ILMAL2B: Academic Language Skills 2

Module code: ILMAL2B

Module provider: International Study and Language Institute

Credits: 0

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Professor Liz Wilding, email: e.a.wilding@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module aims to:  

• help students develop their academic language skills to the level necessary for successful engagement with their university degree programme study. 
• enhance students’ ability to successfully engage with assessed coursework on UK Postgraduate degree programmes through awareness of academic values, expectations, and practices.  

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Listen to and understand the key points from academic lectures, taking effective and selective notes to meet the required purpose
2. Read academic texts purposefully to identify main ideas, key points and particular details
3. Write clear, detailed exam-style academic essay texts under timed conditions, synthesising and evaluating information and arguments from different listening and reading texts
4. Explain and develop ideas on an issue through effective participation in an organised conversation about a given topic
5. Write a critical review of research articles in one discipline showing suitable text selection, organisation, and language to describe, compare and evaluate research
6. Drawing on a range of oracy skills, deliver an individual oral presentation reflecting on academic practice

Module content

The module will take a task-based, contextualised approach which integrates practice and development of academic English communication skills around accessible, interdisciplinary academic themes. It will help students to acquire the skills and knowledge to engage effectively with tasks common to UK postgraduate degree programmes by:

• Raising students' awareness of the range of coursework genres used for assessment on UK university degree programmes
• Analysing the purpose, stages and features of key genres through samples by proficient speakers/writers
• Analysing a sample research article in terms of structure, strengths & weaknesses to replicate this process for their article choice
• Applying given evaluation criteria for analysing research articles/studies
• Selecting appropriate articles from a reading list
• Producing sections of the tasks with guided supported practice i.e. improving the response through tutor feedback on draft work
• Constructing the final response to the tasks independently [of the tutor] for final assessment
• Practice of academic language appropriate for the context of the oral and written genres and topics
• Practice of academic reading and reading-into-writing skills, and listening and listening-into-writing skills

The module will also include some focus on exam practice activities in preparation for the final test.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will take a task-based, contextualised approach which integrates practice and development of receptive (listening, reading) and productive (speaking, writing) academic English communication skills around accessible, interdisciplinary academic themes.

The module will adopt an overall ‘genre’ approach, taking the social purpose of texts as the starting point to explicate organisation/structure and key language features.

The module consists of interactive classes, and guided independent study tasks. Guided Independent tasks are completed without a teacher. The tasks include preparation for the next class or a review of material taught.

Study hours

At least 128 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

An overall passing grade – equivalent to 6.5  with no element (Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing) below 5.5  – is required for students to meet the University English language requirement.

The assessment will be calculated using sub-skill elements as follows:

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs