Compulsory modules in English for Academic Purposes

All students will follow compulsory modules in English for Academic Purposes to develop competence in academic study, communication and research. Students will take 20 or 40 credits in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) depending on their level of English at entry, and their chosen degree programme.

English for Academic Purposes

This module is designed to help students develop competence in and awareness of academic English in order to successfully start an undergraduate degree programme in the UK.

The module begins by introducing specific reading techniques for academic study, the features, structure and function of academic writing, and the appropriate use of academic vocabulary and a range of sentence structures. The appropriate use and integration of the ideas of others is another key skill focussed on, as is the effective use of dictionaries, thesauri and other study aids. In particular, students will be introduced to a variety of academic writing modes (e.g. narrative, descriptive and argumentative) and how to present academic writing according to the correct conventions. Students will also start to develop strategies for listening to lectures, taking notes, giving oral presentations and the skills needed to take part in academic discussion. Moreover, the module will enable students to use spoken English confidently, clearly and accurately in a wider social and academic context.

In the second semester the emphasis is on further developing key skills and knowledge with regard to English for university study and will focus on extending the student’s awareness of style and structure to longer pieces of writing. In particular, students will learn how to plan, write and review academic assignments and research projects. Further work will be done on text level organisation, vocabulary and grammatical choices and citation and referencing skills. The process of writing will also be covered looking at the generation and organisation of ideas and the planning, revising and editing of written work. More advanced argument structure will also be analysed, as well as more subject-specific text types. The module will encourage student independence and responsibility for learning through student-led seminars and discussions, and individual and group presentations. The skills required will be consolidated with a focus on appropriate functional language and conversation features including turn taking, asking questions and expressing agreement.