Beginning in the winter semester of the academic year 2012/13 the Language Department will recognise the following certificates as valid instead of the language examinations sat at the Faculty of Science at University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.
Recognition of a certificate instead of an examination means that the student receives an evaluation of "excellent" (výborně), (which does not, however, apply to the Final Master's Examination) and the credits associated with it.
Certificate recognition procedure:
A student who is interested in the recognition of a certificate is to call in on the Head or Deputy Head of the Language Department in their consultation hours with the original certificate to have its validity verified. Based on a valid certificate, the exam will be registered in STAG.
List of standardised language examinations for the purposes of the system of language qualification of employees in administrative offices on the website of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports (website of the Czech Ministry of Education)
Progress Examination in English – OJZ 900
As valid replacements for the Progress Examination in English, the Language Department of FSci recognises the following certificates graded at A2 level (CEFR) and higher:
Cambridge ESOL:
KET – Key English Test
City & Guilds:
IESOL – Access
LanguageCert:
IESOL – Access
TOEIC:
Basic user - Waystage
International examination Advanced Placement:
Grade 5 or 4 We recognise AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science, AP Statistics
The recognition of other certificates graded at A2 level and higher is carried out on an individual basis.
Final Bachelor’s Examination in English – OJZ 910 & 910U
As a replacement for the Final Bachelor’s Examination in English, the Language Department of FSci recognises the following certificates graded at B2 level (CEFR) and higher:
TOEIC:
Independent user – Vantage. Students who have achieved a lower score will be graded as follows here.
Cambridge ESOL:
FCE - First Certificate in English
City & Guilds:
IESOL – Communicator
LanguageCert:
IESOL – Communicator
IELTS:
Grade 5 and higher
The recognition of other certificates graded at B2 level and higher is carried out on an individual basis.
Final Examination in a Foreign Language for Combined Study – OJZ 960
The recognition of certificates instead of the Final Examination in a Foreign Language for Combined Study in English, German, Russian, French, and Spanish is carried out on an individual basis.
Final Master’s Examination in English – OJZ 930 & 935
Instead of the TOEFL ITP Test, which is part of the Final Master's Examination in English and is taken directly at the faculty, the TOEFL iBT Test is accepted as equivalent; a points conversion table between TOEFL ITP and TOEFL iBT can be found here.
Instead of the TOEIC Listening and Reading Test, which is part of the Final Master's Examination in English and is taken directly at the faculty, a CAE certificate is accepted as equivalent.
All students must pass the oral and written part of the final master's examination in English, regardless of the certificates obtained.
TOEFL for PhD students - OJZ 940
Students who have passed the TOEFL ITP Test as part of the Master's examination at FSci USB are to call in with their certificate at the Language Department for the examination to be recognised.
Instead of the TOEFL ITP Test, the TOEFL iBT Test or the IELTS Test, score 6.5, is also accepted as equivalent; a points conversion table between TOEFL ITP and TOEFL iBT is to be found here.
The language department offers students of the Faculty of Science at USB the option of taking the TOEIC exam as an alternative to the Bachelor’s Exam.
From the winter semester of 2013/2014, students may write the TOEIC Listening and Reading Examination as an alternative to the Bachelor’s Exam.
Information about the exam
It is an international language exam focused on the work environment and recognised by firms and institutes of education worldwide.
There are exam sessions every month. Students must enrol for the official TOEIC dates, no other dates are available.
On the same page (International Exams) are to be found
detailed information on the exam
a link to a webpage with online sample tests
instructions for enrolment on the exam – it is necessary to register for the exam 3 weeks in advance.
A block preparatory course is announced for every semester (8 teaching hours).
The exam is subsidised. The price of the examination for students of FSci JU is offered at cost-price. The student may be requested to provide a confirmation of study.
The pass grade is 550 points.
The procedure for recognition of TOEIC instead of the Bachelor’s Exam
The student enrols on the Bachelor’s Exam and to be awarded a grade brings their TOEIC exam certificate.
The minimum grade for the TOEIC exam to be acknowledged as an alternative to the Bachelor’s Exam is 550 points.
The table for conversion of points from the TOEIC exam to CEFR level is to be found here (pdf).
Grades are awarded on the basis of the conversion of the point score in the TOEIC exam to grades – see bellow.
Points
Grade
785 a více
1
725 - 784
1-
665 - 724
2
605 - 664
2-
550 - 604
3
549 a méně
fail
Preparation
Every semester, students can register for preparatory courses for the TOEIC LR examination:
Half-day block course > TOEIC LR OJZ 680 – focuses especially on the format and basic strategies Class materials are based on those used in the E4TOEIC OJZ/546.
