Pre-Sessional English (International Students)

Description

Our pre-sessional English course is designed for international students wishing to progress onto higher education courses at University Centre of Blackburn College or a University or College in the UK. You study the course before you start your higher education course or degree to ensure you have the level of English needed to not only succeed upon your chosen degree, but enjoy it too.

Studying on the pre-sessional English course gives you the chance to settle in to the British academic environment before starting your programme of academic study at University Centre at Blackburn College.

We think social activities are very important, so if the course is UK based we will arrange a variety of excursions of cultural interest. We also organise other events such as meals at restaurants, sporting events and cinema trips so that you can socialise with other students and tutors.

Detailed Course Facts

• English

Course Content

During the course you will focus on developing the linguistic skills of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking needed in order to achieve a required band score in the IELTS test.

The topics studied on the course are chosen to reflect the subject areas which are most frequently encountered in IELTS exams. These include travel and transport, tourism, science and technology, health and medicine, the environment, crime and punishment, globalisation and other related issues.

In order to fully prepare you for higher education, essential study skills are taught and practised. These include summarising and paraphrasing information, avoiding plagiarism, time management, report writing and data interpretation. An element of the course concentrates on British culture and is designed to familiarise you with the realities of living in modern Britain.

There is an initial assessment to determine which class is most suitable for the student to ensure effective improvement and understanding of English. You classes will be taught by well qualified staff with DELTA or CELTA equivalent and graduate qualifications.

What will you study?

You will study:

• Listening understanding lectures listening to authentic live English
• Reading skimming and scanning a variety of long and short authentic texts (subject related texts where appropriate) and use of academic vocabulary
• Speaking group discussion, communicating effectively in lectures and tutorials and a focus on improving presentation skills
• Writing summarising, writing reports and essays, note taking in lectures
• Study Skills using a variety of resources to research, evaluate and produce academic work

Our Pre-sessional course consists of traditional classes with fully qualified tutors, blended learning opportunities, peer group projects and group and individual tutorials. These tutorials are conducted regularly and you will have the opportunity to discuss your progress with your Personal Tutor where you will generate targets to work on to further improve. You will also be able to discuss your progression route and get the advice and guidance needed to make the right choice!

Duration

All Pre-sessional courses are full time and students will be expected to study a minimum of 18 hours per week. You can access these courses at any point during the year (depending on your level of English). The course runs over 3 terms and the table below highlights when you will start in relation to current language level.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed formatively on a class by class basis. You will also undertake modular tests to assess your learning on each module. At the end of the Pre-sessional course we will assess your overall skills and progress using a variety of methods, and will prepare a report which you can use to take to your further study. We can also arrange an IELTS exam where requested.

Progression

If you choose to progress onto an undergraduate course at University Centre of Blackburn College, you will not be required to take an IELTS test at the end of the Pre-Sessional English course. However you will still be required to work hard, attend all your classes and complete your homework on time.

Related Scholarships*

• Academic Excellence Scholarship

  "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

• Access Bursary

  Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.

• Alumni Bursary

  Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than Blackburn College.