Introduction to Scientific English (level B1 and above)

The first thing you should do is take the diagnostic language-level test (link available on the course WebCampus page) at the beginning of the academic year. This will help identify your strengths and weaknesses.

If you are a beginner or are assessed at A1 level, we strongly recommend that you take the necessary steps to catch up, for example by taking additional English classes. Unfortunately, taking SCDLB103 alone will not be sufficient to pass the exam and acquire the language skills required for the rest of your degree programme.

Students assessed at A2 level will be able to take a remedial module (taught by V. Bar) in addition to SCDLB103. Once the deadline for the diagnostic test has passed, the course instructor will contact you to invite you to the introductory session for this module.

The final grade for SCDLB103 is based on continuous assessment. There is therefore no examination during the January or June examination sessions. The grade awarded in January will reflect the student's progress on Modules 1 and 2.

A) Continuous assessment – First semester (30%)

Module 1 (15%)

• Grammar and vocabulary test (Module 1) – 5%

• Writing an email to a professor – 10%

Module 2 (15%)

• Grammar and vocabulary test (Modules 1 + 2) – 5%

• Production of a popular science video – 10%

B) Continuous assessment – Second semester (70%)

Module 3 (20%)

• Grammar and vocabulary test (Modules 1 + 2 + 3) – 10%

• Summary of a popular science article – 10%

Module 4 (20%)

• Grammar and vocabulary test (Modules 1 + 2 + 3 + 4) – 20%

• Oral production (30%): informal conversation with the instructor and/or other students on topics covered in the different modules.

C) August examination session (100%, with the same weighting as during the academic year)

• Grammar and vocabulary – 40%

• Written expression – 20%

• Oral expression – 30%

• Popular science video – 10%

The final tasks (at the end of each module) must comply with the instructions provided in class. Failure to follow these instructions will result in failure or a penalty. Under no circumstances may the tasks be completed using generative AI.

Important: The final grade for the course will only be validated if the student has completed all components of the assessment. This includes every final task and test for each module, as well as the oral assessment. If a task is not submitted or a student is absent from any of the assessments, the final grade (June) will be capped at 7/20. An absence or a signature-only attendance grade (cote de présence) for any component of the assessment will result in a 0A (absence) or 0SG (signature) for the assessment as a whole.

For the following examination session (August), if the final grade (June) is below 10/20, each student must retake the component(s) for which they did not obtain at least 10/20. Partial grades cannot be carried over from one academic year to the next.

Important note: Passing this course unit is non-certificative, meaning that it does not certify that the student has reached level B1+ of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).