The Centre’s high standards for proficiency in Medieval Latin are assessed twice per year via the Medieval Latin Exams for both levels, Level I and Level II exams. See upcoming language exams.
Graduate students currently registered full-time in the School of Graduate Studies at U of T may take the Level I, Level II, or both examinations and may be repeated as required.
Please note that:
- A pass at the Level I exam is an admission requirement for the doctoral program in Medieval Studies, while a pass at the Level II exam is a program requirement in Medieval Studies. See PhD Program requirements.
- A pass at the Level I or II exam is valid to fulfill the Latin requirements of many doctoral programs and Collaborative Specializations at the University of Toronto. Please seek the advice of the Graduate Coordinator/Administrator of your program/collaborative specialization.
Upper-level undergraduate students in the Mediaeval Studies programme at St. Michael’s College may request to sit the examinations as internal students. The acceptance of such examinations for marking by the Medieval Latin Committee will occur only on the recommendation of the Coordinator of the undergraduate programme. The assessment criteria are the same as for the graduate students. Please note that passing marks do not satisfy prerequisite requirements for enrollment in CMS courses or specializations.
Students at other universities may take the examinations externally. Please see the provisions for External Latin Certification.
Exam Guidelines
Written examinations where students translate a set of short Latin passages remain the most effective assessment tool for evaluating proficiency in the Level I and Level II Medieval Latin exams. As an outcome of the 2021-2024 review of the Medieval Latin Program, the Centre is currently implementing changes to the format and assessment of the Latin exams.
Level I Exam
From April 2024 onwards, the following guidelines are used by the examiners and the Latin Committee as a whole:
Examination Expectations: To pass the exam, students will
- be able to translate three short texts (100-150 words each) of simple to moderate difficulty without the use of a dictionary, drawn from the Repository of Medieval Latin Texts for Level I Examination;
- demonstrate a grasp of the Core vocabulary of Medieval Latin, as described in the learning outcomes for MST 1000Y; and
- demonstrate knowledge of the full range of Latin grammar, through a set of questions based on the sight passages of the exam.
Assessment Framework: The Level I exam comprises three passages, taken from the Repository of Medieval Latin Texts for Level I Examination, to be translated and a set of 10-16 questions (each worth 1 or 2 marks each) concerning the medieval Latin grammar and syntax of the three sight passages to be answered in three hours. Each passage, as well as the total set of grammar questions, is the of same weight (notionally 25 marks each). The Medieval Latin Committee keeps track of which texts have been used and for which examination period. The use of dictionaries is not permitted, except in the case of students whose first language is not English, who are permitted to use a modern language dictionary (English-native language). Students who choose to use such a dictionary must alert the invigilator of this before the exam begins and they will be granted an additional 30 minutes to complete the exam. Answers may be written in English or French (no other language is permitted). For accessibility needs and accommodations, see below.
Browse an Exam Sample (new guidelines)
Examination Composition: The exam passages and questions are set by two examiners, with the instructor for MST1001Y being one of them. If this is a shared instruction, the Fall instructor sets the exam for the following April exam and the Winter instructor sets the exam for the following August one. Where the two examiners conclude that certain vocabulary and/or idiomatic expressions are outside the scope of Level I exam expectations, they will be glossed at the end of the passage. A third member of the committee reviews the exam before sending it to the Chair of the Latin Committee.
Examination Procedures: Students must register in order to sit the exams (see Upcoming Language Exams). Exams may be written in person or online. The examination process is invigilated and anonymous as each student is assigned an anonymity code, which must appear on the top right corner of each exam sheet.
Assessment Procedures: Each internally marked script is graded by the two examiners who set the exam. The examiners come to an agreement on a final grade before the Latin Committee meets (which may normally be the average of the two grades). A third examiner reviews the scripts with “borderline” grades, as well as any script in which the two assigned examiners yield a grade difference of 10 points or higher. The Latin Committee receives the grades of the scripts (the Committee will see the grade assigned by each examiner as well as the agreed upon grade) where there is no dispute, but reviews the scripts that have been read by the third examiner. The final grade of those scripts is decided by the Committee.
Grading Framework and Rubrics: Grading Latin exams is not an exact science, and each examiner uses their own experience and judgment to evaluate each exam paper. The following framework is not meant to establish a mechanical or algorithmic approach to grading, but rather to provide a general guide to examiners so that there is a shared approach to the assessment.
