Foundation Academic English
| Module title | Foundation Academic English |
|---|---|
| Module code | INT0052 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 200 |
|---|
Module description
The purpose of this module is to develop your English language proficiency and study skills allowing you to engage more fully with your academic studies on current and subsequent study programmes. It prepares you for degree study by producing essays following academic conventions, developing fluency and confidence when delivering presentations and participating in seminar discussions. This is achieved by integrating topics from a core subject module into this module and its seminar assessments.
This module is compulsory and non-condonable. It must be passed in order to receive your Foundation Certificate. Your module grade will determine whether you have met the English requirement of your university offer.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to develop students’ academic English language proficiency and study skills to enable them to function effectively in an academic context. It aims to:
• Develop students’ confidence, fluency, and accuracy in academic English.
• Equip students with study skills and learning strategies.
• Develop students’ awareness of UK higher education academic culture and support transition to this study environment.
• Develop students’ ability to work autonomously and monitor their own learning.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Identify, select, and evaluate information, ideas, and arguments from a variety of academic sources.
- 2. Produce clear, well-organised academic writing that uses and integrates information and arguments from multiple sources.
- 3. Write an academic summary that synthesises information, ideas & arguments from multiple sources.
- 4. Deliver a clear, well-organised academic presentation.
- 5. Participate actively and appropriately in an academic seminar discussion.
- 6. Understand and use appropriate grammar, vocabulary, and style in oral and written academic communication.
- 7. Incorporate APA style academic referencing into presentations & an academic piece of writing.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 8. Apply skills and strategies to avoid plagiarism, collusion and fabrication of data.
Syllabus plan
Skills are integrated and are developed throughout the module:
- Skills and strategies for reading: comprehension skills and using linguistic knowledge to understand text structure and purpose.
- Academic language: sentence structure, register and vocabulary
- The writing process: analysing writing task titles and genre, brainstorming ideas, planning, drafting, redrafting, and responding to feedback.
- Using sources: locating relevant information from a variety of text types, note-taking, summarising, paraphrasing, quotation.
- Referencing: in-text citations, writing a reference list, avoiding plagiarism, using Turnitin and adhering to academic conventions.
- Research skills: finding and evaluating sources and using University of Exeter library resources.
- Skills and strategies to improve listening comprehension, using linguistic knowledge to understand text type, structure and purpose, and note-taking Presentation skills: producing effective slides, engaging the audience, delivering information effectively and persuasively and responding to questions.
- Seminar skills: turn-taking, using evidence to support contributions, building on the contributions of others, and responding to feedback.
- Communication skills: accuracy, register, fluency, and pronunciation.
- Reflecting critically on feedback from teacher and peers and taking steps to improve.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 200 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 100 | Formal whole-group teaching including teacher-led activities, seminars, and tasks done individually, in pairs or in groups, and individual tutorials. |
| Guided independent study | 200 | Homework tasks; coursework assessments; materials on ELE. |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual Presentation based on listening &/or reading input. | 5 minutes and Q&A session | 1, 4, 6, 7, 8 | Written feedback |
| Group Seminar based on listening and/or reading input. | Five minutes per participant; usually 3 to 5 participants | 1, 5, 6, 8 | Reflective individual and group feedback |
| Writing Exam 1 | 60 mins, minimum 350 words no upper limit | 1, 2, 6, 8 | Written feedback |
| Writing Exam 2 | 60 min, minimum 350-word essay no upper limit | 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 | Written feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual Presentation based on listening &/or reading input | 25 | 5 minutes and Q&A session | 1, 4, 6, 7, 8 | Written feedback |
| Group Seminar based on listening and reading input | 25 | 15-25 minutes, 3 to 5 participants | 1, 5, 6, 8 | Written feedback |
| Writing Exam 1 | 20 | 60 mins, minimum 350 words no upper limit | 1, 2, 6, 8 | Written feedback |
| Writing Exam 2 | 30 | 60 min, minimum 350 word essay no upper limit | 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 | Written feedback |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual Presentation | See Details of summative assessment | 1, 4, 6, 7, 8 | As soon as possible and before APAC |
| Group Seminar based on listening and/or reading input | Group Seminar/ individual interview with interlocutor (as required) | 1, 5, 6, 8 | As soon as possible and before APAC |
| Writing Exam 1 | See Details of summative assessment (deferral) | 1, 2, 6, 8 | As soon as possible and before APAC |
| Writing Exam 2 | Writing Exam ( deferral) | 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 | As soon as possible and before APAC |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for reasons judged legitimate by the Mitigation Committee, the applicable assessment will normally be deferred. See ‘Details of reassessment’ for the form that assessment usually takes. When deferral occurs there is ordinarily no change to the overall weighting of that assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to re-do each assessment you failed (i.e., the ones with a score of 0-39%). Marks awarded in these referred assessment(s) will not be capped at 40%. If the overall module grade, including the referred assessments is 40% or more, a module mark of 40% will be awarded.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Bailey, S., (2018). Academic Writing A Handbook for International Students, Routledge, Abingdon
Paterson K. & Wedge R., (2018). Oxford Grammar for EAP, Oxford University Press, Oxford. https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/oxford-grammar-for-eap
Using English for Academic Purposes Website http://www.uefap.net
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 2 |
| Available as distance learning? | Yes |
| Origin date | 17/07/2020 |
| Last revision date | 10/06/2025 |
