Module title
English for Academic Study
Module code
INT0029
Academic year(s)
2015/6
Credits
30
Basic module details
Module staff
James Michael Merrett - Convenor
Pippa Whitton - Lecturer
Ayca Durrant - Lecturer
Beverly Dawn Claffey - Lecturer
Duration (weeks) - term 1
13
Duration (weeks) - term 2
13
Duration (weeks) - term 3
3
Number students taking module (anticipated)
210
Description - summary of the module content
Module description
This module is compulsory if you are a student on the Foundation Certificate. Its purpose is to enable you to use English to
engage more fully with your academic studies on all modules; and enhance your chances of getting the most out of your
studies on the Foundation Certificate and your subsequent degree programme. The course is divided into 3 elements: Listening
& Speaking, Reading and Writing, each with a variety of assessment methods that are used to ensure that your level of English
is up to the task of performing effectively in a higher education environment in the UK.
Module aims - intentions of the module
Module aims
This module aims:
1. To provide students with English language skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) for undertaking academic
study.
2. To enable students to develop academically and personally in an English medium learning environment.
Intended learning outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
1. control a core of general academic vocabulary
2. respond to texts of different types (spoken and written)
3. express yourself with a degree of fluency and accuracy that enables effective spoken communication in an academic setting
4. present effectively on a topic you have researched to your group in a way which engages the audience and facilitates their
understanding of the material through its clarity and coherence
5. perform effectively in an academic seminar on a topic you have researched by interacting appropriately, making reference to
reading material and communicating coherently, fluently and intelligibly
6. produce clear, well-structured written text
7. analyse the content of questions and establish the focus required to answer them
8. find and use information and source material relevant to your study purpose
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
9. use both spoken and written English language flexibly for general academic purposes and within your subject area to the
level necessary to follow a programme of academic study at undergraduate level
10. present and respond to spoken or written language effectively in key elements of your taught programme
11. engage in research broadly relating to your subject area through the medium of English
ILO: Personal and key skills
12. communicate effectively in the written or spoken form
13. evaluate your performance in the light of feedback and tutorials on formative and summative assessment tasks
14. work effectively in groups
Syllabus plan
Syllabus plan
Listening & Speaking:
Practice of the skills needed for: listening and note-taking in a variety of contexts including lectures; giving presentations;
participating in seminars. Exercises in accuracy, appropriacy, fluency and intelligibility.
Reading:
Practice of skills and strategies for reading; comprehension skills and using linguistic knowledge to understand text structure
and purpose. Development of the skills needed to use the information in reading texts competently: note-taking, paraphrasing
and summarising.
Writing:
Practice of the skills needed at each stage of the writing process: generating ideas; planning and organisation; revision skills;
the language of academic texts (sentence structure, academic style and vocabulary); different genres of writing together with
their patterns of organisation (description, comparison, problem-solution, report, argument).
Learning and teaching
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching
Activities
Guided independent study
Placement / study abroad
248
52
0
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
Category
Hours of study time
Description
Reading
48
A variety of learning and teaching
methods, including teacher-led
activities, student presentations,
seminars, and set tasks done
individually, in pairs and in groups
Listening & Speaking
104
Writing
96
Guided Independent Learning
52
Homework tasks; coursework
assessment; learner diaries; materials
on ELE
Assessment
Formative assessment
Form of assessment
Size of the assessment (eg
length / duration)
ILOs assessed
Feedback method
Group presentation (2 to 4
participants)
10-20 minutes, semester 1
1,2,3,4,7-14
Written teacher feedback
Group seminar (4 to 6
participants)
20-30 minutes, semester 2
1,2,3,5,7-14
Reflective individual and
group feedback
Listening and notetaking
exam
60-70 minutes, semester 1
1,2,7,9,10,13
Class feedback
Reading exam
90 minutes, semester 1
1,2,6-10,12,13
Class feedback
Writing exam
60 minutes, minimum of 300
words, semester 2
1,2,6,7,9,10,12,13
Written teacher feedback
Written tasks
Varying lengths, semesters 1
&2
1,2,6,7,9,10,12,13
Written teacher feedback
Summative assessment (% of credit)
Coursework
Written exams
Practical exams
15
55
30
Details of summative assessment
Form of assessment
% of credit
Size of the
assessment (eg
length / duration)
ILOs assessed
Feedback method
Listening and notetaking exam 1
5
60-70 minutes,
semester 1
1,2,7,9,10
Written teacher
feedback
Listening and notetaking exam 2
15
60-70 minutes,
semester 2
1,2,7,9,10
Written teacher
feedback
Writing task 1
5
400-600 words,
semester 1
1,2,6-12
Written teacher
feedback
Writing task 2
10
400-600 words,
semester 2
1,2,6-12
Written teacher
feedback
Reading exam 1
5
90 minutes, semester 1 1,2,6-10,12
Written teacher
feedback
Reading exam 2
15
90 minutes, semester 2 1,2,6-10,12
Written teacher
feedback
Writing exam
15
60 minutes, minimum
of 300 words, semester 1,2,6,7,9,10,12
2
Written teacher
feedback
Group presentation (2
to 4 participants)
15
10-20 minutes,
semester 2
1,2,3,4,7-12,14
Written teacher
feedback
Group seminar (4 to 6
participants)
15
20-30 minutes,
semester 2
1,2,3,5,7-12,14
Written teacher
feedback
Re-assessment
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
Original form of assessment Form of re-assessment
ILOs re-assessed
Timescale for reassessment
Written tasks 1 & 2
Resubmission
As above
As soon as possible and
before Exam Board
Writing exam
Writing exam
As above
As soon as possible and
before Exam Board
Listening and note-taking
exams 1 & 2
Listening exam
As above
As soon as possible and
before Exam Board
Reading exams 1 & 2
Reading exam
As above
As soon as possible and
before Exam Board
Group presentation (1 to 4
participants)
Presentation
As above
As soon as possible and
before Exam Board
Group seminar (1 to 6
participants)
Interview
As above
As soon as possible and
before Exam Board
Re-assessment notes
In cases of referral, only the failed elements are retaken; in cases of deferral, only the affected elements are retaken.
Resources
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Anderson, K., Maclean J. & Lynch T. (2004). Study Speaking (2nd Ed.). Cambridge: CUP.
Bailey, S. (2011). Academic Writing A Handbook for International Students (3rd Ed.). Abingdon: Routledge.
Lynch, T. (2004). Study Listening. Cambridge: CUP.
Slaght, J. (2004). Reading. Reading: Garnet Education.
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
ELE
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
Hornby, A. (2005). Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary. Oxford: OUP.
Other details
Module ECTS
15
Module pre-requisites
None
Module co-requisites
None
NQF level (module)
2
Available as distance learning?
No
Origin date
30/07/2013
Last revision date
07/08/2015
Key words search
English, Foundation, Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing