Pre-sessional English and Academic Skills 4.5-5.5 (on-line)

The intensive course is:

• suitable for foundation courses requiring a 5.5;
• taught by highly qualified teachers from the International Academy (accredited by the British Council);
• fully online with no extra travel or accommodation costs;
• the opportunity to attend a high-quality course in the comfort of your own home;
• a balance of online lessons, group activities, one-to-one tutorials and guided self-study;
• easy to revise and catch up with missed lessons, as everything is recorded and made available to you;
• designed to build confidence in your English, Academic and IT skills;
• the best way to improve your language skills and prepare you to study in the UK; and
• based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which will have relevance to your own life and area of study.

Please note that success on this course is only one of the requirements to study in the UK. You will also need to be successful in a credibility interview to be issued a study visa and will need to satisfy the academic requirements of your chosen degree course.

Student Support:

General University support:

Digital Support is available to students including IT training to improve your digital literacy.

University Libraries are the key source of academic information for students. They also provide access to wide range of online information sources, including eBooks, e-Journals and subject databases.

Libraries also provide students with academic skills support via the Skills for Learning programme. Students can access a range of online skills material at: www.wlv.ac.uk/lib/skills

The University Student Support website offers advice on a variety of matters (careers, counselling, student union advice, etc.) Students can also access these services by booking appointment with the SU, careers, counselling services, etc.

Specific Course support:

You will have one-to-one tutorials with your academic tutor to discuss your progress. Lectures and self-study make use of the Virtual Learning Environment (Canvas) where you can access recordings of classes, homework and consolidatory materials according to your needs.

Through group activities, both in class and out, students are encouraged to form study groups and support each other’s learning. Your tutor will also be available to answer questions and provide feedback on any part of the course you require support with.

Lessons will be a mixture of synchronous (working with others) and asynchronous (working in your own time) learning, with flexibility built into the timetable to ensure the course is as inclusive as possible. Materials will be taken from a wide variety of sources, ensuring a balanced representation of English as an international language, focussing on effective communication and understanding within an academic context. A variety of accents from around the world, as opposed to just UK regional varieties, will be present in course materials to demonstrate the nature of English as the world’s lingua franca.

We will focus on core areas as follows:

Listening:

• understanding authentic spoken material in a variety of media and styles including lectures, seminars and academic discussions;
• taking notes and summarising;
• becoming familiar with different accents and speaking styles including those of classmates;

Assessment: consisting of multiple listening tasks from a variety of authentic academic (style) recordings (both audio and video). You will be set realistic tasks simulating authentic academic activities requiring you to identify the main points.

Writing:

• developing academic voice, expressing and supporting opinions;
• developing planning, drafting, editing and error correction skills;
• learning to use appropriate language;

Assessment: a composition where performance is judged not only on your English language, writing style but a clear demonstration of awareness of study skills such as avoidance of plagiarism.

Reading: 

• Reading:
• examining in detail academic and other texts;
• developing strategies for deriving meaning and understanding from complex texts;
• developing techniques to find key information in the most efficient way;

Assessment: uses authentic or adapted academic texts, tasks are designed to demonstrate your ability to skim, scan and perform more intensive reading tasks in order to identify the main points, in the same way you would when reading course material for assignments.

Speaking:

• speaking at length in an academic context;
• taking part in discussions and seminars;
• making presentations; improving communication skills;

Assessment: you will demonstrate your understanding of known academic topics and answer follow up questions demonstrating your ability to communicate in an academic context

Grammar and Vocabulary:

Appropriate understanding and use of grammar and vocabulary form part of all four assessments on this course.

• revision and review of tenses and key grammar;
• formal English and appropriate language for Academic purposes;
• a focus on grammatical structures used in academic speaking and writing;
• introduction to the Academic Word List;
• ways of dealing with unknown words in context;

Formative assessment will take place throughout the course in the form of quizzes and writing tasks. Feedback will be provided to students and discussed in one-to-one tutorials.

Summative assessment takes place in the final week of the course and consists of separate Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking Exams, conducted on a secure online proctored platform.

Assessment Methods:

At the University of Wolverhampton, a variety of modes of assessment will be used to support and test your learning and progress and to help you develop capabilities that are valued beyond your University studies and into your working life. Your course may include a variety of assessment activities:

Written examinations (including online examinations, open and closed book examinations and quizzes) Coursework (for example, essays, reports, portfolios, project proposals and briefs, CVs, poster presentation) Practical (for example, oral and video presentations, laboratory work, performances, practical skills assessment)

In the final year of your undergraduate degree, and at the end of your postgraduate degree, you are likely to be expected to write an extended piece of work or research, such as a dissertation or a practice-based piece of research.

The University is committed to a transparent fee structure, with no hidden costs, to help you make an informed decision. This includes information on what is included in the fee and how fees are calculated and reviewed

Students wishing to do this pre-sessional course must have IELTS 4.5 overall with no less than 4.5 in writing and wish to achieve a 5.5.

See https://www.wlv.ac.uk/international/international-academy/courses-at-the-international-academy/language-entry-requirements/

For full course and IT requirements see https://www.wlv.ac.uk/international/international-academy/english-at-the-international-academy/english-language-pathway-courses/english-language-pre-sessional-courses/

Late enrolments will not be accepted more than 10 days into the course. This is to ensure that you are able to fully engage with all aspects of this intensive online course.

Self-funding:

If you don’t want to take out a loan to pay your fees or if you aren’t eligible to receive a loan, you might want to take advantage of the University’s scheme to pay by instalments: see How to pay.

Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

If your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.

Financial Hardship:

Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.

Bursaries and Scholarships:

In addition the University also offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships packages

You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Online

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