Test of Academic Literacy Levels summarised

The video below is a summary of the most important information pertaining to TAG/TALL.

What is TAG/TALL? 

TALL/TAG is a compulsory proficiency test. The abbreviations refer to:

•                  TALL – Test of Academic Literacy Levels – the proficiency test written by ALL students who choose to complete the English Academic Literacy Module.

•                  TAG – Toets van Akademiese Geletterdheidsvlakke - the proficiency test written by ALL students who choose to complete the Afrikaans Academic Literacy Module.

The TALL/TAG is a reliable and valid method to measure your academic literacy levels and is used at a national level. Depending on your Faculty requirements, you may choose whether to take the test in either English (TALL) of Afrikaans (TAG), but you will have to complete the module(s) in the language in which you wrote TALL/TAG.

This compulsory academic literacy test is written shortly after the registration period has started for the first semester. This test determines how academically literate a student is and therefore serves as a guideline to determine what type of support a student will need. Each student has only one opportunity to write the test during their academic career at the NWU. Thus, they may not report again in subsequent years to be tested. Students who miss their opportunity to write this proficiency test at the beginning of the year are required to take ALDA/E 111 in the first semester and ALDA/E 122 in the second semester. 

Faculty requirements for Academic Literacy

All first years in the Faculty of Natural Sciences take ALDA/E 111 as a compulsory part of their curriculum (regardless of achievement in the test). For these students, ALDA/E 111 is considered for credit purposes. The only exceptions are students in the following programmes:

• Quantitative Risk Management, 

• Financial Mathematics, 

• Data Mining, Actuarial Science, 

• Information Technology and City and Regional Planning. 

These exceptions are valid only for students who received a code four or five in the TAG/TALL test and received recognition for ALDA/E 111 on those grounds.

Take note: Since 2018, all first years in the Faculty of Law take ALDE 111 as a compulsory component of their curriculum (regardless of achievement in the test).

Take note: Starting from 2019, engineering students who pass the TAG/TALL test (i.e., obtain a code four or five) will be required to register for ALDE 112. If these students obtain a code one to three, they must register for ALDE 111 in the first semester and ALDE 122 in the second semester.

Please note: Students from all remaining faculties (Humanities, Theology, Education, Economic and Management Science, and Health Sciences) may write the TAG/TALL. Based on the code obtained students will either be exempted from ALDE(A)111, or required to complete ALDE(A)111.

*All information as explained above is also formally available in the various yearbooks. Please refer to the following pages in the various yearbooks for Faculty specific information regarding Academic Literacy modules.

• Humanities

• Natural and Agricultural Sciences

• Theology

• Education

• Economic and Management Sciences

• Law

• Engineering

• Health Sciences

Where do I find my TAG & TALL Results

The TAG & TALL 2025 results will be shared, on this site, before 19 February 2025. 

access to TAG & TALL

Download the Writing TAG & TALL document (as seen below) and follow the steps.