Academic English for Foundation Students

Module description
The aim of this module is to improve your communicative English ability in an academic
setting. You will practise and develop your listening, speaking, reading and writing skills as
well as improving your grammar, vocabulary knowledge and pronunciation. This module will
concentrate on the following specific areas:

Listening & note-taking

Reading academic texts
Research skills
Essay writing
Discussion & presentation skills
Examination techniques

Each week you will study approximately 10-12 hours of English comprising the following
classes:
3 x Academic Writing and Reading classes, including Use of English and Vocabulary
Development (1 hours each)
1 x Academic Listening and Speaking class (1 hours)
1 x lecture preview class (1 hour term 1 only) and 1 lecture review class (1 hour) for both
your core and optional academic modules
1 x IELTS practice class (1 hour) - optional
1 x Timed Work session (1 hour Terms 2 & 3 only)

Academic writing & use of English

These classes focus on developing your academic writing skills and will help you meet the
demands of your degree programme in terms of the written tasks and assessment that you will
be expected to produce. In particular, these classes focus on:

the recognition of plagiarism and how to avoid it through the use of quotation,
paraphrase and summary
the appropriate use of in-text and end-text referencing conventions
the analysis of assignment questions and the planning and writing of assignments
the conventions of academic English essays, including structure and academic
vocabulary

the recognition of relevance and irrelevance in academic writing

editing and proof-reading strategies.

Academic reading & vocabulary development

These classes focus on developing your ability to engage with academic texts and your use
and range of academic vocabulary. These classes will develop:

your ability to be a more active reader

your library skills so that you can better select relevant background material
your note-taking skills in interacting with material
a range of reading skills, including the ability to find relevant material easily in a text,
the ability to process long texts quickly and the ability to read texts with difficult
items of vocabulary
your ability to analyse texts critically and to employ an evaluative approach in your
written and spoken responses to texts.

Academic speaking
These classes focus on developing your spoken production of English within an academic
context and on meeting the demands made on you in terms of your speaking skills at
university. The three main areas covered by these classes are:

your participation in seminar discussion, including strategies for expressing opinion,

agreement and disagreement, giving explanations, making suggestions, interrupting
and asking questions
your ability to present effectively in English, including the organisation,
pronunciation and delivery of academic spoken English
improving your overall pronunciation.

Academic listening
These classes focus on developing your ability to follow and understand academic
discussions at university. In particular, these classes focus on:

lecture structure, style and sequencing and how they develop main ideas, and
supporting details
your note-taking skills when listening to lectures, and your ability to write summaries
from your notes
active listening strategies in seminars and other university based discussions.

Lecture preview & review

Your understanding of the language used in the academic lectures on the programme will be
supported through a one hour lecture preview (before the lecture in term 1 only) and a one
hour lecture review (following the lecture). These will look at the language and vocabulary
used in the lecture. Both classes are led by an English language tutor.

IELTS
Many universities give offers based only upon the results of the Foundation Programme, but
others ask for an IELTS score as well. We therefore offer IELTS classes to support those of
you who need to attain a particular score. These classes will ensure you understand the test
format as well as give you further input and practice in the skills developed in the skills
classes (above). As not all students need to gain an IELTS score, these classes are optional.

Timed work
From term 2, you will practise your English language skills under timed conditions for an
hour each week. These exercises will allow you to assess your own language skills and to
expand on the skills you have been developing on the programme. You might, for example,
be asked to write a short essay, summarise an article or to give a written response to a lecture.
The purpose of these sessions is for us to be able to regularly assess the progress you are
making with your language, and to identify any areas of your language that you particularly
need to focus on.

Personal tutorials
You will have a series of one-to-one meetings throughout the year with your personal tutor,
who will give general academic guidance and help you with your UCAS application (in Term
1) and with the writing of your essays. In additional, your tutor will be available once a week
for you to consult on any academic matter that you are concerned about.