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FutureLearn

Academic Writing for Second Language Speakers of English

Arden University via FutureLearn

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Overview

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Master academic writing skills for confident university-level English

Worried about writing at university level? You’re not alone. This course gives you the tools to write clearly, confidently, and effectively in English whether you’re writing your first essay or preparing for postgraduate study.

You’ll build the skills that matter: writing clear paragraphs, getting your grammar right, and learning how to put ideas in your own words without accidentally plagiarising.

By the end, you’ll feel confident tackling any academic assignment and expressing complex ideas with clarity.

What makes academic English different?

Discover what makes academic writing different from everyday English and how to adjust your style, tone, and word choices to sound confident and credible in your university work.

You’ll learn the conventions that academics expect and how to adapt across different disciplines.

Writing paragraphs that work and referencing with confidence

Learn to build paragraphs that actually make sense and support your argument. You’ll also master referencing (no more citation confusion!) and get comfortable describing charts, graphs, and data in your writing.

These skills will help you demonstrate academic integrity and strengthen every piece of work you produce.

Paraphrasing and summarising without plagiarism

Understand how to read academic sources and express those ideas in your own words. You’ll practise paraphrasing and summarising techniques that help you engage with research properly whilst avoiding plagiarism, building skills that are essential for success in any academic field.

This course is ideal for international students heading to university, or anyone who wants to strengthen their academic writing in English and feel more confident in their studies and assignments.

Syllabus

  • What is Academic English?
    • Overview of Academic Writing in English
    • Academic English vs General English
    • Academic Paragraphs
    • Summary of Week 1
  • Structuring Academic Texts
    • Review of Week 1
    • What is structure in academic texts?
    • Writing and Structuring Introductions
    • Writing Thesis Statements
    • Writing Conclusions in Academic Texts
    • Verb Tenses
    • Summary of Week 2
  • Academic Integrity and Language
    • Review of Week 2
    • Paraphrasing Strategies
    • Language for Academic Integrity
    • Reflective Writing and Maintaining Academic Integrity
    • Summary of Week 3
  • Referring to Visuals and Data Accurately
    • Review of Week 3: Check What You Remember
    • Types of Visual Data
    • Language for Describing Change for Visual Data
    • Grammar Focus: The Passive Structure and Verbs
    • Writing about Trends from Visual Data
    • Wrap up Activity and Course Review

Taught by

Amanda Welfare

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