Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes general course details

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University of Nottingham > CELE > Pre-sessional English courses > General course details

Our Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes courses are designed to bring your academic and language skills up to the required level, so you can study a foundation, undergraduate, postgraduate or research degree at the University of Nottingham.

In the event that the number recruited to a course is low, we may not be able to run it. If this is the case, we will inform you and provide more information at the earliest opportunity.

At the Centre for English Language Education, we aim to provide a safe environment for international students who may wish to join our courses and who are not yet 18. To safeguard the welfare of such students, we can only accept applications from under-18s onto our online pre-sessional courses.

Pre-sessional English level 1

Course content

This is a 10-week course. It is the first level of the 40-week course which consists of levels 1 to 4.

For foundation students it will be the first module of a 30-week course (levels 1 to 3).

Who is the course aimed at?

It is designed for students of a lower level English proficiency (IELTS 4.0 or 4.5) who need a longer time to prepare.

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How is the course delivered?

This course is available to study face-to-face here in Nottingham.

How will I learn?

The main aims of the course are to:

develop and improve your English language and analytical skills
provide an introduction to academic study that will be continued in levels 2 to 4
introduce a critical and reflective approach to study
introduce the skills of working collaboratively with others
provide you with support and guidance

What will I do?

You will be asked to do a series of tasks:

Participate in both tutor-led lessons and student-led seminars and workshops
Participate in one-to-one and group tutorials
Research and write a project (individually and collaboratively)
Present the content of your project to an audience (for example a poster presentation)
Read a selection of fiction and non-fiction texts, and write reports
Analyse key features of academic texts
Reflect on own learning and progress, and design a study plan

How many hours will I study?

You will be expected to study for at least 36 hours per week, which includes taught sessions with tutors, tutorials and independent study.

How will I be assessed?

At the end of level 1 you will be assessed to see if you are ready to move on to level 2. You will:

research and write a project in collaboration with other students
give an oral presentation in collaboration with other students
reflect on learning processes

How many students will be in my class?

Usually there are 14 to 18 students, but occasionally there may be over 18 in the class.

If the number recruited to the course is low, we may not be able to run it. If this happens, we will inform you at the earliest opportunity.

What's next?

If you are successful in gaining the required marks in your final assessments, you will be able to move on to level 2.

Pre-sessional English level 2

Course content

This is a 10-week course. It is the second level of the 40-week course which consists of levels 1 to 4 or the first level of the 30-week course (levels 2 to 4), depending on your current English language skills.

For foundation students, it will be the first level of a 20-week course (levels 2 to 3).

Who is the course aimed at?

It is for students who have an intermediate level of proficiency (IELTS 4.5 to 5.5 depending on the future target) who need a longer time to prepare for their degree study.

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How is the course delivered?

This course is available to study face-to-face here in Nottingham.

How will I learn?

The main aims of the course are to:

introduce you to some key concepts and skills involved in carrying out primary research
develop a critical and reflective approach to study
introduce the concept of ‘community’ and ‘academic community’ and explore how these might relate to your situation
develop and improve your skills in communicating in English in academic contexts
support your development as an independent learner
develop the skills of working collaboratively with others
provide an introduction to academic study that will be continued in levels 3 and 4

What will I do?

You will be asked to do a series of tasks:

Participate in both tutor-led lessons and student-led seminars and workshops
Participate in one-to-one and group tutorials
Design and carry out a small-scale primary research project related to your area of study
Communicate your research findings to an audience
Reflect on your academic experiences and ways of working

How many hours will I study?

You will be expected to study for at least 36 hours per week, which includes taught sessions with tutors, tutorials and independent study.

How will I be assessed?

At the end of level 2 you will be assessed to see if you are ready to move on to level 3. You will:

carry out primary research and write a research report related to your area of study and the Centre for English Language community
participate in an oral assessment to discuss the findings of your research
reflect on your learning

How many students will be in my class?

