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Introduction

Improve your academic English skills further, learning about critical analysis, using sources, avoiding plagiarism and more. Develop the English skills required for extended writing projects and essays. In this course, you will expand your academic English skills and learn the necessary extended writing and research skills for producing a thorough and high standard extended essay. You’ll get an introduction to research tools, writing critically and referencing, as well as learning more about the fundamentals like essay structure, proofreading and avoiding plagiarism. Whether you’re a prospective undergraduate or postgraduate or are currently undertaking university-level study - this course will build on your ability to research, write and reference essays and extended writing projects. What topics will you cover? Week 1 Differentiating between academic writing and other types of writing Choosing the correct structure for an academic essay Analysing essay questions Activating what you already know about the topic Week 2 Searching for information as a starting point to build your knowledge Evaluating resources and reading academic texts Annotating and surveying information from source texts Week 3 Components of a paragraph and the notion of paragraph leader Paragraph development and writing a paragraph Week 4 Understanding how to use facts, statistics and research in your writing Showing critical thinking through a choice of citation type How to incorporate appropriate evidence Avoiding plagiarism Week 5 Writing a plan Essay introductions and conclusions Proofreading Peer support in writing When would you like to start? Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts. Available now What will you achieve? By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to: Assess the difference between academic writing and other types of writing. Identify the different features of an academic essay. Identify appropriate search systems to find reading texts relevant to your topic area. Apply critical reading skills to analyse and evaluate an academic text. Explain why most academic texts are organised into paragraphs. Produce a well-organised, coherent paragraph as part of an academic essay. Identify information from source materials and texts to include in your writing according to the appropriate academic conventions of referencing. Who is the course for? This course is aimed at anyone interested in undertaking academic study in English, but it may be of particular interest to international students. You will require an IELTS English level of 5.5 and above. Who will you learn with? Jonathan Smith I’m an Associate Professor in Technology-enhanced Learning at the University of Reading. I also teach pre-sessional courses in the English language and study skills. Brian Turner I’m an English for Academic Purposes teacher & materials developer at the University of Reading. My research interest is different modes of thought & reasoning across different language & cultures. Who developed the course? University of Reading The University of Reading has a reputation for excellence in teaching, research and enterprise. Learn on FutureLearn Your learning, your rules Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps, but you can complete them as quickly or slowly as you like Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores Join a global classroom Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others Map your progress As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate Join this course Free$0 Upgrade$59 Unlimited$279.99 for one year Join free and you will get: Access to this course for 6 weeks Upgrade this course and you will get: Access to this course for as long as it’s on FutureLearn Access to this course’s tests as well as a print and digital Certificate of Achievement once you’re eligible Buy Unlimited and you will get: Access to this course, and hundreds of other FutureLearn short courses and tests for a year A printable digital Certificate of Achievement on all short courses once you’re eligible The freedom to keep access to any course you've achieved a digital Certificate of Achievement on, for as long as the course exists on FutureLearn The flexibility to complete your choice of short courses in your own time within the year

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An Intermediate Guide to Writing in English for University Study Course - University of Reading

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