Course content - 10-week Pre-sessional (online)

You will focus on the key academic skills and language you will need to succeed in your future studies with us.

After finishing the course, I did not feel unfamiliar or nervous at the beginning of my degree programme. The Pre-sessional course is a good way to adapt to university life when you are an international student.

Lingxuan Meng From China / Online 10-Week Pre-Sessional Course.

The course aims to:

  • raise your level of English language proficiency and academic skills;
  • improve your confidence working in an academic environment;
  • help to prepare you for studying at this University.

Your studies will include:

  • 12 hours per week of tutor-led sessions in groups of up to 18 students;
  • between 10-15 hours per week of interactive tasks to be completed either in study groups of up to five students or individually online;
  • an individual 20-minute tutorial meeting with your tutor every two weeks.

In order to succeed on the course, you must have a quiet place to study. You will need to have your webcam turned on and be able to talk with other students. 

Timetable

 Sample timetable:

  Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

7.00am -8.00am*

Study groups

   Academic listening: 
Listening to a lecture		 Academic speaking: 
Discussion from the lecture		   Academic speaking: 
Reflecting on seminar performance
8.00am - 9.00am B R E A K

9.00am -10.30am

Tutor-led session

 Academic reading: 
Reading for main ideas		 Academic reading: 
Navigating a journal article		 Academic writing: 
Rewording information from sources 		 Academic speaking: 
Referring to journal articles in a seminar		 Individual tutorials
10.30am - 11.00am B R E A K 

11.00am -12.30pm

Tutor-led session

 Academic listening: 
Taking notes in lectures 

Academic reading: 
Taking notes when reading

Academic writing: 
Rewording information from sources

Academic speaking: 
Pronunciation - English sounds

Individual tutorials

1-2 hours

Individual study

Academic language: 
Using the academic word list in writing

   Academic speaking: 
Seminar preparation - reading journal articles		  

Academic language: 
Varying sentence structures

*All times are local, UK time

There is flexibility for you to choose when to complete the individual tasks, but you must attend the tutor-led sessions and study groups at the specified time. These times cannot be changed – it is important to consider the time difference between the UK and your home country when applying for this course. It is also important to know the time difference between the UK and your country before applying for the course.

Assessment

Engagement with the course

In order for you to successfully complete the course, you must meet the required level in each academic skill - this will vary across degree programmes - and engage with the course.

Throughout the course, you will engage in 2 assessed projects: one will focus on using reading texts to produce a piece of writing; the other will focus on using video and audio recordings to produce a presentation. All assessments will be online. 

Writing
During the course, your tutor will give you a set of academic texts to read and discuss and a question to answer using the texts. You will be assessed on the writing you produce and how well you support your answer using these academic sources. 

Reading
Throughout the course, you will read and make notes on extracts from academic journals and books and you will be assessed on your understanding of these texts.

Listening

During the course, you will listen to and make notes on recordings, including academic talks, and you will be assessed on your understanding of these. 

Speaking
At the end of the course,  you will give a small group presentation using the recordings you have listened to and reading texts you have been provided with.

Disengagement with the course will be reported to your academic School and will likely be taken into consideration at future exam boards.

 

Technical requirements

Online tutor-led sessions will be delivered via Zoom, and online tasks and materials will be accessed via Blackboard, which is our virtual learning environment (VLE). There will be help accessing these, as well as technical support throughout the course.

You must ensure you have access to: 

  • access to a laptop or tablet - mobile phones are not suitable;
  • a fast reliable internet connection (we recommend a broadband speed of 5mbps; and a minimum speed of 2mbps);
  • a browser such as Google Chrome/Firefox/360 Secure Browser;
  • a webcam;
  • a microphone;
  • headphones