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A Beginner's Guide to Writing in English for University Study

Learn how to use English for study at university or college and develop your writing skills, vocabulary and grammar.
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Learn how to write using academic English in preparation for university study.

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Academic writing can be very different from other types of written English. This course has been developed to help you learn the basics of academic writing and develop your English language skills. You’ll develop some proficiency in key areas of ‘academic’ grammar, learn about the stages in essay writing, and produce an essay of your own. You’ll also explore how to organise an essay, write in an academic style, and use tools to evaluate your own writing and other learners’ writing, so that by the end of the course you’re able to write a good, basic academic essay.

Who is this course for?

This course is aimed at non-English speakers who have studied some English. You should have a minimum level of IELTS 4.5 or equivalent.

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What topics will you cover?

What topics will you cover?

NO.1
Key features of academic writing
NO.2
Essay structure and organisation
NO.3
Using academic language
NO.4
The stages of writing an essay
NO.5
Writing a first draft of an essay
NO.6
Evaluating a first draft of an essay
NO.7

Reflecting on feedback on your first draft of the essay
NO.8

Responding to feedback on your first draft of the essay

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...


-  one aspect of life now with life in the past in one well-constructed paragraph

- Explore organisational structure of essays: identify and name the different sections of an essay

- Explain one aspect of your home town in one well-constructed paragraph, focussing on language accuracy

- Develop and write the first draft of your essay

- Contribute and receive feedback on first essay drafts

- Reflect on feedback received and improve your draft to create and submit a second draft of your essay

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