English Language Certification Exam (ELCE) for UCSD International Graduate Students

TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Scores
 Use the charts below to determine what you should do based on your Speaking sub scores.
 

ESL Courses offered by the Division of Extended Studies in the "Conversation and Discussion" or "Pronunciation and Fluency" categories (or similar courses at other institutions) are generally approved to be accepted as proof that students have worked on their oral fluency.

If you were exempt from submitting standardized test scores for admission to UCSD because your most recent degree (bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree) was earned with a GPA of 3.0 or the equivalent (average grades of B) or better from either:

• a regionally accredited US college or university where English is the only medium of instruction OR
• a foreign college or university where English is the only medium of instruction.

then you may also be exempt from the proficiency requirement to TA.

Students may verify whether their institution meets this requirement by looking up the institution in the IAU World Higher Education Database (WHED).

If English is not the sole language of instruction listed, if no language is listed at all, or if the institution does not appear on the WHED website, students are required to submit English proficiency exam scores. No other documentation (e.g. letters, language certificates, school websites) may be used in place of WHED as a means to obtain an exemption from the English proficiency requirement. 

The ELCE Exam
The ELCE is a 15-minute live interview and teaching simulation. During the interview, international TA candidates (you) are asked general questions about your life, background, and interests, and technical questions that undergraduate students would ask in the course for which you would TA. During the teaching simulation, you may use a whiteboard and visuals to organize your ideas and explain concepts.

To pass the ELCE, you must demonstrate proficient language skills and communication techniques. If you do not pass the ELCE or have an insufficient test score, you will be required to work on your oral communication skills and retake the ELCE before you accept a TA position.

Scheduling the Exam
The graduate coordinator or staff representative from the hiring department schedules the ELCE test date and time with the exam coordinator in the Division of Extended Studies’ International Programs (ip-itaprogram@ucsd.edu). The hiring department is responsible for coordinating the exam schedule with each TA candidate (you) and faculty representative.

You may not schedule the exam. This is to verify that test takers are UC San Diego graduate students who are TA candidates for UC San Diego courses and who do not satisfy the English proficiency requirements through (1) or (2) above.

Departments should provide the following information:

1. Graduate coordinator details – Who should receive information about the results of a student’s exam?

2. Faculty representative details – Who is helping administer the test?

3. Student details – Who is taking the exam and why?

Exam Dates and Deadlines
Hiring departments are asked to share information as early as possible when scheduling the ELCE. It is the hiring department's responsibility to coordinate appointment times between you, the faculty representative(s), and the exam administrator.

The ELCE is offered 4 times per academic year: during the month of September and near the end of each quarter. Testing is offered remotely.

Academic Year 2024 - 2025

• September 3 - 27, 2024
• December 2 - 13, 2024
• March 17 - 27, 2025* (*Friday, March 28 is Cesar Chavez Day, a university holiday)
• June 9 - 20, 2025 (*Thursday, June 19 is Juneteenth, a university holiday)

Departments are asked to contact ip-itaprogram@ucsd.edu as early as 3 weeks before the testing window to begin scheduling exams. Information about exam schedules will be confirmed in the week before the testing window begins.
 
ELCE Evaluation Criteria
The evaluation panel, consisting of at least one faculty representative from the hiring department and at least one linguist from International Programs, will evaluate your ability to engage in a conversation and to respond appropriately to questions using comprehensible pronunciation. The panel will consider your competency in the following language skill areas:

• pronunciation
• speech flow
• vocabulary range
• grammar
• interaction and coherence

and use of communication techniques:

• eye contact
• board work (whiteboard or chalkboard)
• presentation manner

If you do not pass, you will be offered support before you may be hired into a TA position at UC San Diego.
 
Preparing for the ELCE
 You, the TA candidate, can prepare by:

• participating in communication skills courses or practicing speaking aloud
• practicing using a whiteboard or visuals while explaining concepts
• reviewing in English the basic vocabulary, concepts, and problems of the course you will TA

Details of the formal recommendation, including overall score, sub scores, and comments will not be available during the exam. Instead, an email with the formal recommendation and detailed information is sent to you and the hiring department representative. This will include your scores on the subsections of the Speaking Performance Scale for the ELCE.  If the recommendation is to improve language and communication skills, you will be advised of programs in which you are eligible to participate.

The hiring department representative is notified whether you qualify to TA as soon as possible, in most cases immediately after the exam. That person will inform you if you qualify.

Possible recommendations from the test include:

If you did not pass the ELCE, there is an opportunity to retake the exam. PhD level international graduate students must qualify to TA by the third test. Master level international graduate students must qualify to TA by the second test.

You are encouraged to utilize all language resources available to you prior to retesting. Each quarter, the Division of Extended Studies offers in-person and live online courses that are generally accepted as proof that students have worked on their oral fluency. ESL courses offered by Division of Extended Studies in the “Speaking and Pronunciation Skills” category on the quarterly flyer (or similar courses at other institutions) can help you practice skills on the ELCE.

UC San Diego graduate students with a TA requirement may utilize the free ELP-ii classes to fulfill the condition of employment to work on targeted skills concurrent with a TA assignment. This course is offered by the Teaching and Learning Commons, and you will be referred to the coordinator there if you qualify for the program.