Fachprüfungen / FPs

Attention: The information on this page is only relevant for students in the Teacher Training Programme who began their studies before winter semester 2016-17 and for students in the BA Programme in English and American Studies who began their studies before winter semester 2015-2016. Students enrolled in more recent curricula do not need to take any FPs. For the requirements of these curricula, please check on the Study page.

Students still enrolled in the old Teacher Training Programme (Lehramt) have to take three FPs and students enrolled in one of the older BA curricula (version 2005 to 2012) have to take the third FP only. The purpose of the FPs is to test students’ general command of English. The 3rd FP is the final exam of a student’s language studies in the old Teacher Training Programme and for those in the older B.A. curricula, this is the only formal language exam in the course of their studies (in more recent curricula, the command of English is tested in the Placement Test)

Attention:

Regular exam dates will no longer be offered as of October 2022.

Please get in touch with ursula [dot] posratschnig [at] aau [dot] at or the director of studies if you have any questions.

Thank you!

General information

The Fachprüfungen are held three times each semester and the dates and details can be found on the general notice board in the department and online.

The purpose of Fachprüfungen is to test your general command of English. This means that it is not possible to study or cram right before taking the exam. Ideally, you should do whatever you can to improve your English language proficiency from your first day as a student of English. In other words, you should prepare yourself adequately for the exams by studying independently in addition to the language courses you attend.

It is not possible to register for the last Fachprüfung in a semester unless the candidate has already completed all the necessary classes by the registration date. This does not mean that a grade can be awarded early for classes which still have to be completed that semester.

The 3^rd Fachprüfung is the final exam of your language studies, so you need to be confident that you have reached a high level of competence. For those in the B.A. programme, this is the only formal language exam you will have.

The topics given in the oral part of the exam relate to issues recently covered in the news that everyone with basic general knowledge should be able to discuss. Hence, in order to be prepared for the exams, you should be following English speaking news such as BBC and CNN regularly, as well as other media outlets. For the written part of the exam, students will be provided (via email) with a text that introduces the exam topic and serves as a starting point for independent reading on and around this topic. The exam question for the written exam will be related to this topic.

If you are uncertain about how to structure a text for the written section, revise the input you have received in the Writing classes offered at the department. If your oral or written production is prone to lexical or grammatical errors, revise the materials covered in the courses Language I and Language II. You will find many useful books, CDs, software and other materials in the Self Access Centre.

Take time to study the dimensions of assessment carefully and note exactly where any critical weaknesses in the exam occurred. If you have any questions, please contact the chairperson of the committee. Please note that we do not keep exam papers for more than 6 months and that feedback immediately after the Fachprüfung is more useful than feedback immediately before the next Fachprüfung you want to attempt.

Registration procedure for Fachprüfungen

FP dates are offered three times per semester (at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the semester). The dates and registration periods
can be found on the notice board, on the departmental website and on Facebook.

B.A. students need to complete the following steps:

Register via email* (FP [dot] Anglistik [at] aau [dot] at) during the registration period.
1. submit the form “Sprachliches Grund- und Aufbaustudium” (FP3)
2. submit your current “Studienerfolgsnachweis“ (including “Anrechnungsformulare“ for courses taken at other universities)
Register online via your “Prüfungsbuch”

Lehramt (teacher training) students need to complete the following steps:

Register via email* (FP [dot] Anglistik [at] aau [dot] at) during the registration period.
submit your current “Studienerfolgsnachweis“ (including “Anrechnungsformulare“ for courses taken at other universities)
for FP3 submit the form “Advanced Language”

*Please note that ALL relevant documents MUST be attached to your email application. INCOMPLETE applications CANNOT BE PROCESSED!

Application forms

FP 3: Advanced Language (LA)

FP 3: Sprachliches Grund- und Aufbaustudium (BA)

Rating Scales

rating scale for speaking FP3

rating scales for writing FP1, FP2 and FP3

Exam procedures

Fachprüfung 3

Speaking:

Preparation: ~ candidates will receive the exam prompt the day before the exam (Tuesday afternoon) and should prepare to discuss a short text (200-250 words) independently
Speaking time: ~ 10 minutes per pair
Feedback: written (copy of descriptors with grades for each of the four

dimensions and overall grade)

Students are examined in pairs. They are asked to introduce themselves briefly and make a one-minute statement about their own position regarding the topic of the text they have analysed during preparation time. Finally, the examinees will have a discussion with each other; it is up to both of the students to keep the discussion going.

Writing:

Timing: 2½ hours
Text type: one-sentence thesis statement & two paragraphs according to instructions specified in the prompt
Length: 180 to 220 words per paragraph

Students are asked to write a one-sentence thesis statement and two formal academic paragraphs on an exam question related to reading they have done in preparation for the exam (see additional information). They must use a particular pattern, such as problem & solution, cause & effect, or compare & contrast. Students must also pay attention to academic style and paragraph structure, as well as correct and appropriate use of vocabulary and grammar.

Additional information for the Written Exam

After candidates have successfully registered for an exam date, they will be provided with a text that introduces the exam topic and serves as a starting point for independent reading on and around this topic before the exam. The exam question for the written exam will be related to this topic. During the exam, students are asked to answer the exam question by following the respective instructions for the first, second and third Fachprüfung.
During the exam, students need to follow all instructions They should spend time thinking about the task and planning the assignment properly. The assignment should have substance, which means it should consist of well thought out and developed ideas that are logically connected. The assignment should come to terms with the topic and answer the questions posed. It should be written in formal academic style, showing a good command of grammar and syntax, and a wide range of vocabulary and idiom (the examiners do not want to read ‘inner monologues’, emotional ‘confessions’, personal accounts, or lists of platitudes, superficial or vague comments or repetitions).

Exam rules

Oral exam:

- Mobile phones have to be switched to ‘mute’ and kept out of reach during the exam.
- Exam takers are allowed to take notes in the form of key words and bring them.

Written exam:

Mobile phones have to be switched to ‘mute’ and kept out of reach during the exam.
Exam takers must place their ID-cards clearly visible on the workstation they are using.
Exam takers must not leave the room for the duration of the exam.
Exam takers are not allowed to use their own laptop computers.
Exam takers are allowed to use on-line dictionaries and corpora.
Exam takers will fail the exam if they use resources other than those allowed

(on-line dictionaries or corpora).

Important Note

In line with legal requirements (§75 Abs. 4, UG 2002) the official period of time for grading exams is four weeks. Please do not inquire about test results as they will be posted as soon as possible!