Academic Writing for Second Language Speakers of English
Build the writing skills you need for university success. Learn to write clearly, reference properly, and express complex ideas.
Duration
4 weeksWeekly study
4 hours100% online
How it worksDigital upgrade
Free
Academic Writing for Second Language Speakers of English
Master academic writing skills for confident university-level English
Worried about writing at university level? You’re not alone. This course gives you the tools to write clearly, confidently, and effectively in English whether you’re writing your first essay or preparing for postgraduate study.
You’ll build the skills that matter: writing clear paragraphs, getting your grammar right, and learning how to put ideas in your own words without accidentally plagiarising.
By the end, you’ll feel confident tackling any academic assignment and expressing complex ideas with clarity.
What makes academic English different?
Discover what makes academic writing different from everyday English and how to adjust your style, tone, and word choices to sound confident and credible in your university work.
You’ll learn the conventions that academics expect and how to adapt across different disciplines.
Writing paragraphs that work and referencing with confidence
Learn to build paragraphs that actually make sense and support your argument. You’ll also master referencing (no more citation confusion!) and get comfortable describing charts, graphs, and data in your writing.
These skills will help you demonstrate academic integrity and strengthen every piece of work you produce.
Paraphrasing and summarising without plagiarism
Understand how to read academic sources and express those ideas in your own words. You’ll practise paraphrasing and summarising techniques that help you engage with research properly whilst avoiding plagiarism, building skills that are essential for success in any academic field.
Syllabus
Week 1
What is Academic English?
Overview of Academic Writing in English
We hope that this short activity provides you with a sufficient overview of what you can expect over the next few weeks and allows you to get to know some of the learners who will be undertaking this journey with you.
Academic English vs General English
This section will explore the key differences between academic and general English. This will help you inform your writing better and make appropriate language choices.
Academic Paragraphs
In this activity, we explore how to structure paragraphs in academic writing.
Summary of Week 1
In this final activity, we will summarise your first week.
Week 2
Structuring Academic Texts
Review of Week 1
Reviewing what you have learnt is important to progress. What do remember from last week? If there are any areas you would like to work on, go back and repeat the tasks.
What is structure in academic texts?
This section will provide an overview and introduction to structure and also state the learning aims for this week.
Writing and Structuring Introductions
After completing this section, you will be able to: 1. Understand what an introduction is. 2. To write clear and well-structured introductions. 3. Identify and use common language for introductions.
Writing Thesis Statements
As well as using language to signpost your introduction, you can also use it to show your position on the topic. In this section, we will look at how to write clear and engaging thesis statements, also known as position statements
Writing Conclusions in Academic Texts
The following activities will help you to understand what a conclusion is, how they are structured, and how you can write them.
Verb Tenses
In this final section, we will review verb tenses in order to understand why different verb tenses are used in different sections of our assignments.
Summary of Week 2
Summary and main take aways for week 2.
Week 3
Academic Integrity and Language
Review of Week 2
When learning something new, it’s important to practise and repeat. So let’s do this quiz to find out what you remember from last week when we looked at structure, namely introductions and conclusions.
Paraphrasing Strategies
In this section we will reflect on what paraphrasing is and then review three strategies that you can use to paraphrase effectively in your assignments.
Language for Academic Integrity
In this section we will investigate how to use modal verbs effectively in your academic writing.
Reflective Writing and Maintaining Academic Integrity
Reflective Writing and Maintaining Academic Integrity
Summary of Week 3
Summary and main take aways for week 3.
Week 4
Referring to Visuals and Data Accurately
Review of Week 3: Check What You Remember
The following multiple-choice quiz helps you review key points from the previous week. It is a quick way to check your understanding and identify areas that may need more practise.
Types of Visual Data
In this section, you will learn how to identify different types of visual data commonly used in academic writing, such as line graphs, pie charts, and bar charts.
Language for Describing Change for Visual Data
In this section, you will learn how to describe graphs and charts clearly and accurately using academic language. You will practise identifying trends, describing changes, and using precise modifiers to show the size/direction.
Grammar Focus: The Passive Structure and Verbs
This section explores how sentence structure affects tone and objectivity in academic writing. You will learn why the passive voice is often used to emphasise results rather than the person performing the action.
Writing about Trends from Visual Data
In this section, you’ll practise interpreting and describing trends in workplace wellbeing data.
Wrap up Activity and Course Review
In this final section, you will reflect on everything you have learnt over the past four weeks. Activities include recalling key topics, reviewing your progress, and identifying areas for further practice.
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Practice key academic grammar to improve your accuracy
- Develop an awareness of academic style
- Explore common errors that students make and how to avoid them
- Develop your academic vocabulary
- Collaborate with other learners by engaging in academic discussions online
Who is the course for?
This course is ideal for international students heading to university, or anyone who wants to strengthen their academic writing in English and feel more confident in their studies and assignments.
Who will you learn with?
I'm a senior English for Academic Purposes lecturer at Arden University. I have a masters of Education from Bath University and have published several coursebooks and articles.
Hi, I'm an English for Academic Purposes Lecturer at Arden University based in Birmingham. I have a Masters degree in Applied Linguistics and TESOL.
Lecturer in English for Academic Purposes at Arden University, researching digital pedagogy, reflective learning, and strategies for enhancing students’ academic communication skills.
Who developed the course?
Arden University
Arden University has a proud heritage in providing flexible and accessible higher education. We’ve grown and evolved from our beginnings in 1990 as the chosen online learning partner for universities across Britain, to offer a new kind of learning experience, providing both online and blended learning degree courses that meet the changing needs of modern life.
What's included?
Arden University are offering everyone who joins this course a free digital upgrade, so that you can experience the full benefits of studying online for free. This means that you get:
Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn
Learner reviews
Learner reviews cannot be loaded due to your cookie settings. Please and refresh the page to view this content.
Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...
More courses you might like
Learners who joined this course have also enjoyed these courses.
Browse more in Language and Study Skills
