Undergraduate (UG) Courses

What will you learn on this course?

The undergraduate (UG) pre-sessional course is designed for students whose first language is not English who wish to pursue undergraduate studies at Durham. The course is suitable for those who have narrowly missed their language condition.

You can join for either 20 weeks, 10 weeks or 6 weeks. 

If you take the 20 week course, the first ten weeks includes a thorough grounding in the listening, reading, writing and speaking skills you will need to participate effectively in your studies at Durham. On the 20 week course, you will study in a mixed cohort of all levels for the first ten weeks, before transferring onto a separate undergraduate or postgraduate taught track for the last ten weeks.

The 10 week course (and the 2nd half of the 20 week course), as well as the 6 week course, focus on developing the following skills:

• Effective reading & navigation of academic articles and other text types
• Notetaking skills
• Summarising arguments from several sources and synthesising these in order to express an academic position
• Learning to avoid plagiarism through effective notetaking strategies, drafting and re-drafting, citation and referencing
• Giving formal presentations and participating in / leading discussions and seminars
• Developing effective lecture listening skills

The pre-sessional course mirrors the academic process that you will typically follow in your department:

• First you engage with academic knowledge through reading and/or through listening to a lecture
• Next, you may present to your peers on your reading and/or take part in a seminar where you develop and refine your understandings through discussion
• Finally, you may produce a piece of writing which engages more deeply with the academic issues you have been engaging with

We believe in developing your academic English, so language feedback and development (e.g. grammar) will often be based on what you write and/or present during the course.

How is the course taught?

You will be in small classes of up to 15 students. You will have at least two teachers you will regularly work with during the pre-sessional. You will be in the classroom approximately 15 hours per week (Monday-Friday) although this varies slightly from week to week, and you will usually attend at least two classes a day each lasting approximately 100 mins.

The course is based around small-group teaching and learning, so you will have continuous opportunities for pair-work, group-work, interaction with your teacher, and chances to practice your speaking and listening in class. Depending on the week, you will also have one-to-one tutorials with your teacher to discuss your progress and work you have produced. You will get detailed written feedback from your teacher to help you improve as the course progresses. Outside class sessions you will have ongoing homework and assessments to work on, so altogether you will be expected to spend at least 25-30 hours a week in total on your studies (this includes class time, tutorials, self-study activity, homework and assessment tasks).

We provide all course materials digitally -  this includes learning materials, readings and supporting videos.

How is the course assessed?

In order to pass the course you will need to attend and participate in at least 90% of scheduled learning activity (including classes and tutorials), complete all assessments (both formative and summative tasks), and achieve the exit level required by your department in your summative assessments.

Assessments include: written tasks based on extensive reading and submitted by specific deadlines; presentations on topics covered during your studies delivered live to your class and tutor; and there might also be a listening assessment. Your pre-sessional course is designed to help you develop your skills in each of these assessment types. You will have plenty of opportunities to practice relevant skills and receive feedback to support your summative assessment performance.