Future Students

English language competence


To be eligible for admission to UWA, you must demonstrate satisfactory performance in a UWA-approved test of English. This is the case even if English is your first language.

Without acceptable evidence of English Language Competence (ELC), you will be ineligible for a degree place at UWA.

Please do not assume you have met UWA's English Language Competence requirements by having undertaken degree studies elsewhere.

Below is the complete list of all the ways the ELC requirement can be satisfied for admission to UWA for undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs. If you are interested in taking a postgraduate research course, please be aware that the English language competence requirements are slightly different so check carefully.

English tests other than those listed below will not normally be considered. If you are unsure about your qualifications, you should contact the Admissions Centre immediately for advice.

Australia Acceptable Grades / Minimum Requirements
(requirements may be more for some courses)
Western Australia

TEE English/English Literature - Scaled mark of 50 or above
English as a Second Language - Final mark of 66.60 or above (in 2007)
WA Certificate of Education: English, Literature or English as an Additional Language/Dialect - Scaled mark of 50 or above

New South Wales (HSC)

English Standard - 70 or above (Band 4 or above)
English Advanced - 70 or above (Band 4 or above)
English Extension 1 - 25 or above (Band E2 or above)
English Extension 2 - 25 or above (Band E2 or above)

Pre 2001:

Contemporary English (2U) - 50 or above
English (General) (2U) - 50 or above
English (2U) - 50 or above
English (3U) - 25 or above
Comparative Literature (2U) - 50 or above
E.S.L. - 70 or above (Band 4 or above)

Queensland (QCE)

English (Must be Board or QSA subjects) - SA or above
ESL - No equivalent

South Australia (SACE) / Northern Territory (NTCE)

English Studies (PES) - 11 or above
English Communications (PAS) - 11 or above
ESL (PES ) - 11 or above

Tasmania (TCE)

English / English Communication - SA or above 
English Literature / English Studies - SA or above
Writer's Workshop / English Writing - SA or above
World Literature - SA or above
ESL Stage 4 - SA or above

Victoria (VCE)

English - 25 or above
English Language - 25 or above
Literature - 25 or above
E.S.L. - 25 or above

Australian Capital Territory (ACT Yr 12 Certificate)

English - Scaled mark 130 or above
ESL - Scaled mark 130 or above
Must be 'T' courses taken as a Major, Major/Minor or a Double Major

Combined Universities Language Test (CULT)

Minimum score of 70%

Foundation programs Go8 Universities

A pass in the English paper of a Go8 foundation program

Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) Scores of Verbal - 150, Written English - 145 (minimum)
UWA Centre for English Language Teaching (CELT) Bridging Course Final CELT examination grade B or above
Degree studies in Australia

Undergraduate entry - at least two successful years of full-time or equivalent degree studies undertaken in Australia.

Postgraduate entry - successful completion of the last two years of full-time or equivalent degree studies undertaken in Australia

 

International Qualifications

Acceptable Grades / Minimum Requirements
(requirements may be more for some courses)

Higher scores are required for international postgraduate scholarship applicants, applicants from particular countries where Australian Government visa regulations may have a higher requirement, and those entering the Faculty of Law, the Master of Manual Therapy, the Master of Nursing Science or the Graduate Diploma in Education.
Advanced Placement English (USA)

A grade of 3 or higher in AP English Language and Composition or AP English Literature and Composition

All India Examination and Indian CBSE

English language components with a minimum grade B2

Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE)

Minimum grade B

Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)

Minimum grade C

Canadian Pre-University (CPU)

Minimum score 65% in English subject

Danish Studentereksamen

Level B English: a minimum grade of 10 or above

Level A English: a minimum grade of 6 or above

Finnish Upper Secondary School Diploma (Lukionpaastotodistus) Grade 8 or above in English A or English (Advanced)

Pass in the Matriculation examination (Ylioppilastutkinto) in English (Advanced)

GCE A-level

Minimum grade E in English Language, English Literature or English Language and Literature.

Must be endorsed by CIE, OCR, Edexcel, AQA or other UK authority (independent and school-assessed A-levels are not sufficient).

GCE AS-level (General Paper)

Minimum grade C awarded by CIE

GCE A-level (Singapore-Cambridge)

Minimum grade E in Knowledge & Inquiry

Minimum grade C in General Paper

GCE O-level (GCSE and IGCSE)

Minimum grade C / C6 in English, English Language, English (First Language) or English Literature.

Minimum grade A in IGCSE English as a Second Language, with grade 1(One) in Oral/Aural Communication.

Must be endorsed by CIE, OCR, Edexcel, AQA or other UK authority (independent and school-assessed O-levels are not sufficient).

German Abitur

Minimum grade 3 in German Abitur, in conjunction with a minimum grade B in DAAD (German Academic Exhange Service) Certificate of Language Proficiency test

Hong Kong A-level Examination (HKALE)

Minimum grade C in English subject

IELTS (Academic)

Overall score minimum of 6.5, no band less than 6.0 (must include Academic Reading and Writing modules)*

For all postgraduate Law degrees, a minimum overall score of 7.5 is required, with a minimum of 7.5 in the Reading and Writing bands and 7.0 in the Listening and Speaking bands

For the Graduate Diploma in Education, you need a minimum of 7.5 overall with no band less than 7.0

For the Master of Manual Therapy, you need a minimum overall score 7.0 with no band less than 7.0

For the Master of Nursing Science a minimum overall score of 7.0 with no band less than 6.5 is required

* From 2009 the writing and reading modules must be no less than 6.5 for Postgraduate Research students. 

International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB)

English A1 at HL or SL - Minimum score 4
English A2 at HL or SL - Minimum score 4

New Zealand - Bursary

English - Minimum score 50

New Zealand - NCEA

Level 2: 8 credit points with at least 'Achievement with Merit' in at least 4 of reading and writing Achievement Standards, of which 3 must be externally assessed, excluding AS90379 and AS90374

Norwegian Vitnemål

Minimum grade 4 in the English component

Swedish Slutbetyg

Minimum grade VG in the English paper

TOEFL

Essay Rating / Test of Written English (TWE) of 4.5 and either 230 (Computer-based) or 570 (Paper-based) score

Next Generation TOEFL - Internet-based Test (iBT): An overall score of 90 with a minimum score of 22 in the Writing section, and no less than 20 in the other sections

International postgraduate scholarship applicants require a score of 580 (paper based) or 237 (computer-based) with a TWE of 4.5

The Faculty of Law requires a minimum of 580 (paper based) with a TWE of 5

For the Master of Nursing Science a minimum (iBT) overall score of 100 with a minimum score of 22 in the other sections is required

TOEFL is not accepted for the Master of Manual Therapy.

Overseas secondary studies taught and examined in English

 

Secondary teaching and examination in English is acceptable if deemed equivalent to Australian matriculation (Year 12) with a pass in the final year English paper, completed within two years of application.

Degree studies taught and examined in English outside Australia

 

Undergraduate entry: at least two years of successful full-time or equivalent degree studies, undertaken and examined in English outside Australia, and assessed by UWA to be equivalent to Australian degree studies.

Postgraduate entry: successful completion of the last two years of full-time or equivalent degree studies, undertaken and examined in English outside Australia, and assessed by UWA to be equivalent to Australian degree studies.