| Unit name | Academic Writing |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LANG00006 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | QCA-3 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Ms. Taylor |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
IELTS writing component: 5.0 (minimum) or equivalent |
| Co-requisites |
Text Response (LANG00010) |
| School/department | Centre for Academic Language and Development |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Academic Writing is a mandatory 30-credit unit within the International Foundation Programme, which is designed to prepare international students for undergraduate study in the UK. It is one of a number of complementary units whose overall aims are to improve the language, academic literacy and subject knowledge required to succeed at a British university.
Academic Writing aims to introduce and practise the process of planning, drafting, evaluating and editing written academic work, moving from paragraphs to essays. It explores a range of academic functions, features of academic style and organisation, and academic grammar and vocabulary in order to improve the students' overall academic literacy.
At the end of this unit students will be able to: (1) plan, write and revise a well organised multi-paragraph essay (500-700 words) in an appropriate academic style using a variety of academic functions with a level of linguistic accuracy sufficient to allow ease of reading and communication of message; (2) evaluate their own learning based on a portfolio of evidence; (3) edit written work effectively (self and peer); (4) recognise and recall key academic vocabulary (Coxhead, 2000).
Learning is facilitated in small group classroom sessions (12-16). Individual and group-based work is integrated as appropriate. Online delivery of materials and self-assessment tools through Blackboard VLE.
This mandatory 30-credit unit involves:
Developmental e-portfolio consisting of 8 pieces of academic writing and 2 reflective pieces(weighting 50%; ILO 1,2,3);
Timed writing 500-700 words in 90 minutes (weighting 30%; ILO 1, 3);
Grammar (editing) test (weighting 10%; ILO 4);
Vocabulary test (weighting 10%; ILO 4).
Bailey, S. (2011) Academic writing: A Handbook for International Students. Targeted materials are available on Blackboard VLE (self-assessment tools, interactive tutorials and all course documents).
