6-Week Postgraduate Pre-sessional English

6-week Postgraduate Course

Online Delivery

The 6-week Postgraduate Pre-Sessional English online course is a full-time academic English language and study skills programme that takes place ahead of your forthcoming degree studies. The course offers an alternative way to meet the English language conditions needed to study for your degree at the University of Warwick.

There is no formal award for these courses - successful completion of the course will allow you to meet the English language condition of your offer. Joining the Pre-Sessional English course will help you to develop further your language and study skills, allow you to feel more self-confident and better prepared when you begin your future studies - it will also give you an opportunity to collaborate with fellow students before your main degree starts.

Key Information

Mode of Study: Full-time

Delivery Mode: Online

Duration: 6 weeks

Course Dates: 21 July - 29 August 2025

Cost: £3360

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Syllabus

Course Overview

The 6-week Pre-Sessional English online course for postgraduate students allows you to develop the specific academic language and study skills that you will need in order to follow and engage in your future degree subject.

By the end of the programme, you should be able to:

Read critically, and demonstrate this through selecting relevant and appropriate texts and extracting, analysing and evaluating relevant information, perspectives and arguments.
Make appropriate and principled linguistic choices to communicate effectively, demonstrating an awareness of academic genre(s).
Recognise and apply key epistemic and structural features of academic texts relevant to the discipline.
Understand and critically reflect on the academic culture, practices and expectations of UK Higher Education Institutions.
Interact with others effectively to co-construct understanding.
Present an informed position on a topic discussed.

Modules

Module Outline

The Postgraduate Pre-sessional English module is designed to help you understand and build confidence with the conventions, demands and expectations of your future discipline area. You will work in subject-specific groups, and there is a focus on the particular texts and genres that you need to cope with to engage effectively in discipline-based study. During your work on the module, you will practise the skills of searching for appropriate source materials, integrating your reading into structures of exposition, argument, and discussion, using the norms of citation for your discipline. You will also practise discussion of issues arising from your listening or reading material. This module focuses on collaborative work as a way of developing key postgraduate skills such as critical thinking.

The module aims to help you become a more independent and self-confident learner, ready to face the demands of postgraduate study. You will develop a range of language, academic and study skills, centred around the discipline of your chosen future postgraduate programme. You will develop the skills to enable you to make effective use of your reading and to present this appropriately to prospective readers. You'll learn how to take notes from a lecture or class, and to use these in your written or oral work. You will work on the development of the skills needed to speak confidently and effectively in small groups and in more formal situations, such as individual and group presentations.

Subject specific skills

Critical engagement with complex texts
Identifying and using relevant information from academic source texts to incorporate into academic assignments
Linguistic knowledge of academic texts: vocabulary and academic style; grammar and sentence/paragraph structure
The writing process: generating ideas, planning, drafting and editing
Reading strategies and comprehension skills: navigating texts, getting the gist, identifying key points
Paraphrasing, summarising and synthesising from sources
Follow conventions of citing and referencing
Conduct guided research effectively
Listen effectively to longer spoken texts and be able to reproduce main arguments
Take effective notes from spoken input
Use pre-, during and post-listening techniques to develop comprehension of a spoken text
Orally summarise key points of a spoken text
Be an active, reflective and critical participant in small and large group discussions
Use language appropriately to refer to sources, visuals and to signpost

Transferable skills

Note-taking
Library skills (e.g. finding and evaluating sources)
Referencing
Academic reflection
Time management
Self-evaluation
Presentation skills
Self-reflection
Interpersonal skills
Digital Literacy
Engaging with AI
Team working

Teaching and Assessment

How will I be taught?

This 6-week Pre-sessional English course will be delivered online via seminar groups and tutorials with both asynchronous and synchronous (live) activities - the average class size is 12 students.

