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

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.

You can demonstrate your English language ability by studying with us on our online Pre-sessional English and Academic Skills courses which will allow you to gain entry to most undergraduate or postgraduate degree courses. You can do our online Pre-sessional course from your own home - you do not need to be on our campus in order to study but you will need access to a PC or laptop and a good quality internet connection in order to fully participate.  Our new online Pre-sessional courses will help you to improve and develop your English language and academic skills and will prepare you for your degree programme at the University of Wolverhampton. 

Other ways of demonstrating your English language abilities are:

• With a qualification (eg a high school certificate) from your country that has been approved by the University of Wolverhampton as meeting the minimum English language entry competency. See your country for details.
• By demonstrating that you completed your secondary or university education at a secondary (high) school or university in a country approved by the University as teaching in the medium of English.
• If you are a national of one of the following countries you do not have to prove your level of English; Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America
• By presenting one of the international qualifications listed below.  It should have been completed no more than two years before of the start date of your degree course.

1. First of all, decide which course is right for you.
2. Check the entry requirements, including the minimum English requirements for your chosen course.
3. Check the visa requirements.
4. Make your application - via our on-line course directory or directly to the University via Admissions or the International Office, find out how to do it below.