English for Academic Purposes

Develop your academic writing and English language skills through one of our credit-bearing module options.

Overview

Eligibility

This is for you if: 

• you are a current undergraduate or taught postgraduate student at UCL
• you have authorisation from your department to study a module as part of your degree programme.

These are academic modules of 15 credits with formal assessment; your result will contribute towards your degree.

Enrolment

All modules start in October and run through to March. There is a specialist route for taught postgraduates which runs from October to December.

Options

You can only choose ONE of the three courses available:

For non-native speakers of English

• English Language Skills for Academic Purposes
• Academic Writing for Non-Native Speakers

For native speakers of English

• Academic Writing for Native Speakers

English Language Skills for Academic Purposes

Prerequisite for entry

You must be a non-native speaker of English.

Module code

LCEN0001 (15 credits)

Aims and objectives

The course aims to further develop communication skills in your academic discipline if you are non-native English speaker.

More specifically, the course will focus on reading and writing ability in a variety of academic registers, as well as developing listening and speaking skills through lectures, seminars and presentations within a university context. 

We aim to help advance your ability to perform in all four skills related to your own degree programme. 

The course will cover linguistic structures of relevance to academic study (with reference to a variety of styles and registers from a range of academic authentic material).  You will also develop a variety of transferable skills.

Assessment

Coursework (40%)

Examinations (60%)

Academic Writing for Non-Native Speakers

Prerequisite for entry

You must be a non-native speaker of English.

Module code

LCEN0002 (15 credits)

Aims and objectives

The course aims to raise awareness of the conventions of written academic literacy for non-native English speakers.  

The course will also help to improve your writing ability in a variety of text types, focusing on sentence-level lexis and syntax, text coherence and cohesion, and appropriate style. 

We aim to help improve your ability to perform in all written tasks on your degree programme: course assignments and reports, examination essays and dissertations.

Upon completion of the course, you will be expected to: 

• Understand and use theories and conventions of written academic literacy; 
• Use rhetorical and logical strategies to express ideas effectively in writing; 
• Develop your own voice and position yourself in texts; 
• Employ relevant strategies for distinct tasks, ranging from unseen examination essays to prepared coursework on undergraduate degree programmes. 

Assessment

Coursework (40%)

Examinations (60%)

Academic Writing for Native Speakers

Prerequisite for entry

You must be a native speaker of English.

Module code

LCEN0003 (15 credits)

Aims and objectives

The course aims to raise awareness of the conventions of written academic literacy for those with an educational background taught and examined in English (whether in the UK or elsewhere).  

The course will also help to improve writing ability in a variety of text types, focusing on sentence-level lexis and syntax, text coherence and cohesion, and appropriate style. 

We aim to help improve your ability to perform in all written tasks on your degree programme: course assignments and reports, examination essays and dissertations.

Upon completion of the course, you will be expected to: 

• Understand and use theories and conventions of written academic literacy; 
• Use rhetorical and logical strategies to express ideas effectively in writing; 
• Develop your own voice and position yourself in texts; 
• Employ relevant strategies for distinct tasks, ranging from unseen examination essays to prepared coursework on undergraduate degree programmes. 

Assessment

Coursework (40%)

Examinations (60%)