English Language Proficiency Requirements For Teachers

If English (learned and spoken in the home) is not your first language, you must present proof of English language proficiency.

Teacher Education is a professional program that requires an outstanding command of spoken and written English. For this reason, Brock University reserves the right to ask for further evidence of English proficiency regardless whether you have met published requirements. You may be required to withdraw from the program if, after admission, you show an inadequate command of the English language.

Consecutive Teacher Education Requirements

  • IELTS (International English Language Testing System) with a minimum overall score of 7.0;
  • TOEFL IBT (Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language) – with a minimum overall score of 100, including a minimum of 27 on Writing and 27 on Speaking
  • BEPT (Brock English Placement Test) with a minimum score of 700;
  • PTE Academic (Pearson test of English Academic) with a minimum score of 68;
  • Cambridge Assessment English: C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a Cambridge English score of 185 or higher.

Official test results must arrive directly from the testing agency on or before December 10, 2024. Test results must come directly from the testing agency. Tests should be taken well in advance of the application deadline date, as extensions will not be granted. Test results must be within the last two years (dated between December 10, 2022 and December 10, 2024).

Requests for exemptions will be considered for entry to Teacher Education using the following guidelines:

All applicants must submit proof of English proficiency when English is not their first language. Length of study in an English medium does not automatically grant exemption.

If you feel strongly that you should not be required to submit a test result, then you must submit a formal request, in writing, for an exemption. The exemption request must arrive by December 10, 2024. If the request is denied, you will be required to submit a successful test result in a timely manner (as determined by the Admissions Office). For those applicants who choose to request an exemption, the following documentation must be uploaded as a single PDF file into the EPT document of your my.brocku.ca portal.

  1. A hand-written statement outlining your reasons for requesting the exemption. Please include your signature at the end of the letter and current contact information. This letter cannot be typed.
  2. A letter from a professor or other similarly qualified individual who taught you in a recognized university where the language of instruction is English attesting to your speaking, writing, reading and comprehension abilities in the English language.
  3. A photocopy of any additional educational transcript(s) that we may not already have on file.

If you have any questions, please email futurestudent@brocku.ca.