To be eligible for a TA or AI appointment, non-native speakers of English must receive ITA English Certification.
ITA English screening assesses the skills ITAs need to be effective educators in the classroom. Certain exemptions apply and some departments may have additional requirements.
Prospective ITAs must clear any speaking J-Hold before they may complete an ITA screening.
Graduate Advisers and Graduate Coordinators are encouraged to read over our departmental information page for cost information, instructions to register students for an ITA screening, iBT TOEFL and IELTS score interpretation, graduate-level ESL courses, and best practices.
If your native language is not English, you will need to complete the Oral English Proficiency Assessment or ITA Screening to be eligible for a TA/AI appointment with a department.
The cost for the assessment is $80 per screening (starting July 31, 2025, this cost will increase to $100 per screening).
Check our ITA Department Information page for comprehensive instructions specific to Graduate Advisers and Coordinators, including the ITA screening request form.
ITA screenings for specific semesters are reserved for students referred by departments or students enrolled in graduate-level ESL courses. ITA screenings may only be taken one time per semester.
For Fall 2025, screenings will be offered July 31-August 1, August 4-8, and August 20-21. Students will be emailed individually for scheduling.
Students who do not meet the criteria for a reserved ITA screenings may schedule an open ITA screening on a first-come-first-served basis with limited appointments available. Students will be charged the screening fee through What I Owe. Students with a J-Hold for speaking on their record are not eligible for these appointments. ITA screenings may only be taken one time per semester.
Appointments must be canceled or rescheduled at least 72 hours in advance in order to avoid a $80 no-show fee. Beginning July 31, the no-show fee will increase to $100.
Familiarize yourself with the directions for all four sections of the assessment. See the FAQs below for detailed task explanations and suggested practice activities for the screening tasks.
Students are rated by two English Language Center professionals using a 1-9 proficiency scale (1-3 beginner; 4-6 intermediate; 7-9 advanced) in the skills below. The two raters' scores are averaged for a total score.
The scores and results are emailed to the student and the department contact (if applicable) within five business days.
Students who receive a Did Not Pass result are ineligible to work as a TA/AI with student contact for the semester. ESL 388S Oral Communication is the recommended course to continue improving speaking skills.
As required by the Graduate School, students who receive a “Conditional Pass” must enroll in and regularly attend a required ESL course in order to conditionally be appointed as a TA/AI with student contact for the semester. Students who receive a Conditional Pass are eligible to work as a TA/AI with student contact with required ESL courses for a maximum of two semesters.
Students with a 6.5-6.99 Conditional Pass result must enroll in and attend ESL 389T Communication and Teaching Culture (3 credit hours) to be conditionally certified to TA/AI with student contact for the semester. This course may not be repeated; ESL 389S Oral Communication is the alternative course.
Students who receive a 6.0-6.49 Conditional Pass result must enroll in and attend ESL 388T Basic Speaking Skills (3 credit hours) to be conditionally certified to TA/AI with student contact for the semester. This course may not be repeated; ESL 388S Advanced Oral Communication is the alternative course.
Students who receive a Pass result are fully certified to TA/AI but may have recommended ESL coursework.
| Score below 6 Did Not Pass | Score 6-6.99 Conditional Pass | Score 7-7.49 Pass | Score 7.5 and above Pass+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Fluency 30% | 1. Speech is slow and requires effort on the part of the speaker and/or listener. 2. Speaker is not able to speak at length; thought groups may be short and/or “choppy” sounding. 3. Hesitations, fillers, restarts, word searches and/or self-corrections are prevalent and very distracting. | 1. Speech may be slow at times and requires some effort on the part of the speaker and/or listener, especially on unprepared tasks or unfamiliar topics, 2. May be able to speak at length with long continuous thought groups at times; however, intermittent fragmented thought groups often interrupt the flow of communication. 3.Frequent and unpredictable hesitations, fillers, restarts, word searches and/or self-corrections are prominent and distracting. | 1. Speech rate is natural and requires very little effort on the part of the speaker and/or listener (*some students may even need to slow down!) 2. Speaks at length most of the time (“long runs”); isolated occurrences of fragmented thought groups may occur; however, they are not distracting and rarely impede the flow of communication. 3. Sporadic/Minor hesitations, fillers, restarts, word searches and/or self-corrections are not prominent and rarely distracting. | 1. Speech rate is fluid and effortless; approximates that of a native speaker. 2.Offers extended responses with ease. 3. Hesitations, fillers, restarts, word searches and/or self-corrections are rare. |
Grammar 20% | 1. May use complex structures, but overall range is limited. | 1. Uses a mix of simple and complex structures, but with limited flexibility. 2. May make frequent mistakes with complex structures, though these rarely cause comprehension problems. | 1. Uses a range of complex structures with some flexibility in communicating ideas, information and/or opinions. | 1. Uses a wide range of complex structures, flexibly in communicating ideas, information and/or opinions. |
Vocabulary 20% | 1. CONTROL: Lack of control of vocabulary and/or expressions with frequent errors in word choice and/or word form. | 1. CONTROL: Semi-consistent control of vocabulary and/or expressions with some errors in word choice and/or word form. | 1. CONTROL: Consistent control of vocabulary and/or expressions with infrequent errors in word choice and/or word form. | 1. CONTROL: Strong control of vocabulary and/or expressions with almost no errors in word choice and/or word form. |
Pronunciation 15% | 1. Lack of accuracy in sounds, word stress, rhythm, and/or intonation patterns. | 1. Generally accurate use of sounds, word stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns but has some noticeable errors | 1. Mostly accurate sounds, word stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns, but may have minor errors that do not affect overall comprehensibility. | 1. Nearly always accurate sounds, word stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns. May have occasional minor errors that do not affect overall comprehensibility. |
Communicative Competence 15% | 1. Conversation difficult. Incomplete utterances with lack of detail. Needs prompting from proctor. | 1. Conversation strained at times. Some incomplete utterances some utterances of appropriate detail. Needs some prompting. | 1. Conversation flowed for the most part. Mostly complete utterances of appropriate detail, only minimal prompting from proctor | 1. Conversation very easy. Complete utterances of detail that enhances conversation. Little to no prompting necessary |
Students may take the screening only once per semester and are limited to three attempts per year, with a maximum of five total screenings.