Descriptions of the examinations can be found in the list below.
Important information
You need to register for the examination dates on STAG.
Make sure you arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of the examination.
Have your ID ready.
Tests can be checked in Mgr. Klára Pavlínová's and Mgr. Zuzana Kovářová's office hours.
The valid beginning of the examination is the time mentioned in the note in STAG. The 30 mins before the beginning of the examination is necessary for preparation of the room and the registration of candidates.
Bachelor's Final English Examination
The Final Bachelor´s English Examination is in written form. It is divided into four parts: listening, grammar, vocabulary and work with a text. There are max. of 30 points to be obtained from this exam (from the overall total of 120). The time limit is 120 minutes with no break.
There are two texts/articles read by a native speaker. The students are asked to fill in missing information during the dictation of the first text which is on a biological theme. Students answer true /false questions according to the second text which is on a more general topic. Each text is read twice.
Grammar
Grammar part consists of 30 items in total. All items have the following form:
You can't stop me __________ what I want. a) doing b) do c) to do d) that I do
The students are asked to complete the sentence with the correct variation, and only one of the possibilities is correct.
Vocabulary
This part focuses on the testing of vocabulary from the study texts from the previous 4 semesters and is made up of three exercises. The first of these is a gap-fill exercise, ie. using the offered words to fill gaps in given sentences. In the second exercise students are to choose the word from the four options provided which best fits the given description. The third exercise is a so called multiple-choice exercise, ie. choosing the correct answer from the given options. In this exercise the student is to choose the one word from the four given options which best fits the given sentence.
Work with texts
This part is made up of three different exercises. In the first, which is in the form of a multiple choice exercise, the student is to answer questions connected to a text. In the second, the student is to fill gaps in the sentences provided according to the context. The third is made up of two extracts from the study texts. In each of them, the student is to identify synonyms in the extracts for the words or phrases provided.
Grading
Result in percent
Grading
91 - 100
Excellent
84 - 90
Excellent minus
77 - 83
Very good
71 - 76
Very good minus
66 - 70
Good
0 - 65
Fail
Master‘s Final English Examination
The Master’s Final Examination in English consists of three parts:
The two examinations differ only in their certified parts, where the student may choose between TOEFL ITP or TOEIC Listening and Reading. For both examinations there is a common oral part (debate), and a written part (essay).
The student is to choose an examination according to their personal preference or on the recommendation of their study field department. A student wishing to continue their doctoral studies is encouraged to choose OJZ 930, as TOEFL ITP is a mandatory part of it.
Detailed information on both the examinations, including the possibility of preparation courses at the Language Department as well as individual preparation, is available on the page Public Test Centre > International Examinations.
Before the examination, it is highly recommended to study the document TOEFL ITP Test Taker Handbook / TOEIC L+R Examinee Handbook available on the page International Examinations > section Individual preparation.
The TOEFL ITP exam examines the ability of the student to communicate effectively in the English-speaking academic environment. It is therefore suitable for students who wish to continue their doctoral studies and pursue a scientific career after completing their Master's degree. The examination is comprised of three parts.
Listening
The listening part focuses on the understanding of spoken English in a university environment. The student listens to short texts and answers various types of test questions. It consists of three parts. There are 50 questions and the test lasts 35 minutes.
Part 1: Short dialogues
Part 2: Long dialogues
Part 3: Short lectures
Grammar and sentence structure
This section verifies knowledge of correct grammar structures in written academic language. In this section, the student reads the test material and answers questions at their own pace. There are 40 questions and the test lasts 25 minutes.
Part 1: Completing sentences
Part 2: Error recognition
Reading
This part of the exam tests the student's ability to understand written text. In this section, the student reads the test material and answers questions at their own pace. The test uses excerpts from university scripts and the questions related to them focus on overall understanding of the text and work with vocabulary. There are 50 questions and the test lasts 55 minutes.
Students must obtain at least 543 points – level B2 according to CEFR.
TOEIC Listening and Reading
The TOEIC Listening and Reading Examination tests the student's ability to participate effectively in an English-speaking work environment. It is therefore suitable for students who wish to work after graduating from their Master’s studies. The examination consists of two parts.
Listening
The listening part tests the student's ability to understand spoken English in a working environment. The students listen to short texts and answer various types of test questions. It consists of four parts. There are 100 questions and the test lasts 45 minutes.
Part 1: Photos
Part 2: Question - Answer
Part 3: Interview
Part 4: Short speech
Reading
This part of the exam tests the student's ability to understand written text. In this section, the student reads the test material and answers questions at their own pace. The test uses authentic business English texts. It consists of three parts. There are 100 questions and the test lasts 75 minutes.
