Pre-Sessional Programme

Who is it for?

Students wishing to study on our GCSE programme, but whose English level is below IELTS 4.5 (or equivalent). Upon successful completion of the course, students will progress on to study on our 2 year, 18-month, or 1 year GCSE programmes.

Sample Weekly Timetable

Assessment

English Language

Weekly in-class assessments to review and monitor performance.

End of Term exams in terms 1 and 2. Comprising elements of Cambridge Suite exams (A2 Key/B1 Preliminary/B2 First) and elements of IGCSE 2nd Language English paper.

Cambridge Suite exams (A2 Key/B1 Preliminary/B2 First) in the Spring and Summer Term to assess end of programme outcome.

Academic Subjects 

Half-termly topic tests to review and monitor ongoing performance.

End or term subject tests adapted from IGCSE assessment materials.

End-of-year subject tests adapted from IGCSE materials to assess end of programme outcome.

Pass Criteria

Minimum overall pass rate of 60% and minimum score of 150 on Cambridge English Scale (equal to IELTS 4.5 or equivalent level qualification).

Who is it for?

Students wishing to study on our A-Level programme, but whose English level is assessed to be below IELTS 5.5 (or equivalent). Upon successful completion of the course, students will progress on to study on our 2 year or 18-month A-Level programmes.

Sample Weekly Timetable

Assessment

English Language

Weekly in class assessments to review and monitor performance.

End of Term exams in terms 1 and 2. Comprising elements of Cambridge Suite exams (A2 Key/B1 Preliminary/B2 First) and elements of IELTS paper.

Cambridge Suite exams (A2 Key/B1 Preliminary/B2 First) in the Spring and Summer Term to assess end of programme outcome.

Academic Subjects 

Half-termly topic tests to review and monitor ongoing performance.

End or term subject tests adapted from IGCSE and A-Level assessment materials.

Pass Criteria

Minimum overall pass rate of 60% and minimum score of 162 on Cambridge English Scale (equal to IELTS 5.5 or equivalent level qualification).

End of year subject tests adapted from IGCSE and A-Level materials to assess end of programme outcome.

Who is it for?

Students wishing to study on our International Foundation Programme, but whose English level is below IELTS 4.5 (or equivalent). Upon successful completion of the course, students will progress on to study on our 1 year International Foundation Programme.

Sample Weekly Timetable

Assessment

English Language

Weekly in class assessments to review and monitor performance.

End of Term exams in terms 1 and 2. Comprising elements of Cambridge Suite exams (A2 Key/B1 Preliminary/B2 First) and elements of IELTS paper.

Cambridge Suite exams (A2 Key/B1 Preliminary/B2 First) in the Spring and Summer Term to assess end of programme outcome.

Academic Subjects 

Half-termly topic tests to review and monitor ongoing performance.

End or term subject tests adapted from IGCSE and A-Level assessment materials.

End of year subject tests adapted from IGCSE and A-Level materials to assess end of programme outcome.

Pass Criteria

Minimum overall pass rate of 60% and minimum score of 157 on Cambridge English Scale (equal to IELTS 5.0 or equivalent level qualification).

The full range of Abbey College Cambridge extra-curricular clubs and activities is open to you on the pre-sessional course, and pre-sessional students are positively encouraged to get involved with as many activities as possible.

We use the Cambridge English Qualifications suite of assessments to monitor our pre-sessional students’ performance and assess their eligibility to move on to study our full academic programmes. Each English qualification in the Cambridge suite targets a particular level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and provides a clear focus for study programmes.

Below you will find more details about each of the Cambridge English Qualifications we use for assessment:

A2 Key

A2 Key, formerly known as the Cambridge: Key (KET) is a basic level qualification equivalent to CEFR level A2 (Scale score 120-139).

Students achieving a A2 Key qualification can use English to communicate in simple situations. Students will take 3 exam papers of about 2 hours which test all four English language skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking.

B1 Preliminary

B1 Preliminary, formerly known as Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) is equivalent to CEFR B1 (Scale Score 140-159).

Students achieving a B1 Preliminary qualification have mastered the basics of everyday English and have the practical language skills for everyday use. Students will take 4 exam papers of about 2 hours 20 minutes.

B2 First

B2 First, formerly known as Cambridge English: First (FCE) is equivalent to CEFR B2 (Scale Score 160-179).

Students achieving a B2 First qualification have the language skills to live and work independently in an English-speaking country. Students will take 4 exam papers of about 3 hours 30 minutes.

IELTS

The English Language Testing System (IELTS) is designed to help people work, study or migrate to a country where English is the native language.

Students’ ability to listen, read, write and speak English will be assessed during the test. IELTS is graded on a scale of 1-9.

The IELTS test is globally recognised by more than 11,000 employers, universities, schools and immigration bodies. Most UK universities require students to achieve a qualifying minimum IELTS test score to be awarded a place to study on their undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

IELTS Scale Score