What is the DET?
The DET, administered by the Centre for English Language Communication, is required for international graduate students from non–English-medium universities when stipulated by their faculties.
The purposes of the DET are to:
- Determine which students will benefit from the Graduate English I (ES5000) before proceeding to the Graduate English II (ES5001A)
- Determine which students will benefit from the Graduate English II (ES5001A)
- Identify which students may be exempted from taking either of the above-mentioned courses.
The DET will be conducted in digital format using Examplify with remote invigilation via Zoom.
Information & Registration
DET2 Test date: 9 December 2025 (Tuesday)
Information on the DET may be obtained HERE.
BRIEFING
To register, please click on the preferred session below.
- Thursday, 4 December 2025 (10:00 am) - Session 1
Important notes:
- Students may only sign up for one session.
- Students must use their student number to sign up for the briefing if they have completed Registration Part One.
- Students will receive their Zoom information for the DET2 briefing through their NUS email address by 5pm on Tuesday 2 December 2025.
- Only students who have signed up for the briefing with a valid NUSNET ID will be added to Canvas on 2 December 2025 to complete the prebriefing quiz found HERE.
Preparation for the DET
There is no specific recommended preparation for the DET. Students will read two or more short texts and write an argumentative essay responding to a question related to the texts’ topic. You will receive access to a sample DET paper at the briefing.
The essay will be assessed for the following criteria:
- Fulfilment of task in response to the prompt
- Synthesis of information from the texts to develop and support your argument
- Logical development of ideas
- Accuracy, fluency, and use of academic style
- Expression of ideas in writer’s voice
What do the DET results mean?
- Students who obtain Band 1 will have to take ES5000 followed by ES5001A.
- Students who obtain Band 2 will have to take ES5001A.
- Students who obtain Band 3 are exempted from ES5000 and ES5001A.
PhD students (from Intake 2210) who obtain Band 3 are eligible to read NG5001.
PhD students (from Intake 2210) who obtain a Band 1 and/or Band 2 are required to complete ES5000 and/or ES5001A before reading NG5001.
Students required to read ES5000 or ES5001A will participate in the Online Course Registration (EduRec). Please refer to the Office of the University Registrar's website for updates.
For more information on the courses, ES5000 and ES5001A, please refer to the Graduate Courses page on CELC website.
AI may be used to evaluate the QET/DET submissions, under human supervision. This is to enhance consistent and fair assessment of the scripts.
IMPORTANT: Students are strongly advised to complete ES5000 and/or ES5001A within the first year of study.