Doctoral Academic Communication Requirement (DACR) Assessments

Assessment descriptions

DACR Assessment 1: registration

Students must take the first available DACR A1 after fully registering onto their doctoral programme, within 3 months of the registration date (if full time). This allows CfAE to help doctoral students develop their writing from the very beginning of their degree.  

Students can start the 2.5-hour (maximum) remote online assessment at any point between 09.00 and 13.00 on the day. However, please note that it has to be completed in one go, i.e. it's not possible to start it and come back to it later. 

Next available assessments

Registration closes at 17.00 on the Thursday before the assessment. Students will be emailed confirmation of registration and further instructions on the Friday before the assessment.

DACR Assessment 2: registration

DACR A2  is to be taken by students who scored level 1 or 2 on DACR A1, and have normally completed both Academic Writing 1 and Academic Writing 2. It is part of the Early Stage Assessment (ESA) carried out by the student's department. Please note that the latest a student can take DACR A2 is 12 months (full-time students) and 24 months (part-time students) after the date of initial registration for their doctoral degree.

Students can start the 3-hour (maximum) remote online assessment at any point between 09.00 and 13.00 on the day. However, please note that it has to be completed in one go, i.e. it's not possible to start it and come back to it later. 

Next available assessments

Registration closes at 17.00 on the Thursday before the assessment. Students will be emailed confirmation of registration and further instructions on the Friday before the assessment.

Assessment descriptions

DACR Assessment 1: description

Please watch this video about DACR A1

DACR A1 is not a pass/fail language test; it is an opportunity for students to receive an assessment of their current level of writing, which is benchmarked against the expectations for effective doctoral STEMM communication at Imperial. We want to see an accurate picture of each student’s current writing ability, so no preparation or revision is required. 

DACR A1 consists of two short pieces of academic STEMM writing and some short language tasks. The two pieces of writing consist of an extended text on one of a choice of 8 STEMM areas and a shorter text on one of a choice of 12 technical terms.  Students have up to 2.5 hours to complete this online assessment. 

 DACR A1 is used to assess competences such as text organisation, coherence, sentence structure, grammatical accuracy and academic vocabulary. Note that we are assessing academic communication competence, not the scientific accuracy of what is written.   

DACR Assessment 2: description

Please watch this video about DACR A2

DACR A2 is not a pass or fail test; it is a progress check that mimics the structure of DACR A1. We want to see an accurate picture of each student’s current writing ability, so no preparation or revision is required.

DACR A2 is an online written assessment of a student's ability to communicate scientific or technical information at doctoral level. It consists of two pieces of academic STEMM writing and some additional short language tasks. The two pieces of writing consist of an extended text on one of a choice of 8 STEMM areas and a shorter text that is related to the student's field of research. Students have up to 3 hours to complete the assessment. 

DACR A2 is used to assess competences such as text organisation, coherence, sentence structure, grammatical accuracy and academic vocabulary. Note that we are assessing academic communication competence, not  scientific knowledge. Students will not be assessed on the scientific accuracy of what they write. 

DACR Assessment 1: results

Level 1

A student currently at level 1 needs to develop the fundamental competencies required for doctoral STEMM writing at Imperial. Their writing sample indicates a need to focus on core competencies such as forming effective sentences and paragraphs, and developing their academic style and vocabulary. The writing suggests that there is a need for an extended period of writing support within the first twelve months of their doctoral programme. 

We strongly recommend that a student currently at level 1 completes the Preparation for Academic Writing course, followed by the Academic Writing 1 and then Academic Writing 2 courses. This will allow the student to benefit from regular input and 1:1 support from CfAE coaches over three terms, before they submit their Early Stage Assessment (ESA). These courses enable students to recognise and employ the conventions of doctoral STEMM writing at Imperial, giving the student time to develop core writing competencies and take full advantage of opportunities for personalised feedback and guidance. The student’s progress is then demonstrated via DACR Assessment 2, taken at the time of the ESA.

Level 2

A student currently at level 2 is in the process of developing some fundamental competencies required for doctoral STEMM writing at Imperial. Their writing sample indicates that although general writing competencies are reasonably secure, there is a need to develop higher-level, more specific competence in STEMM writing, such as the ability to explain scientific ideas clearly and concisely. The writing suggests that the student would benefit from targeted writing support in the first twelve months of their doctoral programme.  

We strongly recommend that a student currently at level 2 completes the Academic Writing 1 and then Academic Writing 2 courses. This will allow the student to benefit from regular input and 1:1 support from CfAE coaches over two terms, before they submit their Early Stage Assessment (ESA). These courses enable students to recognise and employ the conventions of doctoral STEMM writing at Imperial, giving the student time to develop core writing competencies and take full advantage of opportunities for personalised feedback and guidance. The student’s progress is then demonstrated via DACR Assessment 2, taken at the time of the ESA.

Level 3

A student currently at level 3 is in control of many of the fundamental competencies required for doctoral STEMM writing at Imperial. Their writing sample indicates a reasonable ability to communicate scientific information clearly, concisely and using the conventions of STEMM writing. However, the writing suggests that to reach their full potential the student would benefit from targeted writing support in the first twelve months of their doctoral programme. 

We recommend that a student currently at level 3 completes the Academic Writing 1&2 (condensed) course. This will allow the student to benefit from regular input and 1:1 support from CfAE coaches for one term, before they submit their Early Stage Assessment (ESA). This accelerated course ensures that students are able to recognise and employ the conventions of doctoral STEMM writing, enabling the student to further develop core writing competencies and take full advantage of opportunities for personalised feedback and guidance. Students who are at level 3 in DACR assessment 1 have fulfilled the Requirement and do not have their progress checked through DACR Assessment 2.

Level 4

A student at level 4 has the fundamental competences required for doctoral STEMM writing at Imperial. Their writing sample indicates a strong command of conventional STEMM writing and an ability to explain scientific ideas with suitable clarity and detail. However, the writing suggests that to reach their full potential the student may benefit from developing their voice as a writer and their ability to adapt texts to suit the needs of different audiences and contexts.

Students currently at level 4 may benefit from targeted support such as Writing a Research Paper at a suitable point in their doctoral programme. Students who are at level 4 in DACR assessment 1 have fulfilled the Requirement and do not have their progress checked through DACR assessment 2.

Please note that where a high similarity score is confirmed through Turnitin (this includes the student’s own previous writing) we are unable to accurately assess that student's current competence and may not be able to offer them an appropriate writing course. Please note that this will be reported to the student's department. 

DACR Assessment 2: results

Level 1

The writing sample indicates that there are still significant problems with academic writing and the student is not yet able to communicate appropriately. We strongly recommend that level 1 students take advantage of Improving Academic Writing to receive personalised writing support guidance.

Level 2

The writing sample indicates that there is still a need to develop competence in academic writing and the student is not yet able to communicate complex information accurately and unambiguously. We recommend that level 2 students take advantage of Improving Academic Writing to receive personalised writing support guidance.

Level 3

The writing sample indicates that the student can communicate reasonably well but is not always able to control and organise complex information. We recommend that level 3 students who want further language and writing development take advantage of Advanced Academic Writing.

Level 4

The writing sample indicates that the student has a high level of competence in academic writing and can communicate, control and organise complex information. Level 4 students would benefit from Advanced Academic Writing or Writing a Research Paper.

Please note that where a high similarity score is confirmed through Turnitin (this includes the student’s own previous writing) we are unable to accurately assess that student's current competence and may not be able to offer them an appropriate writing course. Please note that this will be reported to the student's department.