Teaching and assessment
You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
Teaching format
We offer you extra study support in several ways. Our Peer Assisted Learning programme gives you the opportunity to work with other students.
Our focus at York is on effective communication in your language of study. That is why:
- we are unique in teaching our core modules in their language of study
- we teach mainly in small seminars
- we emphasise issues of cultures and society, allowing you to develop a high level of transcultural awareness to underpin your language skills
- many of our staff are native-speakers of the languages we teach
Contact hours
In the first year of your degree, you will typically have between 9 and 11 hours of contact time per week per semester. You will spend 3 to 4 hours in lectures, and 6 to 7 hours in seminars or workshops.
Contact hours in the second and final year can vary depending on individual module choices.
Timetabled activities
In your first year, you can expect:
| Lectures |
5 hours per week |
| Seminars |
6-7 hours per week |
| Workshops |
7 hours |
These figures are representative of a typical week. Your contact hours will vary throughout the year due to your module choices, non-compulsory classes, exam periods and changes to scheduled activities.
Outside your timetabled hours, you'll study independently. This may include preparation for classes, follow-up work, wider reading, practice completion of assessment tasks, or revision.
In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during semesters. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.
Facilities
We have our own Languages e-Lab for teaching. Here, you'll have access to a variety of resources, including specialist linguistics software and online language-learning materials.
We are home to the Borthwick Institute for Archives, a major archive repository in Britain. It holds the records of the Archbishopric of York from the early thirteenth century onwards, and specialises in the study of ecclesiastic institutions.
There are several other important archives housed at York, including the JB Morrell Library and the Raymond Burton Library for Humanities Research. These contain collections covering subjects such as the British Civil Wars, French Revolution and Modern Asian history. Find out more about our libraries.
Teaching location
You will be based in the Language and Linguistic Science buildings on Campus West.
About our campus
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can use the fast and frequent bus service. Take a campus tour.
Assessment and feedback
You'll be assessed in a variety of ways, including essays, projects, presentations, and written and oral exams. Assessments include formative work which will help you practise or develop skills, but will not count towards your final degree mark.
Starting from your second year, formal assessments contribute toward your degree. You'll be assessed using a range of methods, including essays, research projects, written exams, group projects and presentations. In French, you'll also take oral exams to test your ability to discuss your knowledge and understanding of francophone cultures and societies.
Your year abroad is assessed. All students must complete two assessments. If you are studying at a university, you must attend courses and sit the exams. If you are on a work or teaching placement, you must satisfactorily complete the duties set out in the placement agreement. However, your marks on the year abroad assessments do not contribute towards your overall degree mark.
Disability information
We can make reasonable adjustments to assessment procedures for students with disabilities. However, if you have dyslexia please note that it is not possible to make adjustments in the marking of work written in a closed language exam. This is because accurate spelling is one of the assessment objectives for language exams. Closed exams make up only a proportion of the assessment types used for languages. There are other assessment types such as coursework and oral presentations which are also used. As a student with dyslexia you could apply for extra time in closed exams, if this would be of assistance. See the University's disability support pages for further details.
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