
The MSt in English Language Assessment is aimed at English language teachers and other educational practitioners, civil servants, and other professionals seeking to enhance and consolidate their knowledge in English language assessment. The University of Cambridge offers world-class graduate education in this domain. The course is delivered jointly by Cambridge Language Sciences IRC and by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and therefore offers a unique combination of cross-disciplinary expertise.
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Key Features
Watch the recording of our MSt in English Language Assessment Information Session from our Master's Open Week 2024.
Aims of the programme
This programme aims to provide an understanding of teaching, learning and assessment approaches to enable individuals and organisations to develop, apply and adapt language assessment tools for English. It will provide an open environment for critical approaches to learning and assessment for diverse contexts in the public and private sector in the UK and internationally. The programme will therefore be highly interactive with workshops, case studies, subject experts, and practitioners providing different perspectives on the content and method of assessment practices.
The course aim is to produce graduates who:
- have a critical understanding of the different forms of English language assessment as seen through the lens of teaching and learning theories and theories of language assessment
- are reflective practitioners in terms of subject specialist knowledge and are prepared to consider different assessment methods for English language learners in diverse contexts
- are equipped with the advanced research skills required to actively contribute to the academic debate on language teaching and assessment, and to engage with intellectual rigor with individuals and organisations working towards the development of a range of assessment methods for individuals in diverse contexts
- are prepared to critique and evaluate current pedagogical practices in English language teaching and assessment and to conduct systematic research relevant to their professional practice
- are equipped with the knowledge and skills to design new assessment tools or strategies for learners of English
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- understand and critique the most common language assessment methods for each language skill (speaking, listening, reading, writing)
- reflect upon, communicate, and integrate key notions of linguistic, psychological and computational theories in assessment practices
- recognise, appreciate, and assess multiple stakeholder perspectives in the implementation of language assessment methods
- develop and apply advanced research skills
- develop new assessment methods or tasks suitable for learners of English
Continuing studies
The MSt is a taught degree, and successful completion of the MSt at a high grade may allow students to progress to a PhD either at the University of Cambridge or another institution.
Graduate employability and career destinations
Students will have been in employment prior to entering the course (one of the requirements is for a minimum of one year’s work experience in either the social, public or private sector). Some graduates may therefore choose to pursue (or continue) their employment within their chosen field. Predicted avenues of employment include teaching or teacher education, educational publishing, working for examination boards, assessment agencies, educational institutions, ministries, embassies, bodies such as the British Council, or multi-national companies where expertise in English language assessment is a relevant skill.
Student Support
Depending upon your needs, a variety of support opportunities are available to you including wellbeing support sessions, short-term counselling, and study skills support sessions. Find out more in our student support webpages.
Expected academic standard
Applicants are expected to have:
- Achieved at least a 2.i honours degree from a UK University or an equivalent standard from an overseas institution.
- Minimum of one year’s work experience in either the social, public or private sector.
- Fluency in written and spoken English.
If your degree is not from the UK, please check International Qualifications to find the equivalent in your country.
We are able to consider 'non-standard' applicants who do not meet the standard academic criterion. In such cases, you will need to produce evidence of relevant and equivalent experience, and your suitability for the course.
Language requirement
If English isn’t your first language, you will be required to submit evidence that you meet the University’s English language requirement before you are admitted.
Please see full details on the University Language Requirement webpage.
Language requirements for this course are below:
- IELTS Academic: Overall band score of 7.5 (with a minimum of 7.0 in each individual component)
- TOEFL Internet: Overall score of 110 (a minimum of 25 in each individual component)
- C1 Advanced: Grade A or B (with at least 193 in each individual element), plus a Language Centre assessment.
- C2 Proficiency: Grade A, B, or C (with at least 200, with no element lower than 185)
There are no exceptions to this requirement and, if you are offered a place on the course, it will be subject to you meeting this requirement.
Visa information
Students registered on a part-time Master of Studies (MSt) will be able to attend the short teaching sessions with a visitor status in the UK. Entry to the UK as a visitor has a number of expectations and restrictions which you should consider carefully.
Further information is provided on the International Students website and prospective students are advised to read this in full.
Students attending sessions taking place at intervals across the year with a visitor status are expected not to remain in the UK for extended periods. The majority of study must be undertaken outside the UK and generally students will be required to leave the UK at the end of each session and return for the next. As a visitor on a course of more than 6 months, it is not possible to make the UK your main study location or residence, or make frequent or successive visits to stay in the UK for extended periods.
Teaching
Module 1: Understanding speech and language and how they are learned (20 contact hours)
Module 2: Language learning in instructed contexts (20 contact hours)
Module 3: Principles of assessment; the role of assessment and how it contributes to learning (20 contact hours)
Module 4: Use of technology in language learning and assessment; how technology can be used to enhance learning (20 contact hours)
Module 5: Principles of research; mixed methods; introduction to statistical methods and statistical analysis for language assessment (20 contact hours)
Module 6: Critical view of language assessment tools (20 contact hours)
Teaching periods
There will be four teaching periods across the two years:
a) two in person residential teaching periods in Cambridge
b) two online teaching periods
In person residential teaching
This will be delivered over two residential periods, each lasting two weeks. There will be one residential for each year of the course.
