Unit information: Academic Writing in 2018/19

Unit name	Academic Writing
Unit code	LANG00006
Credit points	30
Level of study	QCA-3
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Mr. Lockett
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	IELTS: min. 5.5 overall; min. 5.0 in writing and 4.5 in other components or equivalent
Co-requisites	Text Response (LANG00010)
School/department	Centre for Academic Language and Development
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

Academic Writing is a 30-credit unit within the International Foundation Programme, which is designed to prepare international students for undergraduate study in the UK. The unit is one of a number of complementary units whose overall aims are to improve the language, academic literacy and subject knowledge required to succeed at a British university.

Academic Writing aims to introduce and practise the process of planning, drafting, evaluating and editing written academic work. It explores a range of academic functions, features of academic style and organisation, and academic grammar and vocabulary in order to improve the students' overall academic literacy.

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Plan, write and revise a well organised multi-paragraph piece of writing in an appropriate academic style using a variety of academic functions with a level of linguistic accuracy sufficient to allow ease of reading and communication of message;
2. Evaluate their own learning based on a portfolio of evidence;
3. Edit written work effectively (self and peer);
4. Recognise and recall key academic vocabulary (Coxhead, 2000).

Teaching Information

Students will attend 6 hours of study per week; there will be 3 lessons of two academic hours per week. Learning is facilitated in group classroom sessions (12-16). Individual and group-based work is integrated as appropriate. In addition to a range of textbooks and authentic texts, use will be made of appropriate e-learning technologies for self-study and self-assessment as well as work in class.

Assessment Information

This 30-credit unit involves both formative and summative assessment.

Assessment for learning:

• Developmental e-portfolio consisting of 9 pieces of writing (weighting 50%; ILO 1,2,3).
  • Students follow a draft / feedback / re-draft process scheduled into the scheme of work.
  • Students receive tutor-led and peer-led formative feedback on the initial drafts and tutor-led feedback on final drafts.
  • A grade is assigned on effectiveness of response to feedback in the final draft of each piece of written work.
• Examination: Timed writing 500-700 words (1.5 hours; weighting 30%; ILO 1, 3);
• Examination: Grammar (editing) test (weighting 10%; ILO 4);
• Examination: Vocabulary test (AWL1-4) (60 minutes; weighting 10%; ILO 4).

Reading and References

Bailey, S. (2011) Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Students. Abingdon: Routledge

Paterson, K. & Wedge, R. (2013). Oxford Grammar for EAP. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Targeted materials are available on Blackboard VLE (self-assessment tools, interactive tutorials and all course documents).