After the initial screening, the student is charged for all additional screening fees unless their department authorizes subsequent payment.
This 30-minute screening is designed to determine whether your level of English oral proficiency is sufficient to work as a TA or AI at The University of Texas. It measures your ability to communicate in English in an instructional setting and includes a variety of situations to demonstrate how well you speak English when presenting information in your academic area to undergraduates.
You will meet online with a proctor, who will guide you through the assessment. Be ready to verify your identity by showing your UT ID, passport, or another official document with your photo and your name in English.
(Speaking Time: 5-7 minutes of conversation with your proctor)
When the proctor begins recording, you will be asked to say your name, EID, and department. Be prepared to discuss topics such as your daily life, your studies, your opinions on topics, and/or your future plans.
(Speaking Time: 5-minute explanation, followed by 2-3 minutes answering questions about the concept)
Note: If you retake the ITA Screening, you must present a different topic from your previous assessment.
(Prep Time: 2 minutes; Speaking Time 2-3 minutes. You may take notes.)
We will screenshare a graph or chart on a general topic (such as technology or education). We often use infographics from websites such as Statista.
(Prep Time: 2 minutes; Speaking Time 2-3 minutes. You may take notes.)
You will be given a very basic one-page outline of a syllabus for a class. Pretend that you are introducing yourself and the course on the first day of class.
After you finish the syllabus role play, the screening is finished. Students will receive their results by email within five business days.
Familiarize yourself with the directions for all four sections of the assessment and practice responding to each section. It is very helpful to record yourself and then listen to how your speech actually sounds. Suggested practice activities for each of the sections follow:
See the ITA Screening Schedule above.
The following students should automatically be exempted from the ITA English Certification process:
These cases DO NOT require the hiring department to complete the online ITA Screening and Exemption Form. These exemptions will be made automatically in the mainframe and can be checked by your Graduate Advisor or Coordinator.
The following students are NOT automatically exempt from the ITA English Certification process:
These cases DO require the hiring department to complete the ITA Screening and Exemption Form.
Other exemption requests submitted by the Graduate Advisor or Department Chair will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
The ITA Screening is scored by two English Language Center professionals who have received extensive training in tests of this type. The two raters' scores are averaged. If the two scores differ by two or more points, a third rater scores the exam, and the third score is then averaged with the closer of the two original scores.
The screening measures students' ability to communicate in English in an instructional setting and includes a variety of situations to demonstrate how well they speak English in the context of presenting information in their academic area.
Within this context, the assessment measures five skills: Fluency (30%), Grammar (20%), Vocabulary (20%), Pronunciation (15%), and Communicative Competence (15%).
See the ITA Screening Detailed Score Descriptors in the Scores & Results Details section for more details.
Speak loudly enough so that the raters can hear you easily. Articulate clearly but do not slow down your rate of speech unnaturally. Although your teaching skills are not being evaluated, your presentation and delivery skills do affect the quality of your communication. Knowledge of your field is not being evaluated, so do not worry if you are unsure of some information. What is most important is that you use appropriate strategies and language to explain what you do know. Serious lack of intelligibility results more often from non-native intonation and fluency problems than from isolated errors in pronunciation or grammar. To enhance your comprehensibility, emphasize key words, link phrases fluently, and use the rhythm and cadence of English correctly.
The cost for the assessment is $80 per screening (starting July 31, 2025, this cost will increase to $100 per screening). This fee is charged to the department only if a department advisor or coordinator has provided IDT billing information to our office. Otherwise, students are billed for the screening fee through What I Owe.
Note: Appointments must be canceled at least 72 hours in advance in order to avoid a $80 no-show fee. Beginning July 31, 2025, the no-show fee will increase to $100.
ITA Screening and Certification
txglobal-ita@austin.utexas.edu
512-471-2480