Pre-Sessional English

Our Pre-Master’s Pre-Sessional English Course aims to:

• Enhance your English language ability to a level sufficient to enable you to communicate and study effectively and confidently at postgraduate level at a Western university.
• Develop your academic skills and give you an understanding of the philosophies and capabilities required for successful study at postgraduate level in Western higher education.
• Relate your existing subject knowledge to that of Western graduates in similar discipline.
• Cultivate a commitment to good practice in academic work and in particular an awareness of the serious adverse implications of plagiarism.
• Provide you with the necessary personal and key skills to enable you to develop as an independent, autonomous learner. This will include the ability to plan an individual research project.
• Give you practical experience of different methods that may be used to assess learning.
• Introduce aspects of Western culture and enable an understanding of the policies, procedures and regulations affecting study in the West.
• Develop learning skills and reflective learning through the various elements of the programme.

English for Academic Purposes Module Content

You will spend approx. 18 hours per week working on improving your academic English skills. Lessons will focus on improving the four skills of reading, listening, writing and speaking as well as expanding your range of academic vocabulary and your grasp of English grammar.

The focus will be integrated skills development in a communicative class environment.

Research Skills Module Content

This module will be taught over approx. 6 hours per week and enable you to develop the relevant skills required to carry out research at master’s level. It will:

• build your awareness of issues in research design, especially different approaches to qualitative and quantitative processes.
• introduce a range of analytical methods, including tools such as SPSS.
• critically evaluate research approaches and their outcomes.
• enable you to establish a clear philosophical and methodological basis for an academically sound dissertation.

On successful completion of the programme students will be able to:

• Use English confidently in a Western academic environment and demonstrate a proficiency in English language to a standard equivalent to at least EAP grade C.
• Learn effectively at Masters level study.
• Make effective use of a range of generic and subject specific study skills, language skills and information and communications technologies as well as self-directed study.
• Conduct project work in appropriate subject areas including the use of primary and secondary data, the analysis of evidence and the presentation of findings.
• Demonstrate an understanding of Western culture sufficient to aid rapid adjustment to living and studying in the west.

Tutorials

In addition to your lessons, you will have regular group and individual tutorials with your tutors who will provide you with advice on how best you can improve.

University Guidance

You will have regular meetings with our University Counsellor who will provide you with guidance and support so that you can submit your university application.

Orientation Week

Orientation activities will take place during the afternoon of the first week of teaching.

Assessment

You will be given regular tasks to complete during the course and your tutor will provide you with feedback on the work you submit.

Final Grades

At the end of your course, you will receive two overall grades.

• A grade from A – U for EAP
• A classification of Distinction, Credit or Pass for Research Methods.

EAP

You will complete a time-controlled assessment online in your final week. The assessment is spread over 2 days. On day one, you will complete listening and reading tasks. On day two, you will complete writing and speaking tasks.

Research Methods

You will complete three tasks:

• Publication analysis (10% of the final research skils grade)
• Group research project proposal (20% of the final research skills grade)
• Research proposal (70% of the final research skills grade)