English for Academic Purposes Presessional course

Summary

The English for Academic Purposes presessional course is for international students who have a conditional offer to study at the University on a postgraduate programme, but who do not currently meet the English language requirements. The course is tailored to your level of English and allows you to meet the English language requirements for your programme without retaking IELTS.

Key facts

Type of Course: Presessional english

Duration: 20, 15, 10 or 6 weeks depending on your current level of English and the level needed for your university programme (see programme overview).

Start date: 23 April, 28 May, 9 July or 6 August 2012 depending on length of course (see programme overview).

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

You must be an international student with a conditional offer to study a postgraduate programme at the University of Birmingham. If you are studying in the Business School you may prefer to take our Business Management English presessional course.

IELTS requirements

The minimum IELTS you need for this course depends on the required IELTS score for your University of Birmingham programme.You can find this score on your offer letter.

Use the following table to find out if you have the minimum IELTS score for the English for Academic Purposes presessional course.

Minimum IELTS entry scores
IELTS score on your offer letter
  Minimum IELTS score for EAP
 6.0  5.0 (4.5 minimum in writing)
 6.5  5.0 (5.0 minimum in writing)
 7.0  6.0 (5.5 minimum in writing)

If you do not have the minimum IELTS score for this course you may be able to take the English and Academic Skills presessional course instead.

Contact details

For all information about this course please contact the EISU Senior Course Administrator, Miss Gail Horton: p.g.horton@bham.ac.uk. 

How to apply

To apply for this course, you will need to send us the following:

  • A completed application form (Word - 40KB)
  • A copy of your passport
  • Proof of your current English level (for example, a copy of your IELTS certificate)
  • If a sponsor is paying for you, your sponsorship letter

You can send us these forms and documents:

  • By e-mail: e-mail scanned copies of the forms and your documents to p.g.horton@bham.ac.uk.
  • By fax: fax the forms and your documents to The Administrator ++ 44 (0)121 414 3600
  • By post: send us your forms and copies of your documents to:
    Ms Gail Horton
    Senior Course Administrator
    EISU
    The University of Birmingham,
    Edgbaston
    Birmingham
    B15 2TT,
    UK

Fees and funding

Fees and deposit

To book a place on this course, you will need to pay a £450 deposit. Once you arrive you will need to pay us the balance of the full course fee.

The following fees and deposit amounts currently apply:

Course fees by length of course
Course length Starting date Deposit
  Full fee
 19 weeks
  3 May
  £450
  £4,560
 15 weeks
  31 May
  £450
  £3,600
 10 weeks
  11 July
  £450
  £2,500
 6 weeks
  8 August
  £450
  £1,500

Payment options

There are several ways you can pay us.

Online payment

You can pay using our online shop.

Bank transfer

If you pay using a bank transfer, please make sure that you have added enough money to cover all bank charges. If we have to pay any bank charges, we will ask you to pay us these charges back when you arrive.

Please use the following details to make your transfer:

  • Name: The University of Birmingham
  • Account number: 00030191
  • Our reference: 18670.LPAA.SNC2457- you must include this so that the University's Finance Office know what course you are paying for
  • Branch sort code: 30-19-14
  • Branch name and address: Lloyds TSB Bank, 142 Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2TY, UK
  • IBAN code: GB36 LOYD 3019 1400 0301 91
  • BIC/SWIFT code: LOYDGB21086

Cheque

If you pay by cheque, please make sure that you have added enough money to cover all bank charges. If we have to pay any bank charges, we will ask you to pay us these charges back when you arrive.

Cheques must be in pounds sterling (£). You should make your cheque payable to "The University of Birmingham".

Programme overview

The English for Academic Purposes presessional course will help you to improve your general English, and it will  make you familiar with the special features of academic English so that you can understand and produce it during your time at University. 

Length of course

The length of course you need depends on your IELTS score when you start and on the IELTS score in the offer letter for your programme of study.

What you will study

The course will:

  • Give you practice in listening to natural speech in order to help you overcome difficulties before you start your degree course. This will be using our own materials and the award-winning streaming speech software  
  • Give you practice in developing your listening stamina so that you can concentrate for long periods 
  • Focus on vocabulary items which are made up of more than one word to help you become more precise in your writing
  • Give you practice in the mechanical aspects of using knowledge you have learned from other people's writing in your own writing including paraphrasing, direct and indirect quotations, reporting verbs and tenses, long and short references and bibliographies

Course assessment

Your level of academic English is assessed at the end of the programme by means of a 3,000-word written paper and an oral presentation. To complete the course satisfactorily you must reach a minimum final mark in the assessment and attend at least 90% of the course.

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Student views

'I really appreciated the English-in-your-subject classes because I learnt many new words and it was a good chance to practise reading and writing in my field.'

'The course materials were authentic, very comprehensive, informative and easy to understand with lots of good examples.'