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Heriot Watt University

The English Section,
Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies

Pre-sessional courses

Our Summer Pre-sessional is a 12-week intensive course designed to help you adapt to your new living and study environment. We help you find ways to manage the large amount of information that will confront you in your studies and we work with you to develop your academic writing and speaking skills so you can show your tutors what you have learned. We provide opportunities for you to use your knowledge of English in authentic study tasks such as research and writing for essays and projects.

The course is intended for students who have already reached the required language proficiency for their degree studies. You can top up your language skills and learn how to study in a UK environment.

It is also suitable for students who are below the required proficiency.

If your English proficiency is almost at the required level, eg IELTS 5.5 - 6.0 with all four language skills at 5.5 or above, you should be able to reach the required level if you study hard for 12 weeks. A grade C in our course assessments, together with attendance of 85% or more, is sufficient evidence for Heriot-Watt admissions tutors that you are ready for university study and you do not need to resit external exams such as IELTS or TOEFL.

If your level of proficiency is IELTS 5.0 or below, or you have a low score for writing or speaking, you can prepare for entry onto our year round Foundation English programme.

When you arrive you will be given a short test and an interview to make sure that you are placed in the most suitable class for you. You study in undergraduate and postgraduate streams, depending on your future degree course. Every two weeks you have an individual tutorial with your tutor to discuss your progress or any personal matters.

Tutors use authentic tasks and materials drawn from textbooks and journals to target the study of English to the academic context. For listening practice we have a series of lectures specially recorded by lecturers at Heriot-Watt University.

There are exams in all skills at the end of block 2 and assessment through a research project (postgraduate) or essay (undergraduate) at the end of block 3.

A good pass in these assessments is sufficient evidence for admissions tutors that you are ready for university study and you do not need to sit external exams such as IELTS or TOEFL.

Please note :

• Students need to have studied for a minimum of 4 weeks to take exams at the end of block 2.
• Students need to have studied for a minimum of 4 weeks to follow the block 3 syllabus.
• Students who join in block 3 will study the block 2 syllabus and take the block 2 exams.

In block 3 you are expected to work independently to research and present a project or essay using language and skills you have learned in blocks 1 and 2. Students who join only for block 3 do not, therefore, receive as much language input as those who join earlier in the course.

Dates for 2007

Block One : 25 June - 20 July 2007
Block Two : 23 July - 17 August 2007
Block Three : 20 August - 14 September 2007

Students can apply for 12 weeks, 10 weeks, 8 weeks, or 4 weeks.