During the programme, you will receive 15 hours of live 'classroom' contact time per week and 2 hours of tutorial time, in addition to the time required to complete interactive materials online. You are expected to actively engage in:

Seminar activities and discussion forums with the class;
Collaboration on set tasks;
Independent learning;
One-to-one or small group tutorials;
Large group online lectures;
Independent study as directed.

How will I be assessed?

There will be a range of formative assessments during the course, and two summative assessments, a Written Portfolio and a Seminar Discussion.

More information about the grades required and progression to your main degree programme are available in our FAQs.

Online Learning

Online Classes

It is important to make sure that you have your IT set up so you can learn online effectively.

Device Specifications

The following is our recommended specifications, but please don’t worry if you do not have a device which meets these criteria. It is most useful to have a Windows 10 Operating System and Microsoft Office 2016+.

Laptop/Desktop:
- 2.06Ghz CPU (Dual-core)
- 8GB RAM
- 500GB Hard/SS Drive (3.0GB available)
- Sufficient WiFi
- 12 inch screen
- Ethernet port/adapter and Ethernet cable (if you’d like reliability of wired connection)
- Webcam or laptop with built in camera, ideally a headset with microphone
- USB 2.0port if you have a USB headset
- Mouse, mat, keyboard, necessary input/output leads
Operating System/Software
- MS Windows 8 or higher
- MS Office2016+
- Latest version of Chrome
For a Mac:
- Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan or later

You will predominantly be using Teams (App), Moodle (VLE - Virtual Learning Environment) and SharePoint.

Broadband Speed Test

It would be highly beneficial to check your broadband speed before the programme starts. You should do this where you will be learning, including the room you will be using. Please test your broadband speed with all other devices in the household turned off.

There are some common problems that you may experience studying online including broadband connection problems. Here are some other tips if you're struggling with the WiFi:

Ensure you are working as close as possible to your broadband router/wireless access point
Avoid using large numbers of other wireless connected devices such as as mobile phones, tablets, games consoles, internet connected devices etc
Close any extra unused web browser tabs that you are not using
Make sure you are not using any video or music streaming services at the same time
If possible, connect your laptop to your broadband router/wireless access point via a wired Ethernet/network cable for maximum performance.

Entry Requirements

You are eligible for the 6-week Postgraduate Pre-Sessional English course if:

Your first language is not English;
You have an offer to study a Postgraduate degree at the University of Warwick for entry in 2025/26, with an outstanding English language condition;
You meet the English language requirements for the 6-week Pre-Sessional English course as outlined below.

The English language requirements for the Pre-Sessional course will depend upon which Postgraduate degree you will be studying at Warwick and what the English language requirement for this course is (Band A, B, or C). Please review the table below to see the criteria that will relate to you - you may need to check the English language requirementsLink opens in a new window for your Postgraduate course if you cannot see this information in your offer.

The entry requirements for WMG students have been specifically set in conjunction with the WMG department, to reflect their recognition that students who successfully complete the Pre-sessional English course are at a suitable level for postgraduate study in the department.

