Applicant guidelines

As part of your application to London Metropolitan University, we require students from the USA to provide results from SAT tests, Advanced Placement Tests or GED (General Education Development Programme) but we are aware that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a number of issues globally in relation to exams and results. 

This assessment alternative is for students from the USA who were not able to sit an exam in their SATs or other qualifications or did not meet the required level due to mitigating circumstances where they have one. You will be asked to complete two additional elements to support your application at London Met.

Part one

Applicants will be invited by the International Office to undertake this additional entry assessment, a prerequisite for obtaining a CAS to study with us.

Entry assessment 

For this assessment you will be required to write either:

a) An essay about a global or national issue directly related to your subject of study, or, 

b) A critical review of an academic book or journal or magazine article related to the subject of your course of study 

Assessment guidance

It’s harder to write a high-quality short piece of work than a longer essay or report, so this assessment task is designed to assess your skills at distilling content, ideas and relevant points into a coherent yet condensed piece of written work which retains meaning and purpose.

To pass this assessment you’ll really need to think about a specific point of interest or current article that allows you some freedom to discuss it in a critical way, but is narrow enough to keep you focused given the tight word count. You may find it more appropriate to demonstrate your work using an area of focus that you have a good level of knowledge in and are passionate about, as this will ensure the piece is critical and informative about you, the subject and your approach and thus will not be descriptive in style. 

Your submission should be academically written and have a very clear structure set out. It must demonstrate your ability to use academic and subject specific language, showcase your subject knowledge, evidence critical thinking and indicate wider reading and comprehension. It should be well written in English paying attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Standard Harvard referencing should be used. Your references may include both academic and contemporary ones, but you should ensure they are from authoritative sources.

Example of Harvard referencing format: 

McCabe, J. (2004) Feminist film studies: writing the woman into cinema. London: Wallflower.  

Need more referencing help? Read our quick guide.

Word count

There’s an indicative word count of 500 words, or 1-2 pages of A4 copy (8.5 x 11" US size). The word count does not include headers/footers or references. 

Submitting your assessment 

Please label your submission clearly and indicate your name and course of study on the first page. You’ll also need to include a title to reflect the nature of your content and the question selected question approach. 

Please save the file name as 'USA assessment alternative: student ID number' and upload the document in Word or PDF format to your Evision application portal. Your student ID number can be found on your offer letter.

Part two

Sealed recommendation letter (digital)

You need to request a sealed recommendation letter from one of your teachers to support your application. This is in addition to any references you may have already provided as part of your application. The letter should not exceed 200 words and can be in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

Submitting your letter of recommendation 

The letter must be sent from your teacher’s school email account directly to London Met’s Admissions team (usatestoption@londonmet.ac.uk) citing your London Met student ID number (this can be found on your offer letter). The letter must clearly indicate that you are academically suitable for your chosen course at London Met.

Want to ask us something?

If you have any questions about this process, please email usa@londonmet.ac.uk