English skills
A realistic Guide to life at UCLan - written by students!
If you haven’t started already then now’s the time to get your English study skills up to scratch so that you can use them effectively during your studies. Learning a new subject can be difficult but if you can get to grips with your academic English skills then you may not get as stressed when it comes to actually writing an essay or presenting to your class mates. There are a number of skills that you will need to master whilst at uni so check out the websites below to give you an idea of some of the skills you will need during your degree.
UEfAP (Using English for Academic Purposes) - This website provides information and advice on Academic Writing, Vocabulary, Reading Skills for Academic Purposes, Accuracy when using English for academic purposes, Listening, Comprehension and Note-Taking, and Speaking in Academic Contexts. There are also exercises for students to work through at the end of each section. This website really is a brilliant starting point for all students entering university.
Skills@library (The University of Leeds) have created these excellent interactive tutorials to support students with their reading skills, writing skills, interpersonal and listening skills, interpreting essay titles and presentation skills.
The University of Bristol provide a useful website for improving your writing and learning grammar and pronunciation. There is also a range of exercises to have a go at.
The Owl at Purdue is a website created by the English Department at Purdue University and is freely available to students. The website has lots of useful information including advice on academic writing skills, the writing process, grammar and mechanics and internet literacy. There is also advice on professional, technical and job search writing for those of you who can't wait to get started on your graduate employability..
Skills4Study has a handy tips section which provides a short and sweet guide to writing essays and includes important key points to consider so if you have a minute then its worth running your eyes over the advice they offer. Alternatively if you have a few more minutes to spare then you can have a look at the writing section which goes into more depth.
Prepare for Success is a website designed for international students preparing for study in the UK. The website has learning activities to help students prepare for academic life and also develop English language skills. Although this website is aimed at international students, some of the information is also relevant for UK students.
Remember, WISER is at hand to help your study skills so if you want to learn more then visit the WISER team, they are friendly and always at hand to help UCLan students.