The face-to-face residential periods held in Cambridge are scheduled for:
Year 1: Monday 15 - Friday 26 September 2025
Year 2: Monday 14 - Friday 25 September 2026
Online teaching
One module is planned to be taught online in early Lent Term 2026 and one module is planned to be taught online in early Lent Term 2027.
The modules are delivered using a blended learning approach. Outside of the residential teaching, there will be online one-to-one tutorials with the Course Director, online group tutorials, and online one-to-one dissertation supervisions. You will be expected to engage for approximately 6-8 hours per week on average, with online study materials which will include readings, videos, online forum discussions and self-assessment.
Assessment
Essays
In Year 1, you will complete the following assessments:
- one essay per module for Modules 1, 2 and 3, totalling 5,000 words per module and representing 12% of the final mark each (total 36% in Year 1)
In Year 2, you will complete the following assessments:
- for Module 4, there are assignments in a range of formats (such as multiple choice questions, hands-on practical exercises, and/or designing assessment tasks), representing 7% of the final mark
- for Module 6, one 3,000-word essay, representing 7% of the final mark.
Students may be required to give individual presentations or contribute to group presentations, on which students receive constructive feedback.
Dissertation
- Dissertation: 15,000-18,000 words (including footnotes and appendices but excluding bibliography), representing 50% of the final mark.
Marking criteria
The pass mark is 60% and a distinction is 75% or over
Fees
The fees for 2025-27, which include College membership, are:
- £8,269 per annum for Home students (total £16,538)
- £14,175 per annum for Overseas students (total £28,350)
The fee can be paid across the two years of the course, normally in eight equal instalments. All fees for Year 1 must be paid in full in order to progress to Year 2.
You will be expected to cover the application fee (£50 online) and any costs of travel, accommodation and subsistence during the course and residential sessions in Cambridge.
Funding
We do not currently have any scholarships or bursaries for this course.
We recommend that you explore any potential funding well in advance of the application deadline. See our External funding page for more information.
Applications will be accepted until Wednesday 30th April 2025.
All applications are considered on a gathered field after the closing date. Late applications will not be considered. We encourage all applications to be submitted as early as possible, to avoid any possible technical difficulties with submission.
Apply using the applicant portal
The Apply Now button will take you to the Applicant Portal. There, you can create and submit your application and supporting documents, and you can also request your references.
Supporting documents
You will be required to provide supporting documents as part of your application:
Undergraduate degree certificates and transcripts
If you have other academic qualifications (i.e. postgraduate qualifications) you have the option to provide these.
All documents should be translated to English if applicable.
Language certificate
If applicable, speakers of English as an additional language should provide evidence of their English language proficiency.
Sample of work
Applicants should provide a writing sample of between 2,000 and 5,000 words to demonstrate ability to write for a professional, academic or public audience on any topic (topics related to English language assessment or Linguistics are especially encouraged). This might be a news article, professional report, academic paper, internal report, blog post or other form of published or unpublished written communication.
You can submit an existing piece of work or write a new piece. Should you wish to create a new piece of work, you must use the following sample questions:
Please choose one of the 2 essay topics below. Your essay should contain no more than 2,000 words.
1. Language assessment of the future will be completely online. Discuss.
OR
2. Since most people read and write predominantly in the form of short messages on social media, we should stop using essays to assess candidates’ reading and writing skills. Discuss.
Personal Statement
Applicants should provide a personal statement (500 words maximum)
CV or Resume
References
You will need to provide the details of two referees. These should be for either two academic references or one academic and one professional reference.
Employer Support Letter
You will need to provide a letter from your current employer (if applicable), confirming that they support your application for this MSt.
Interviews and offers of a place
All short-listed applicants will be invited to interview with two members of the academic team. Interviews are planned to take place in late May 2025, using video conferencing tools such as Zoom. Conditional offers will be sent to successful applicants, following interview, in summer 2025.
College membership
When you apply, you can specify a first and second choice from either of the following partner Colleges, or select ‘No Preference’:
There may be small additional fees payable to a College for specific services provided; for further information please contact the College directly.
We will do our best to allocate students to their preferred College, but this is dependent on capacity and ensuring an equal balance between partner Colleges. To find out more about College membership, see the most recent ‘Meet the Colleges’ recording.
If you have a pre-existing membership at a Cambridge College which is not listed above, you can approach them to ask if they would consider you as a member for this course. However, we are unable to arrange this for you. It is only possible to select membership of one of the above partner Colleges if this is not your case.
Some Colleges might be able to offer accommodation for a fee during residentials (subject to availability), but this is not guaranteed. You are also free to make your own accommodation arrangements.
When completing your application, please note the University restrictions and risks of using AI tools.