Generally, examiners use the following guidelines
- In the translations, where an error is repeated in the same passage the examiner only deducts a mark once;
- Vocabulary errors (including omissions): ½ mark deducted;
- Syntax errors: 1 mark deducted; and
- In answering the grammatical questions, it is possible for the examiner to assign partial marks.
Examiners will use the following rubrics as a guide in their assessment of an exam paper:
- Vocabulary: student translates individual words and idiomatic expressions accurately, avoiding false cognates or mistranslations;
- Syntax: student accurately renders the syntactical function of a word based on its declension, gender and number;
- Syntax: student captures in their translation accurate identification of verb tense, mood, voice, number and person;
- Syntax: student accurately renders Latin sentence structure into coherent English (or French); and
- Grammar and Syntax: student correctly identifies specific grammatical rules and constructions in the question and answer section of the exam.
A Student achieves Advanced Proficiency (Pass) when no more than 20 marks are deducted in total, and Proficiency (Pass) when 21-30 marks are deducted in total. Approaching Proficiency (Fail) is equivalent to 31-40 marks deducted in total, and Not yet Proficient (Fail) is equivalent to more than 40 marks deducted in total.
Level II Exam
The new assessment framework for the Level II exam is currently under evaluation. In the meantime, the existing format and assessment for Level II remains in place.
Examination Expectations: To pass the exam, students will
- be able to translate four short texts (100-150 words each) of simple to moderate difficulty without the use of a dictionary;
- demonstrate a strong grasp of Latin vocabulary, as described in the learning outcomes for MST1001Y; and
- demonstrate a competency to translate a wide range of Latin texts, which may be drawn from genres such as poetry, historical narrative, philosophy, theology, charters and legal documents, educational tools, scientific texts, hagiography, or drama.
Assessment Framework: A Level II pass is not given lightly; only a mark of 80% or above is a safe guarantee of a pass. A student who passes at this level can be trusted to read Latin sources – or at least will know when a problem is so difficult that expert advice must be sought. Often, students at this level could teach Latin, though it must be stressed that a Level II pass does not of itself indicate a specialization in Latin language or literature, but a strong competence to read Latin.
Examination Procedures: Students must register in order to sit the exams (see Upcoming Language Exams). Exams may be written in person or online. The examination process is invigilated and anonymous as each student is assigned an anonymity code, which must appear on the top right corner of each exam sheet.
Assessment Procedures: Each internally marked script is graded by the two examiners who set the exam. The examiners come to an agreement on a final grade before the Latin Committee meets (which may normally be the average of the two grades). A third examiner reviews the scripts with “borderline” grades, as well as any script in which the two assigned examiners yield a grade difference of 10 points or higher. The Latin Committee receives the grades of the scripts (the Committee will see the grade assigned by each examiner as well as the agreed upon grade) where there is no dispute, but reviews the scripts that have been read by the third examiner. The final grade of those scripts is decided by the Committee.
Grading Framework and Rubrics: Grading Latin exams is not an exact science, and each examiner uses their own experience and judgment to evaluate each exam paper.
To facilitate the grading of the exams, the examiners consult the following rubrics as they grade:
- Vocabulary: student translates individual words and idiomatic expressions accurately, avoiding false cognates or mistranslations. Omissions are counted as an error.
- Syntax: student accurately renders the syntactical function of a word based on its declension, gender and number.
- Syntax: student captures in their translation accurate identification of verb tense, mood, voice, number and person.
- Syntax: student accurately renders Latin sentence structure into coherent English or French.
Accommodation for the Latin Exams
The Centre is committed to the principles of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA). The Centre combines Accessibility with EDI principles because it is often the most practical issue related to EDI. Graduate students often don’t think about their accessibility needs (or that they can register them), but the Centre wants each student to flourish as a developing scholar with all the necessary support. If you do require any accommodation, the Centre encourages you to register with the Office of Accessibility (https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/department/accessibility-services/).
Incoming students can apply as soon as they are given a student number (which should be no later than July 1). As we must use the University’s formal channels for accessibility and accommodation for the Latin exam, we cannot offer any accommodation for the Latin exam scheduled in April for incoming students.