-20 7-15 53-56 Level Assessment |
15-25 12-20 10-20 5-15 46-52 Level Assessment |
- |
| TOEFL iBT: | ||||||
| Writing | 21 plus two of: | 19 plus two of: | 16 plus two of: | 14 plus two of: | 12 plus two of: | <12 |
| Reading | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 13 | <13 |
| Listening | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 13 | <13 |
| Speaking | 21 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 12 | <12 |
| Total (TOEFL iBT): | 88 | 79 | 71 | 64 | 57 | <57 |
High School Courses2,3,4,5,6
| English 12 | English 11 | English 10 | English 097 | <English 09711 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Overall Band 5.0 and Writing Band 4.5 | - |
|
LWA:7, 8, 9
MEPT: Listening Grammar Vocabulary Reading Placement Range Writing |
20-25 17-20 14-20 11-15 62-89 Level Assessment |
20-25 17-20 14-20 11-15 62-89 Level Assessment |
20-25 14-20 12-20 7-15 53-56 Level Assessment |
15-25 12-20 10-20 5-15 46-52 Level Assessment |
- |
| Grade Completion3,4,5,6,10 | 100+ | Completion of Grade 11 English | Completion of Grade 10 English | Completion of Grade9 English | - |
1. For placement purposes, all English tests scores are considered to have a shelf life of two years. This also applies to High School courses such as English 12 in British Columbia and its equivalent elsewhere. Post-secondary courses listed in the BC Transfer Guide are considered to have a shelf-life of five years. Duolingo English Test maybe accepted from students in countries where no other English Proficiency test is available.
2. All students who have completed Grade 9 English overseas are registered in Grade 10 English unless they test (by the LWA) into English 097; if a student tests into 097 they complete it first and then take Grade 10 English.
3.Senior Secondary High School students who have completed Grade 10 English overseas are registered in Grade 10 English (mandatory for senior secondary in BC), unless they test into English 097; after they complete 097, they then take Grade 10 English.
4. Accelerated High School students who have completed Grade 10 or 11 English overseas are registered in Grade 11 or 12 English (depending on their pre-requisite) unless they test into English 097. If an accelerated High School student tests into English 097 and has completed Grade 10 or 11 overseas, they are registered in English 097 and continue on to Grade 11 or Grade 12 English upon completion. Note: Accelerated High School students do not need to complete Grade 10 English in BC.
5. Adult High School students must have completed Grade 10 and 11 English either in Canada or overseas. If an adult High School student tests into English 097 and has completed Grade 10 and 11 overseas, they are registered in English 097 and continue on to Grade 12 English upon completion. Note: Adult High School students do not need to complete Grade 10 English in BC.
6. The Language Writing Assessment (LWA) is the College’s placement test. A High School student’s placement is determined by the LWA results and the student’s previous academic experience, locally or overseas. (See above.)
7. 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.
8. Our English assessor provides academic advisors a placement guideline based upon the result of the LWA.
9.For the High School, Academic advisors consider the last High School English grade completed (or required) in order to place the student in the appropriate course.
10. Referred to partner language schools