Improving Your Academic English in One Semester

Academic English is a skill you build a little every day. Start with the reading your lecturers set and note ten new words a week. Our tutors in Rondebosch see first-years on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Bring a draft essay and we will go through it with you, one paragraph at a time.

Good writing is clear thinking that has been given enough time. Dr Ayesha Patel, Senior Lecturer

If you want more structure, join Academic English Writing and Speaking. It runs alongside your normal timetable. Practise out loud, ask questions in tutorials and read your essay aloud before you hand it in.

Build a weekly reading habit

Pick one article from your course each day and read it with a pen in hand. Underline words you do not know, then write a short sentence using each one. After a semester you will notice that lecture notes and set books feel much easier to follow.

Why speaking practice matters

Many students write well but go quiet in tutorials. Form a small study group and explain one idea to each other every week. Speaking it aloud shows you quickly what you understand and what still needs work before the exam.