Page 57 - Sixth Form Courses 2026-2028

ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

(EAL) QUALIFICATIONS

OVERVIEW Students for whom English is an additional language, and who wish to apply for a
place at a British or US university, will need a recognised English language
qualification.

Students should attend lessons with the EAL department and work towards the
International English Language Testing System (IELTS); the preferred qualification
for British (and an increasing number of American) universities.

Overseas students may also approach the EAL department for functional language
support in their work in other subject areas. Students who attend EAL lessons
should think carefully about their choice of academic subjects. It will be necessary
to limit these to three in order to leave sufficient time for EAL. Please ask the Head
of EAL for guidance.

APPROACH New students are assessed on arrival at school and assigned EAL lessons according
to their need. Lessons will focus on the four key skills: writing, reading, listening and
speaking as well as addressing grammatical and lexical issues. Clarity of
communication and the ability to address a wide range of academic topics are the
general aims of the course. We make use of formal classroom teaching in small
groups as well as group discussion and computerised learning when appropriate.

COURSE OUTLINE IELTS
The IELTS examination is marked on a 9-point scale (1 = very poor; 9 = expert user).
Most British universities require a score of 6.5 - 7.0 overall, depending on the nature
of the courses. University applicants are usually required to state their IELTS score
on their UCAS application forms or to have achieved the university’s language
requirement as part of a conditional offer by the time they start their university
course. Some prestigious universities now expect students to achieve a score of 7.0,
and often insist on a minimum of 6.5 or even 7.0 in each of the four modules. The
IELTS examination can be taken at various points in the academic year, depending
on a student’s ability and progress.

FURTHER INFORMATION Students needing functional language support in their individual subject areas
should speak to their EAL teacher or make an appointment with the Head of EAL.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Students for whom English is an additional language, and who wish to apply for a
place at a British or US university, should attend lessons with the EAL department
and work towards a recognised English language qualification.
EXAM BOARD AND
SPECIFICATION IELTS: www.ielts.org

CONTACT Head of EAL
Mrs P Litrico
litrico.p@millfieldschool.com

55 MILLFIELD SIXTH FORM 2026-2028