Part 5: Completing sentences
Part 6: Gap filling
Part 7: Comprehension
The student must obtain at least 785 points – level B2 according to CEFR.
Instructions for students with special needs
In the event that you need to modify test conditions (e.g., extension of time limit, enlargement of font, etc.), please contact Mgr. Zuzana Kovářová (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and the Support Centre for Students with Special Needs at least 3 months before the examination to agree on further steps. Please also refer to this manual:
In the oral part students show their ability in English to express their opinion, argue a certain position, and take part in a discussion. The exam consists of two parts – an independent monologue (3 minutes) and a discussion with an examiner (7 minutes).
Total time: 10 minutes.
Theme: The student receives the topic by email on the day before the exam. Before the exam, the student is expected to research the theme in order to be able to assume a clear position on it and support this with relevant arguments.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The oral part has two parts:
1) Introductory monologue (3 minutes)
Read the task carefully.
Study the topic and research further facts and examples
The monologue must be relevant to the theme
Notes must be written as bullet points, and may be used only to aid memory
Do not use examples from your own personal life
At the end of the monologue, clearly state your position – for or against the statement in the task
2) Debate (7 minutes)
During the debate, the examiner will assume a position of opposition
Support your position with at least three arguments
Listen carefully to the examiner’s arguments, show that you understand them, and react to them with appropriate counterarguments
Use formal language
If you feel that, for personal or emotional reasons, the theme you have drawn would be difficult for you to discuss, please contact the head of department.
3. Essay part
This part of the exam tests the student’s ability to argue logically in written form in English. The student writes the essay on a computer using the Microsoft Word editor. They have the on-line version of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary at their disposal.
Time: 120 minutes
Length: A minimum of 300 words, 400+ words is considered to be ideal.
Theme: The expression of agreement/disagreement with a statement on a common, controversial theme. The student chooses one of two offered themes.
Example:Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Playing a game is fun only when you win. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Assessment of the essay is made in the following areas:
task fulfilment (expression of opinion, argument, examples, explanations)
essay organisation (introduction, logical division into paragraphs, conclusion)
formal aspects (unity and coherence)
grammar
vocabulary
Setting the spellchecker: Review – Language – Set proofing language – English (choose United Kingdom or United States).
The overall results can only be published after the delivery of the results from the ETS headquarters abroad. Then each student is sent an email to their address registered on STAG.
The email includes a detailed results table:
Points in the columnsTOEFL Section 1–3aTOEFL Total(orTOEIC Listening, TOEIC ReadingaTOEIC Total) are copied from the test score report.
The essay aand the oral part are independently graded by at least 2 assessors using the scale of 5–1 (5, 4, 3 = pass; 2, 1 = fail).
All students are welcome to come and see the evaluation during the office hours of the Head of the Language Department or of the Deputy.
TOEFL ITP for PhD students
All the students who intend to take the TOEFL ITP test this semestr need to register for the date on STAG by the end of November (WS) / April (SS). Due to a change in the test ordering system we won't be able to give you the test without registration.
The TOEFL ITP exam examines the ability of the student to communicate effectively in the English-speaking academic environment.
The listening part focuses on the understanding of short and medium length dialogues from a university environment and medium length lectures.
The second part, “structure“, tests the student’s knowledge of grammar structures.
The reading part contains five short texts accompanied by questions focused on the overall understanding of the particular text and the vocabulary therein.
Part of test
Time
Number of questions
Points available
Listening
35 minutes
50 questions
31 to 68 points
Structure
25 minutes
40 questions
31 to 68 points
Reading
55 minutes
50 questions
31 to 67 points
Total
115 minutes
140 questions
310 to 677 points
The pass mark is 543 points. The points achieved can be converted to CEFR levels (A1 - C1) here.
Before taking the Doctor's Final English Examination (OJZ 950), students are to acquire a credit for “TOEFL ITP for PhD Students” (OJZ 940) by submitting a certificate from TOEFL ITP (min. score 543), TOEFL iBT (min. score 72), or IELTS (min. score 5.5). The TOEFL ITP examination may be taken free of charge on dates provided by the Language Department (see the Calendar). The points achieved in TOEFL ITP can be converted to CEFR levels (A1 - C1) here.
The examination tests the ability to write a scientific text in English on a topic familiar to the candidate, the ability to present findings from the candidate's field, the ability to discuss a given topic and the ability to explain grammar phenomena from a specialist text. The tasks are designed to elicit language at level C1.
