[Freeza]

Hi everyone,

I got a conditional offer from Nottingham Trent uni for civil engineering asking me for English gcse/IELTS or Functional skills. Unfortunately i didnt have an opportunity do take any of these. i have gcse maths grade B and i already passed my btec with higher grade than required. Do you think the uni is really strict about that english gcse and if passing my btect at higher grade would be an advantage? Did anyone had a similar experience?

[carnationlilyrose]

Did you put on your application that you were taking any of these exams in the future? If so, and you did not take them, then you have made your offer invalid by not telling them. If they made you an offer based on getting these qualifications when you did not put them on your application, then it looks like they made a mistake in making you the offer in the first place. All you can do is call them and ask for clarification of the situation. I can't see them accepting a better grade in maths as compensation for a qualification in English, but you will need to get this direct from them themselves. Nobody on here will be able to tell you with any authority.

[v!$hal]

Contact the university and see if they are running any summer short english course. I know lots if unis offer them before you start your degree. And its not end of the world as I know lot of people that have got through without meeting all requirements such English GCSE etc. Get the best grades possible with your BTEC, I think it definitely helps. Try getting in touch with engineering department people in-charge of admissions and find out what they have to say about your situation.

[littleone271]

If you told them you'd take an English course and you didn't then they'll probably reject you but if they simply havn't noticed/mentioned that it's missing from your application then you'll just have to meet the level 3 requirements in the offer I guess (unless english is part of your conditions). Generally you have to have Cs in Maths and English at GCSE (or equivalent) at minimum to get into any university to do anything unless you're a mature student perhaps. I think English is considered particularly important because for any degree you're going to have to write to a reasonable standard. You'll only know for certain if you phone the university though so I too suggest you do that ASAP.

[Freeza]

I didn't put on my applicaiton that i'm gonna take any english test, but i expected they gonna include it in the conditions. the conditions i got are the grade they want from btec and to pass ielts. when i phoned them they said i can do functional skills instead and im gonna call them again on monday to find out about some english classes etc. thanks for the replies!

[TenOfThem]

Their entry requirements clearly state GCSE English at C+ or equivalent

[edjunkie]

Not quite sure why you think you haven't got time take ielts before starting university. There are dates available before mid September. It only takes 2 weeks to get the result. Do you need a visa to study in the UK?

[Freeza]

I'm already in the UK and i don't have time to take IELTS cause the uni says i have to meet the conditions by 31 august, but yeah that's another thing to ask them, cause they might make an exception, who knows...

[ByronicHero]

(Original post by TenOfThem)
Their entry requirements clearly state GCSE English at C+ or equivalent

Universities do depart from their stated requirements quite regularly though so it is possible an offer has been given anyway.

[edjunkie]

(Original post by Freeza)
I'm already in the UK and i don't have time to take IELTS cause the uni says i have to meet the conditions by 31 august, but yeah that's another thing to ask them, cause they might make an exception, who knows...

For example Middlesex university runs IELTS exams, they have availability for 4 and 11 August, for which you would receive the result before the 31st August. Your result can collected in person 12 days after the exam. There are other exam centers in the UK, although August is a busy month. An alternative test that would probably be acceptable is the Pearson English test, there is usually more available exam dates, as it us a computer based test. The results are available in 5 days. For both IELTS and Pearson tests there are reasonable online resources and good books that can help you to prepare.

Alternatively you can ask the university to waive the condition, but do not be surprised if they do not. Or insist that you take an additional course at your own expense.

If your English is not up to the required standard and your course is non practical, then you could be putting yourself at a disadvantage. You will catch up over time, but if it does happen over an extended period of time, you could end up struggling in your first year.

[zetty]

It's interesting as I just got a conditional offer which doesn't include English test although I'm not a native speaker, and there is none listed on my application (planning to do IELTS in August though).

Now I'm wondering if it's not a condition in the offer and the offer is for application not including one, would I get enrolled without it?

[zetty]

Even more interestingly, I now hold an unconditional offer from another university, still with no IELTS on my application.. How comes?