PRE-SESSIONAL ENGLISH
2015

TEN-WEEK PROGRAMME
STUDENT’S HANDBOOK

Contents
1 Programme description 1
2 Successful completion 1
3 Programme structure 2
4 Teaching schedules 3
5 Materials 3
6 Homework 4
7 Teaching and learning 4
8 Research project 5
8.1 Research project part 1: The written assignment 5
8.2 The written assignment schedule 6
8.3 Research project part 2: The oral presentation 6
8.4 Audience 7
8.5 Assessment 7
9 Deadlines 7
10 Being a pre-sessional student 7
11 Mobile phones and tablets 8
12 Student attendance, late arrivals and absences 8
13 Changing class times 9
14 Communication and course management 9
15 Important meetings during the programme 10
16 Student support: who to ask for help 10
17 Useful contacts 11
18 Complaints 11
19 Appendix 1: Weekly scheme of work 12
20 Appendix 2: Reading goals, syllabus and assessment 14
21 Appendix 3: Writing goals, syllabus and assessment 15
22 Appendix 4: Grammar and vocabulary goals, syllabus and assessment 16
23 Appendix 5: Seminar skills goals, syllabus and assessment 17
24 Appendix 6: Presentation skills goals, syllabus and assessment 18
25 Appendix 7: Listening goals, syllabus and assessment 19
26 Appendix 8: Research project schedule 20
27 Appendix 9: Research project titles 21
28 Appendix 10: Writing assessment criteria 25
29 Appendix 11: Presentation skills assessment criteria 28
30 Appendix 12: Extension request form 31

1 Programme description

The Pre-sessional Programme is a short, intensive course designed for students who need to improve their English language level before starting a degree programme at Newcastle University. The course concentrates on academic English and preparing students for university study in the UK by:

helping them develop the language and academic skills needed to successfully embark upon a degree programme in an English language university enabling them to adjust to the demands, challenges and expectations of UK higher education and culture providing them with a short period of time to adapt to living and studying in the UK prior to beginning their academic studies.

There are two entry requirements: academic and language. Firstly, students must already hold an offer of a place on a degree programme at Newcastle University. Secondly, the standard language entry requirements for the ten-week programme are as below:

Faculty
IELTS
Science, Agriculture and Engineering
5.5 (with a minimum of 5.0 in all subskills)
Humanities and Social Sciences,
6.0 (with a minimum of 5.5 in all subskills)
Medical Sciences
6.0 (with a minimum of 5.5 in all subskills)

Note that some degree programmes require a higher English language level for entry to the Pre-sessional English course.

There are two cohorts: a ten-week and a six-week cohort. Each cohort is made up of two types of students: continuing students and new students. The continuing students have been studying on the English for University Studies (EUS) programme at INTO Newcastle for at least one term. Continuing and new students may be mixed in the same class.

Classes are typically made up of approximately 85% Chinese and 10% Saudi students in their early twenties. The vast majority of students will progress onto postgraduate courses, many with the Newcastle University Business School (40%), The School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering (10%) and The School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences (10%).
2 Successful completion

For students to progress to their degree programmes they need to successfully complete the Pre-Sessional Programme.

'Successful completion' requires students to meet all of the following criteria:
Attendance on the programme (minimum 90%)
Satisfactory completion of both a written assignment and presentation
Completion of all components of the final assessment

Please note that students do not need to obtain a particular score in their final assessment to proceed to their