National Benchmark Test 
It is no longer necessary to write the NBT for selection purposes for any degree programme at the UFS. 


The Academic Literacies Test

Mainstream Students

The Academic Literacies Test (AL test) is a compulsory test at the UFS that all mainstream students must write during registration. The aim of the test is to assess the level of support you will need with tertiary-level critical thinking, reading, and writing practices. These practices (which we call academic literacies) are vital for you to succeed at university.

All students will be enrolled in a faculty-specific Critical Academic Literacies module when registering. These modules will help you develop the necessary academic literacies skills for success in your degree programme. 

If you perform at the expected level in the AL test, you may be exempted from the relevant Critical Academic Literacies developmental module.

If you do not perform at the expected level in the AL test, you will be required to successfully complete the relevant Critical Academic Literacies module in your first year of study. You will not be able to graduate without successfully completing this module.


Extended Programme Students

Extended programme students should not write the AL test. Students doing the extended programme must complete the relevant Critical Academic Literacies module. 


Students who DO NOT need to write the test or take the developmental module:

• Students who have already completed a formal qualification at a higher education institution and are registering for an additional undergraduate qualification.
• Students who are registering for distance learning programmes (e.g. part-time Quantity Surveying).
• E-learning students.
• Compact learning students.
• BML students.
• Health sciences students (except Nursing students – you MUST write the test).
• Transfer students who have successfully completed a relevant development module at another university / higher education institution may apply for recognition at their respective faculties.

Critical Academic Literacies

These developmental courses are not language courses. Rather, they focus on writing guided academic assignments to develop your writing and critical thinking abilities in various discourses. They also emphasise intensive and extensive reading, as well as listening and note-taking practices, since these skills are vital for academic success. You will be introduced to various topics relevant to your respective discipline through a faculty-specific and resource-based approach. 

Although our focus is on reading and writing, the overall outcomes of the courses are to help you develop:

• Critical reading skills (the ability to extract the main ideas and key details of an academic text);
• Academic writing skills (the ability to express information and opinions clearly and with appropriate organisation in the written mode);
• Oral skills (the ability to express opinions about a variety of issues fluently, critically, as well as creatively in the mode of oral discussion); 
• Critical thinking skills (the ability to apply, analyse, and/or evaluate information); and
• Listening and note-taking skills (the ability to collect and organise important ideas).