English Language Test	Requirement for 6-Week Pre-Sessional (WMG Postgraduate Courses)*	Requirement for 6-Week Pre-Sessional (Band A Postgraduate Courses)**	Requirement for 6-Week Pre-Sessional (Band B Postgraduate Courses)	Requirement for 6-Week Pre-Sessional (Band C Postgraduate Courses)
IELTS Academic (and IELTS for UKVI) IELTS 'One skill Retake' not acceptable	IELTS 6.0 overall, with a maximum of two components at 5.5, and two components above 5.5	IELTS 6.0 overall, including Speaking - 6.0, Listening - 5.5, Writing - 6.0, Reading - 5.5	IELTS 6.5 overall including Speaking - 6.5, Listening - 5.5, Writing - 6.5, Reading - 5.5	IELTS 7.0 overall, including Speaking - 6.5, Listening - 6.0, Writing - 6.5, Reading - 6.0
TOEFL iBT/TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition (MyBest Scores not accepted)	TOEFL iBT 82 overall including Reading - 19, Listening – 19, Speaking – 22, Writing – 20	TOEFL iBT 87 overall including Reading - 22, Listening – 21, Speaking – 23, Writing – 21	TOEFL iBT 92 overall including Reading - 19, Listening – 19, Speaking – 22, Writing – 21	TOEFL iBT 100 overall including Reading - 22, Listening – 21, Speaking – 22, Writing – 21
Duolingo (Only Duolingo tests that provide individual Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening component scores are acceptable to meet English language conditions)	110 overall, with 110 in two components, no lower than 100 in other components	110 overall, with 110 in Writing and Speaking, no lower than 100 in Reading and Listening	120 overall, with 120 in Speaking and Writing and no lower than 100 in Reading and Listening	130 overall, with 120 in Speaking and Writing and no lower than 110 in Reading and Listening
Pearson Academic (PTE)	Not acceptable for entry	60 overall, including Reading - 59, Listening - 59, Speaking - 59, Writing - 59	Not acceptable for entry	Not acceptable for entry
LanguageCert	Not acceptable for entry	Not acceptable for entry	Not acceptable for entry	Not acceptable for entry

*Not applicable to the MSc Innovation and Entrepreneurship - students joining this course will need to meet Band B requirements.

**Students holding offers with Warwick Medical School and Centre for Lifelong Learning will need to achieve specific component scores in addition to these publicised levels.

Medical School taught courses (Band A) will require a 6.0 in the Reading and Writing components.

MA in Career Development and Coaching Studies (Band B) will require a 6.5 overall with 7.0 in speaking and listening.

Testimonials

"I thoroughly enjoyed this online course. The clear and well-organized schedule, engaging teaching from the instructors, and rich content have laid a solid foundation for my future studies.
I particularly liked the section on the Cornell Note-taking method, which was new to me and I found it to be very effective when combined with academic literature reading. Additionally, the writing course provided detailed instructions on how to write literature reviews, which is extremely practical! Lastly, the group assessment format for oral skills, although challenging, provided comprehensive training in speaking, listening, and critical thinking.
If anyone encounters any confusion or difficulties, they can always seek help from their tutor, who are all very warm and reliable!"

Fanying Wu
Current Postgraduate Education Studies student at Warwick

"One aspect of the course that I particularly enjoyed was the academic circle approach used during the classroom activities. This method not only helped lessen the reading load but also made the reading process much more engaging. I found this approach so effective that I have adopted it in my own teaching to enhance the way reading is taught.
Another particularly useful aspect of the program was the emphasis on effective note-taking strategies. This skill proved invaluable in my subsequent studies in the MA program. Learning how to take comprehensive and organized notes helped me efficiently capture key information during lectures and readings, and enabled me to engage more deeply with the content."

Mengdie zhou
Current Postgraduate Applied Linguistics student at Warwick

"I had an excellent learning experience. I liked the course curriculum, which gave me a full understanding of what my future academic study would look like, and I was well equipped to deal with difficulties in my future academic learning. For example, the course covered how to read literature and how to conduct group discussions, both of which are skills that I can use in my subsequent academic life. In addition, as we were grouped based on our major, the teaching content was also more specific to our major. It was useful to rehearse my following study life in advance to ease my nerves for my formal studies. What’s more, even though it was online, the teachers used various ways to make it a good learning experience for us. Teachers use a variety of information and communication technologies to teach, which are loved by our students. Further, as a TESOL student, I have learned about various technologies that can help diversify the classroom, which I want to use in my future classroom. There are also some tips for you guys. Please take each lesson seriously. They are very useful to subsequent learning life. Feel free to ask tutors any questions. Tutors are all professional and friendly."

Xiny
Current Postgraduate Applied Linguistics student at Warwick

Applying

Applications for the 6-week Postgraduate Pre-sessional English (Online) Course for 2025 will close on 9 June 2025.

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After you have applied

Your application for the 6-week Pre-Sessional English course will be assessed once you have received a decision on your postgraduate degree application.

Apply now