Abbey College Cambridge
Academic English Policy
Students for whom English is a second or other language are supported through various Academic
English programmes.
AS level Students who have not achieved the equivalent of 6.5 in the IELTS examination receive
lessons for 5 hours per week to develop all aspects of their English language skills
Dealing with non-native speakers in subject classes can present some difficulties for a subject teacher.
The following may help:

Teachers should encourage students to use their dictionaries when necessary in class. They
may also benefit from a list of subject-specialist ‘jargon’ with explanations. Note that students
should not be allowed to use mobile phones as translators.

Students understanding should be checked by asking them to verbalise instructions given
before attempting tasks. Any lack of comprehension can then be dealt with before a student
has wasted time completing a task incorrectly, or not at all.

Students may be acutely conscious of being less proficient in the language than nativespeaker classmates. Teachers should be sensitive to this and avoid drawing class attention to
linguistic shortcomings.

It is important to correct students as far as possible with their written answers.

The employment of methodologies to appeal to different learning styles may help the nonnative student. As words are the problem, visual or kinaesthetic based lessons can be
productive.

Students have some opportunities to work on subject courses with the EAP tutor; subject
teachers should feel free to discuss the possibility of focusing on certain areas of need with
them during these times.

Audio/visual aids may help and encourage.

Students asking questions during lessons is important: many students are reluctant to admit
that they don’t understand.
Please discuss any specific issues with the Head of English.