Wits Language School

ENGLISH for ACADEMIC PURPOSES

(preparatory course for IELTS examination)
Part-time

About the Course

Description
Your success in the academic world, both internationally as well as in South Africa, is dependent upon your
degree of proficiency in Academic English. The English for Academic Purposes course develops and
improves all academic English language skills (reading, speaking, listening and writing). Proficiency in these
skills is essential for success at any tertiary education level i.e. undergraduate or post-graduate.

This course in English for Academic Purposes is designed to ensure that you are able to perform optimally
within an academic context and be assured of achieving success in the British Council IELTS (academic)
examination.

The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) examination is presented in four separate skill
modules: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. It is possible to enrol for the entire course or just the
module/s required.

Admission requirements
You are required to have an advanced knowledge of English.

All applicants are required to sit a pre-assessment test. Should your English language skills be found
insufficient for entry to this course, you will be provided with recommendations as to the appropriate level of
an English Improvement programme you could attend to improve your English sufficiently to enable you to
enter this course.

Who should attend

This course is aimed at those whose first language is not English and who wish to apply for a placement at
an institute of tertiary education in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, North America, the United Kingdom
or Canada. The course helps students develop their English language competence to the level of academic
English required, to successfully pass the IELTS examination, or simply to improve their academic English
skills.

This is an ideal course for students who believe that their English is not sufficiently advanced to ensure a
high level of competence in tertiary study.

Certification
Students are required to attend 85% of the classes in order to qualify for the final tests at the end of the
course. Students are not assessed only on the basis of the end-of-course tests, but also on continuous
assessment of progress in all skills during the course. Assessment is based on written work, oral ability,
communicative ability and participation in class.

Those who achieve a high level pass are recommended to the British Council in Johannesburg for the
internationally recognised IELTS examination.
Course Outcomes
• Access, process, adapt and use data from a wide range of texts
• Sustain oral interaction across a wide range of contexts and critically evaluate spoken texts
• Write and present a wide range of purposes, audiences and contexts
• Analyse, appreciate and evaluate selected and unseen visual/written texts
• Demonstrate understanding of oral texts on both concrete and abstract topics
• Sustain oral communication and interact competently in all contexts suited to the situation of the
student
• Write a wide variety of texts

Course Outline

• Access, index and process data from various texts

• Interact critically and purposefully as a listener and/or speaker in oral communication
• Analyse and critically evaluate oral interactions and presentations
• Use strategies for listening and speaking in sustained oral interactions
• Analyse and evaluate responses to spoken texts critically and adjust own as required
• Use writing skills for specific purposes, audiences and contexts
• Access, process, re-organise, and synthesise information in order to present it
• Use appropriate language conventions, textual features and style for specific workplace purposes
• Draft and edit texts
• Analyse texts
• Respond to texts
• Evaluate texts
• Identify the gist of oral texts
• Listen for salient and specific detail
• Sustain conversation
• Deliver an oral presentation
• React to oral (or written) presentations
• Prepare to write texts
• Write original texts
• Review and redraft written texts

Contact Details

Wits Language School

179 Commerce, Law and Management Building
West Campus
University of the Witwatersrand
Private Bag 3, Wits, 2050
Tel. 011 717 4208
Fax 011 717 4219
E-mail: trish.cooper@wits.ac.za
Website: www.witslanguageschool.com

Contact Wits Language School for the starting dates.

The content of this brochure, accurate at time of going to print, is subject to change without notification due to legislation, market
requirements or any other reason. Wits Language School reserves the right to change the course content without notice.