“I’m really not assessing the language”

This study aims to explore the attitudes and practices of Spanish university lecturers towards their use of EMI, and more specifically, their implicit and explicit assessment of their students’ English production. The research is based on an initial survey which was completed by teaching staff from a medium-sized university in Madrid, as well as the findings of two subsequent focus groups consisting of a one-hour moderated discussion on the topic. The results were then processed through NVivo software. The participants in both the survey and the focus groups were drawn from a variety of academic disciplines and had different levels of experience in delivering their classes and their assessment in English. The most significant findings of the research were centred on the distinction between EMI lecturers’ implicit and explicit assessment of their students’ use of English in their assignments and exams.