Form C4
Heriot-Watt University - Course Descriptor
1. Course
Code
C67AP
2. Course
Title
English for Academic Preparation 1
3. SCQF
Level
5. School
School of Management & Languages
7. Delivery:
Location &
Semester
Edin
SBC
Orkney
Dubai
IDL
Collaborative Partner
Approved Learning Partner
Sem…1
Sem…….
Sem………..
Sem……..
Sem….
Name…………………….....Sem..…...
Name …………………………………Sem………..
6. Course
Co-ordinator
7
4. Credits
15
Olwyn Alexander
8. Pre-requisites
SCQF level 6 qualifications as appropriate for undergraduate degree articulation and IELTS level 5.0 or equivalent
9. Linked Courses
(specify if synoptic)
Synoptic course: English for Academic Preparation 2
Foundation Pathways – Economics and Management:
Semester 1: C17EB Management in Global Context / C27AA Introduction to Microeconomics 1; C37FA Introduction to Accounting;
Academic Focus on Social Science 1
Semester 2: C17EC Enterprise & its Business Environment / C27BA Introduction to Microeconomics 2; C37FI Introduction to Finance;
Academic Focus on Social Science 2
Foundation Pathways – Science and Engineering:
Semester 1: F17XA Mathematics for Engineering & Scientists 2; B27MW Mechanical Engineering Science 1 / B17CA Principles of
Chemistry; Academic Focus on Maths and Engineering Science 1
Semester 2: F17XB Mathematics for Engineering & Scientists 2; B27FF Mechanical Engineering Science 2 / B17CB Chemical Reactivity;
Academic Focus on Maths and Engineering Science 2
10. Excluded Courses
11. Replacement Courses
Code:
12. Degrees for which
this is a core course
Date Of Replacement:
13. The course may be
delivered to:
UG only
PG only
UG & PG
14. Available as an Elective?
Yes
No
15. Aims
1/3
Form C4
Heriot-Watt University - Course Descriptor
This course is designed for non-native speakers of English with IELTS 5.0 or equivalent and aims
a. to support students to improve their English language skills to CEFR B2 in all skills for articulation with year 2 on undergraduate degrees at Heriot-Watt University
b. to enable students to communicate in English at a basic level as members of the academic community, by understanding and using the grammatical, lexical,
phonological and textual resources for reading, writing, listening and speaking in English in academic contexts
c. to encourage students to take increasing responsibility for their own learning and development as the course progresses
d. to develop students’ ability in problem solving and critical thinking skills required for studying on undergraduate degrees at Heriot-Watt University
16. Syllabus
This course is designed for non-native speakers of English
Textual resources in English:
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Sample seminar discussions, lectures, academic texts
Analysis of the language and grammar patterns needed for understanding and producing academic texts, including simple and complex sentence structure, and key
vocabulary for academic study
Meaning relations and cohesion
Textual organisation and coherence, moving from general to specific information and from what is familiar to what is new
Receptive skills and strategies:
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Intensive and extensive reading and listening
Identifying main points and supporting detail
Identifying main trends and interpreting data
Identifying cause-effect relationships
Productive skills and strategies:
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Organising and recording vocabulary and grammar useful for academic study effectively
Writing as a process to complete assignments
Joining in seminar discussions
Comparing ideas
Explaining cause-effect relationships
Text types:
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Short simulated authentic academic written and oral texts and reports with descriptive, narrative, informative, process, expository, compare & contrast, define &
classify and persuasive functions
17. Learning Outcomes (HWU Core Skills: Employability and Professional Career Readiness)
2/3
Form C4
Heriot-Watt University - Course Descriptor
Subject Mastery
Understanding, Knowledge and Cognitive
Scholarship, Enquiry and Research (Research-Informed Learning)
Skills
 Identify the grammatical components of simple academic discourse
 Recognise and produce some of the important relations in meaning across sentences which contribute to cohesion in written texts and
spoken discourse
 Analyse the organisation, vocabulary and grammar of a variety of descriptive and informative written and oral texts in order to use these as
models for their own writing and speech
 Identify the general to specific paragraph structure of academic written and spoken texts
 Recognise important relations in meaning across written and spoken texts which contribute to overall coherence
Personal Abilities
Industrial, Commercial & Professional Practice
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Autonomy, Accountability & Working with Others
Communication, Numeracy & ICT
Read and listen to an academic text at a basic level and identify key points and supporting detail
Use a range of reading and listening strategies such as previewing or scanning, intensive or extensive reading and listening depending on the
purpose
Deduce the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary and expressions from context
Organise and record vocabulary and grammar in ways which enable them to be utilised in writing and speech
See language production as a process of brainstorming, planning, drafting and editing
Write a range of simple genres such as reports and discursive essays
Produce academic speech in the form of seminar discussions, presentations and poster presentations
Begin to identify problem areas in their language learning and take action to correct these
Understand and reproduce written commentary related to numerical information such as graphs and tables
18. Assessment Methods
Method
19. Re-assessment Methods
Duration of Exam
Weighting (%)
Synoptic courses?
Method
(if applicable)
End of Course Exam
Coursework submissions
2 hrs
Duration of Exam
(if applicable)
60%
40%
Resit exam
2 hrs
20. Date and Version
Date of Proposal
April 2014
Date of Approval by
School Committee
Date of
Implementation
Version
Number
3/3
Diet(s)