DELNA for students

• You begin with the DELNA Screening regardless of your language background, school results or entry qualifications.
• The Screening is a computer-based assessment and consists of vocabulary and timed reading tasks.
• You do the Screening once only (not for each course).
• Book a Screening now
• Do a practice version of the Screening now

Your results

We will confirm your Screening results by email and inform your faculty.

• You may be told that your academic language skills are appropriate for beginning university study.
• Or you may be told that your academic language skills are satisfactory, in which case you will be given resources to strengthen your language skills.
• Or you may be asked to follow the Screening with the Diagnosis. Do this as soon as you can. The Diagnosis will give you a finer language profile of your listening, reading and writing skills. You will then be able to discuss these results with a friendly language adviser who will advise the best language enrichment for you on the campus. This will get you off to a really good start!

The DELNA Diagnosis is a thorough assessment of your English language skills.

The Diagnosis consists of:

• a reading task
• a listening task
• a writing task

and is done either online via Zoom and Canvas, or in person using pen and paper.

These tasks have been trialled at the Universities of Melbourne and Auckland. Each task enables us to diagnose your present language skills and predict your performance in academic English.

To book a time for your Diagnosis, select from the options on the DELNA Booking website. 

Book a Diagnosis now 

Your results

Approximately 10 days after sitting the Diagnosis, you will receive an email from the DELNA office about your results. The email may ask you to schedule an appointment with one of the DELNA language advisers.
If you do not receive an email within the above timeframe, please email delna@auckland.ac.nz with the following information:

• Your name
• Your Student ID
• The date and time of your assessment

The email you will receive from the DELNA office will contain instructions for you to book an appointment with a DELNA adviser.

Alternatively to schedule an appointment, you can email delna@auckland.ac.nz.

Please include in the email:

• Your name
• Your Student ID number
• Some days and times that you are able to attend.

Please visit the SDS website to read about how the University supports students with disabilities in their studies.

Neurodivergent students can receive support and assistance from Inclusive Learning.

If you have dyslexia and you are required to complete the DELNA Diagnosis (after taking the DELNA Screening), you can do this with your approved Special Conditions. Contact the DELNA team to discuss arrangements.

You can apply for Special Conditions online.

All doctoral candidates must complete DELNA.

Completing the assessment and, if required, participation in any language enrichment is one of the goals all doctoral candidates must achieve in their provisional year. For most candidates, the goal is met upon successful completion of the DELNA Screening; however, for those who are asked to complete the DELNA Diagnosis, achieving the goal may entail carrying out a language enrichment programme, which may include one or two credit-bearing language courses.

Candidates who have been granted a language waiver bypass the Screening and complete the Diagnosis only.

The Screening

All doctoral candidates must complete the DELNA Screening within two months of registration. Candidates book to do this at www.delnatask.com/booking/, under the group Screening for Doctoral candidates.

Please note:

• The Screening is done once only, and candidates may be required to follow it with the Diagnosis, which is also done once only.
• Candidates from the University of Auckland will generally have completed the Screening successfully as undergraduates. DELNA passes that information on to the School of Graduate Studies as/when requested.
• Candidates who have been granted a language waiver should bypass the Screening and go straight to the Diagnosis.

The Diagnosis

Candidates who do not reach the minimum cut scores in the Screening must complete the Diagnosis and participate in any language enrichment recommended by the DELNA Language Advisers. Candidates book a Diagnosis session on the booking site as above, under the group Diagnosis for Doctoral candidates.

Meeting the DELNA Language Adviser

The email you will receive from the DELNA office will contain instructions for you to book an appointment with a DELNA adviser. Alternatively, you can email delna@auckland.ac.nz to schedule your appointment. Please include in the email:

• Your name
• Your Student ID number
• Some days and times that you are able to attend.

Find out what the Academic English Language Requirement (AELR) is and how you can meet it.

• Academic English Language Requirement (AELR)

Find out about the University’s language support systems:

• Language enrichment for all students