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Taking the DELA

This page includes all the information you need to know about taking the DELA, including:

Who gets to sit the DELA

We recommend DELA to any student who wants to get a head start in their university studies: undergraduate or graduate, local or international. DELA is compulsory for commencing undergraduate students who have less than 30 VCE English, 35 VCE ESL, 7 IELTS and others (for a full list, refer to the table of equivalencies below). DELA is also compulsory for graduate students who enter through the University of Melbourne English Language Bridging Program (UMELBP) offered by Hawthorne English Language Centre. Your faculty will contact you directly if you are required to take DELA.

Table of equivalencies

To find out whether you need to take DELA, check the table below or download the table of equivalencies. If you are unclear, or you cannot find your entry pathway, please consult with your Faculty DELA representative.

 

Entry pathway

Description

DELA required for the scores

VCE

VCE English, English Language or English Literature

Scores < 30

VCE  English as a Second Language

Score < 35

SACE

 

SACE English Studies (EGS2) 1

Scaled score < 14

SACE English Communications (ECP2)

Scaled score < 12

SACE ESL (ESP2) 2 3

Scaled score < 16

NSW HSC

 

HSC2U English (Standard) 15130

Score < 67 in performance band 3 or below

HSC2U English (Advanced) 15140

Score < 67 in performance band 3 or below

HSC2U English (Advanced) 15160

Score < 80 in performance band 5 or below

HSC1U English Extension 1 – 15160 for English

Score < 41 in performance band E3 or below

English Extension 2 – 15170 for Literature

Score < 42 in performance band E3 or below

HSC2U English as a Second Language 15150

Score < 79 in performance band 4 or below

ACT English

English T

Scaled Score < 167.86

ESL T

Scaled Score < 187.71

Queensland SSC

English/English Extension

SA or LA or HA

English for ESL Learners

SA, LA or HA

TCE English

 

English Communications (ENC315109)

SA

English Writing (ENW315109)

SA

English Studies (ENS315109)

SA

ESL (ESL315109)

SA or CA

WA TEE

English / English Literature

Scaled mark < 59

ESL

Scaled mark < 69

Trinity Foundation Studies

English for Academic Purposes

Score < 70

Approved Foundation Studies Programs (except Bradford)

English subject

Score < 70

Bradford College Foundation Studies

-

EAP score  < 70 and
English Lit score < 70

IB Diploma

English A1, A2
English B

Score < 5 at Higher Level

Score < 6 at Standard Level

Tertiary English

Student has either completed a tertiary degree in or is transferring from another tertiary institution where English is the language of instruction and assessment:

Where the student’s language score to enter this institution was less than 7 IELTS, VCE English 30, VCE English Literature 30 or VCE ESL 35

and/or

12 months have elapsed between completion of the previous degree and commencement at the University of Melbourne

All required to take DELA

IELTS

International English Language Testing System

Overall score < 7.0

PTE Academic

Pearson Test of English Academic

Overall score < 65

TOEFL

 

Computer-based Test of English as a Foreign Language

Overall score < 240 or
TWE < 5.0

Test of English as a Foreign Language

Overall score < 587

Internet Based Test of English as a Foreign Language (IBT)

Overall score < 95

General paper

Student has obtained a grade of C or greater in any of the following General Certificate of English (GCE) AS level subjects: General Paper; General Studies; English Language; English Literature; English Language and Literature; Knowledge & Inquiry

Grade C

UMELBP (Hawthorn English Language Bridging Program)

Student has met English via the University of Melbourne English Language Bridging Program offered at Hawthorn English Language Centre.

All graduate and undergraduate students entering through this pathway required to take DELA

Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT)

Student has achieved a minimum of 150 on the Multiple Choice Test and 155 on the Written English Test

Exempt from DELA

1 Also used for the Northern Territory Certificate of Education (NTCE)

2 ESL is the English offered as part of the South Australian Matriculation (SAM) program offered offshore.

3 Also used for the Northern Territory Certificate of Education (NTCE)

IELTS and DELA

IELTS is used for university admission purposes to ensure that international students meet the University’s minimum English language requirements.  However, meeting minimum requirements does not mean that you will cope effortlessly with the language demands of your uni study. It has been shown that many students admitted to university may benefit from additional assistance with developing their academic English. DELA is a diagnostic procedure that indicates your individual strengths and weaknesses and the steps you can take to improve them. DELA results are presented in more detail than IELTS (e.g. there are three scores for writing rather than just one) and you also receive recommendations for the most suitable follow-up options to develop your academic English.

DELA involvement

DELA takes 2 hours to complete and has 3 components for which you will receive results and recommendations:

To get more information about DELA, including sample reading, listening and writing tasks, read the DELA Handbook (105KB |PDF). DELA is a post-entry assessment, which means that it does not affect your admission to University, and will not appear on your University transcript.

When can I take DELA?

The next DELA sessions will be offered during orientation for Semester 1, 2013 (please see details below).

Should I study for DELA

You can't really study for DELA, but here is a sample DELA (pdf | 200kb) so you can then find out more about the format of DELA and the kinds of questions you’ll be asked.

If you've got a health issue/impairment that makes it hard for you to perform well on a timed assessment, and you feel you haven’t done as well as you could on DELA, you should discuss this with your student adviser. They will give you advice on appropriate strategies. For some students with certain impairments (eg a learning disability, sensory or physical impairment), you may not be required to sit DELA. You should discuss this with the Disability Liaison Unit at 8344 7068.

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