Academic Writing in English for ESL Learners (FutureLearn)

Academic Writing in English for ESL Learners (FutureLearn)

Develop your academic writing skills in English as a second language (ESL) learner and advance your English writing at university. Improve your academic writing skills for essay writing in English. This course will equip you with the skills to write good persuasive essays in English at university level, as well as improve your critical thinking skills, argument reasoning, and use of external sources for writing in English.

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Develop your academic essay writing skills to succeed at an English-speaking university
For many ESL students around the world, it can be challenging to meet the high standard expected for academic writing in English.
As writing is an essential skill in all disciplines and one of the main methods of assessments at university, these challenges can negatively impact student learning progress.

Learn how to write an essay in English using evidence and critical analysis
On this course, you’ll learn the requirements for good academic writing in English.
You’ll have the chance to improve your English writing skills through practice and develop your knowledge of argumentative essay structure and composition.
You’ll also discover how to write critically and analytically using evidence, argument reasoning, analysis and evaluation.

Build your skills in referencing and formatting for academic writing in English
As you improve and evaluate your own work as well as the work of others, you’ll learn how to use external evidence in your English essay writing and how to search for primary and secondary resources.
The final steps of the course will teach you how to format academic essays in English correctly and present your document.

Get ESL training with academic writing experts at UCL
The course is created and led with insights from the UCL Knowledge Lab and the UCL Arena Centre.
As an ESL learner, you’ll learn in an open and collaborative environment where you’ll be supported to share your experiences and resources.

What topics will you cover?

Week 1: The nature of academic writing and argumentative essays

  • The nature of academic writing to university students.
  • Essay structure.
  • Composition skills.

Week 2: Critical thinking and usage of evidence

  • Argument reasoning, analysis and evaluation.
  • Supporting evidence.
  • Critical reflection.

Week 3: Using external resources

  • Searching for evidence: primary and secondary resources.
  • Documentation and formatting.
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