• The Open University

Learning English for Academic Purposes: First Steps

Develop the academic language and study skills you need to learn in English at university.

32,432 enrolled on this course

A small group of students celebrate graduating while a friend photographs their celebration
  • Duration

    6 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours

Improve your English listening, speaking, reading and writing.

This online course will give you an introduction to the academic language and skills that you will need to study at a university where the teaching is done in English.

You will develop four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) using tasks that a university student would undertake: listening to lectures, taking notes, spoken presentations, reading academic texts (including long sentences and visual information) and writing reports using proper academic words.

Throughout the course you will be able to share your practice work with other learners, to give and get feedback.

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What topics will you cover?

  • Developing strategies and vocabulary for reading and understanding academic texts.
  • Finding, understanding, describing and evaluating information for academic purposes.
  • Developing active listening and effective note-making skills.
  • Building on language skills to describe problems and cause-and-effect.
  • Gathering a range of information, using the skills learned, to integrate into your written report.
  • Engaging in peer-to-peer feedback before finalising your report.

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...

  • Apply strategies for reading academic texts
  • Assess the relevance of information for an academic purpose
  • Describe problems and cause-and-effect using academic language
  • Develop your academic vocabulary and vocabulary skills
  • Produce effective notes from a spoken presentation
  • Collaborate with other learners by engaging in peer-to-peer feedback
  • Synthesise information and use it to begin writing a short piece of academic work
  • Produce a final written piece of academic work using the skills learned

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for students who want to study in English at university. You’ll need an English language level of IELTS 5.5.

Who will you learn with?

I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics at the Open University and look back at 20 years of designing and facilitating distance learning opportunities including MOOCs

OU associate lecturer and materials writer. I have written materials on business communication, Academic English and Italian.

I began my English teaching career in China 14 years ago. On my return to the UK I completed my MA TESOL and have since then specialised in teaching EAP as well as writing course materials.

Who developed the course?

The Open University

As the UK’s largest university, The Open University (OU) supports thousands of students to achieve their goals and ambitions via supported distance learning, helping to fit learning around professional and personal life commitments.

  • Established

    1969
  • Location

    Milton Keynes, UK
  • World ranking

    Top 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020

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

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