Usually there are 14 to 18 students, but occasionally there may be over 18 in the class.

If the number recruited to the course is low, we may not be able to run it. If this happens, we will inform you at the earliest opportunity.

What's next?

If you are successful in gaining the required marks in your final assessments, you will be able to move on to level 3.

Pre-sessional English level 3

Course content

This is a 10-week course. This level is studied as the first level of a 20-week course (levels 3 to 4) or as the second level of the 30-week course (levels 2 to 4), depending on your current English language skills.

For foundation students, it is the second level of a 20-week course (levels 2 to 3).

Who is the course aimed at?

It is for students with a good level of proficiency (IELTS 5.0 to 6.0 depending on the future target) who are close to meeting their English language requirement.

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How is the course delivered?

This course is available to study on campus here in Nottingham, or as an online course. The information below applies to both modes of study.

How will I learn?

The main aims of the course are to:

further develop your skills in communicating in English in a variety of written and spoken academic contexts
develop your analytical and critical skills
deepen your understanding of academic norms and conventions, secondary research, themed conferences and interdisciplinarity
support you to work independently and collaboratively

What will I do?

You will be asked to do a series of tasks:

Conduct a secondary research project linked to your own area of study and set conference theme
Prepare for a conference and a conference workshop based on your own research
Participate in tutor-led lessons and student-led group work (face-to-face and/or online)
Participate in one-to-one and group tutorials
Reflect on research processes, your own learning and your academic self-development

How many hours will I study?

You will be expected to study for at least 36 hours per week, which includes taught sessions with tutors, tutorials and independent study.

Online courses will include live taught sessions and monitored independent study tasks.

How will I be assessed?

At the end of level 3 you will be assessed to see if you are ready to move on to level 4. You will:

complete a literature-based research project
present your own research paper at a Centre for English Language conference or conference workshop
reflect on conference theme and learning processes

How many students will be in my class?

Usually there are 14 to 18 students, but occasionally there may be over 18 per class.

If the number recruited to the course is low, we may not be able to run it. If this happens, we will inform you at the earliest opportunity.

What's next?

If you are successful in gaining the required marks in your final assessments, you will be able to move on to level 4.

Pre-sessional English level 4

Course content

This is designed for higher level students who are close to their English language requirement and runs for 10 or six weeks, according to your current level of English (the six-week course only runs in the summer term).

Who is the course aimed at?

It is for students who need a small improvement to meet the requirements of their degree course.

View full details

How is the course delivered?

This course is available to study on campus here in Nottingham, or as an online course. The information below applies to both modes of study.

How will I learn?

The main aims of the course are to:

further develop your use of academic English
improve your analytical and critical skills
focus your attention on genres and academic texts specific to your discipline
support you to work independently and collaboratively with equal confidence
guide you on how to effectively use feedback

What will I do?

You will be asked to do a series of tasks:

Explore a variety of academic topics
Analyse and evaluate academic arguments
Conduct library-based research on a discipline-specific topic of your own choice
Write an academic paper based on your research
Summarise and discuss your position on a topic relating to your discipline
Reflect on your learning process

How many hours will I study?

You will be expected to study for at least 36 hours per week, which includes taught sessions with tutors, tutorials and independent study.

Online courses will include live taught sessions and monitored independent study tasks.

How will I be assessed?

At the end of level 4 you will be assessed to see if you are ready to move on to your academic course. You will:

write an academic paper on a controversial issue linked to your main subject area
participate in an oral assessment to discuss your paper and reflect on your learning

How many students will be in my class?

Usually there are 14 to 18 students, but occasionally there may be over 18 per class.

If the number recruited to the course is low, we may not be able to run it. If this happens, we will inform you at the earliest opportunity.

What's next?

If you are successful in gaining the required marks in your final assessments, you will be able to move on to your degree course at the University of Nottingham.

Which course is right for you?

Course dates and fees

How to apply