The examination has the following parts:
Written part
A written essay on one of six specialist topics familiar to the candidate and of an approximate length of 400 words (minimum pass: 350 words).
One week before the exam, a list of 6 topics must be provided by the student, including a short 1-2 sentence explanation of what each topic involves and what they plan to present. The topics need to be approved by the supervisor and the exam invigilator as being separate from each other.
At the exam, students are assigned one of their topics by the invigilator and write an essay based on it within a maximum of 120 mins.
The essay should follow the format:
Problem/topic statement (introductory paragraph)
Exploration of the topic (structured - paragraphs)
Conclusion (concluding paragraph)
Oral part
An oral examination based on one of six specialist topics familiar to the candidate provided by the student and an oral analysis of an extract.
The candidate is to provide the examiner with the specialist material at the time of the written part of the examination (A publication written by a native speaker in English, of a length of no less than 100 pages and recommended by the supervisor. A compilation of abstracts is not suitable).
The examination panel is to consist of two teachers from the language department. The candidate's supervisor or a representative appointed by the supervisor is welcome to attend.
The examination is to last approximately 20 minutes.
The exam is to consist of
a short oral overview given by the student on one of the topics from the list (other than that chosen for the written part) followed by a discussion with one of the examiners.
an oral analysis of an extract from a specialist publication – an explanation of given grammar phenomena from the extract based on questions from one of the examiners.
The following list of topics for the examination should be delivered to the Department of Student Affairs at least one week before the date of examination:
Download:List of topics – document to fill in and deliver to the Language Dpt. (docx)
– points transfer between TOEFL® ITP and TOEFL® iBT
Instead of the TOEFL® ITP examination, which is a part of the Final Master’s Examination in English and is sat on site at the faculty, the language department also recognises a TOEFL® iBT certificate as an equivalent, with the following transfer of points:
TOEFL iBT
TOEFL ITP
TOEFL iBT
TOEFL ITP
TOEFL iBT
TOEFL ITP
0 – 12
310
43
443
79-80
550
13
313
44
447
81-82
553
14
317-320
45-46
450-453
83
557-560
15
323-327
47
457
84-85
563
16
330
48
460
86-87
567
17
333-337
49-50
463
88-89
570-573
18
340-343
51
467
90-91
577
19-20
347-350
52
470-473
92-93
580-583
21
353
53
477
94-95
587
22
357-360
54-55
480
96-97
590-593
23
363-367
56
483
98-99
597
24
370-373
57
487-490
100
600-603
25
377
58
493
101-102
607-610
26-27
380-383
59-60
497
103-104
613
28
387
61
500
105
617-620
29
390-393
62-63
503
106-108
623-627
30-31
397
64
507-510
109
630-633
32
400-403
65
513
110
637
33
407
66-67
517
111-112
640-643
34
410-413
68
520
113
647
35
417
69-70
523
114-115
650-653
36-37
420
71
527-530
116
657
38
423-427
72-73
533
117
660-663
39
430
74-75
537
118
667
40
433
76
540-543
119
670
41-42
437-440
77-78
547
120
673-677
– conversion of TOEFL® ITP points to CEFR levels
Official ETS webpage for conversion of TOEFL® ITP points to CEFR levels
OJZ 900 – Advancement Examination in English (first-year Bachelor students) OJZ 910 and 910U – Bachelor's Examination in English OJZ 930 and OJZ 935 – Master's Examination in English OJZ 940 – TOEFL ITP for doctoral students OJZ 950 – Doctor's Final Examination in English
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
02.035 in building C, 2nd floor
8:00–15:00
You can contact all the teachers in their office hours at the Language Department office on the 3rd floor of building A, above the Student Affair Dpt. The classroom (STAG name: BA-OJ) is situated there, too.
In accordance with Section 58 par. 4 and 5 of Act 111/1998 Coll. On Higher Education Institutions and the Modifications and Amendments of Other Acts, and in accordance with par. 5 of the Provision of the Rector on Establishment of Fees Related to Study for the Academic Year 2020/2021 (R 419), I establish the fee for study in the study programme performed in English language in the Master’s Experimental Biology, Molecular Biology and Genetics programme for the academic year 2020/2021
500 CZK or 20 EUR.
Student can be enrolled only after making the payment.
In České Budějovice, 24th July 2020
Prof. Ing. Hana Šantrůčková, CSc. Dean of the Faculty of Science
Branišovská 1645/31a, 370 05 České Budějovice Tel. 387 776 201 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Branišovská 1645/31a, 370 05 České Budějovice Tel. 387 776 201 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
