Summer IELTS and Academic English Preparation Course 

The aim of our course is to prepare students who are taking the Cambridge IELTS test as an entry requirement for university. During our four week programme, you will learn a range of skills and topics to help you succeed in the IELTS test and improve your academic English for university study.  

On this course students will be taught:

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  • how to prepare for the four IELTS test modules: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking
  • how to develop appropriate exam techniques and strategies to succeed in the IELTS test
  • a range of academic vocabulary on important topic areas such as work and business, health and sport, the environment, education, politics, travel and tourism and the arts

Speaking 

Speaking is a vital skill not only for the IELTS test, but also for studying or working in an English-speaking environment. On this course, we will teach you a range of useful phrases and expressions to improve both your fluency and accuracy as a speaker, as well as giving you detailed advice and instruction on the Speaking test itself. You will learn:

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  • how to give your opinion
  • how to carry on a conversation on a wide range of topics
  • how to give a successful presentation in English
  • how to respond naturally to short answer questions in part 1 of the Speaking test
  • how to increase your fluency for the individual long-turn in part 2 of the Speaking test
  • how to respond to more abstract questions and take part in a discussion in part 3 of the test

In addition, you will benefit from using authentic exam materials and practising speaking with a native teacher of English who will correct your pronunciation and teach you the language as it is actually spoken. 

Writing 

Students who are preparing for IELTS or university study will need to demonstrate a high level of proficiency in writing. On our programme, we will prepare you for the types of writing task you will encounter in the IELTS test and during academic study. You will learn:

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  • how to write an effective academic essay on a range of different topics (as required for IELTS Writing Task 2)
  • how to plan, draft and edit your writing
  • how to organize and structure your writing
  • how to write using an appropriate style and register
  • how to write a statistical report (IELTS Writing Task 1)
  • how to describe the information represented on graphs, charts and tables
  • how to describe a picture diagram

During the course, we will look at models of the IELTS writing tasks and you will have the opportunity to produce your own essays and have them assessed and corrected. 

Reading

Students taking the IELTS Reading test have to read three texts and answer forty questions in one hour. You will be required to find information quickly using a mixture of intensive and extensive reading skills, ignoring irrelevant parts of the text. On this course, we will offer practical advice and suggestions to help you improve your reading speed and understanding of difficult texts. You will learn:

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  • how to increase your reading speed
  • how to skim a text quickly for gist
  • how to scan a text to locate specific information
  • how to navigate a text using headings, subheadings and topic sentences
  • strategies for dealing with Yes/No/ Not Given and True/False/Does Not Say questions
  • techniques for matching paragraph headings
  • techniques for multiple choice and short answer questions
  • techniques for summary completion questions 

Listening 

IELTS is designed to give practice of the listening skills you will need at university to participate in seminars and lectures. On this course, you will be given regular listening tests and taught a number of strategies to improve your listening skills. You will practise:

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  • following the course of a conversation between two or more speakers
  • following the course of a talk or lecture given by a single speaker
  • making notes in a lecture
  • listening for gist
  • listening for specific information
  • distinguishing between main points and supporting detail

By choosing to study on our programme, you will benefit from the opportunity to listen to native speakers of English, both in and outside the classroom.