SWAP, a unique certification in scientific English
The SWAP certification in scientific English, Scientific Writing Assessment Program (an ENS Paris-Saclay program), is a unique certification created by the English Department, focused on the English used in scientific publishing.
Its purpose is to assess proficiency in the style characteristic of major English-language research journals.
The certification is mandatory for the ENS Paris-Saclay degree.
Targeted Skills
The skills assessed are:
- effectively organizing information in a research article abstract (abstract writing),
- using scientific English phrasing,
- making appropriate lexical choices,
- identifying and correcting stylistic issues in a draft research article,
- expressing scientific concepts concisely,
- analyzing results or methods (discussion).
Preparation takes place during the first year of the master’s program (M1) for most DERs. This preparation is mandatory in order to register for a certification session.
If SWAP preparation courses are not offered as part of the program, students must then take an online module (two sessions are offered: in November–December and in January–February). Information regarding these modules is communicated directly to students via mailing lists.
Two exam sessions are organized each year by the English DER.
A SWAP exam session lasts 2 hours. An overall average of 10/20 is required to obtain certification.
The ME² (Mathematical Expression Examination)
Since the SWAP does not cover the very specific needs of English-speaking students in mathematics and computer science, another assessment was created for these subjects: the ME² (Mathematical Expression Examination).
A portion of the exam is specifically dedicated to reading equations and includes an oral presentation before a panel of two teachers—one in English and one in mathematics.