Knowledge and skills
After the course students will be able to:
- Select and evaluate appropriate sources relating to their field of study with a degree of independence
- Produce an extended piece of academic writing that demonstrates an ability to express and support a stance
- Deliver a presentation on a topic related to their field of study
- Enter into, participate in, and lead a seminar or other types of academic discussion
- Develop and engage with reflective learning and critical thinking processes
- Demonstrate competence in strategies to avoid plagiarism, collusion, and the embellishment of data
Structure
- The 7-week face-to-face course will combine live seminars and one-to-one tutorials with weekly asynchronous online lectures, lesson preparation materials and self-study materials completed outside class time.Seminars and tutorials will be conducted synchronously on Taicang campus, while self-study aspects of the course will be organised using XJTLU’s dedicated virtual learning platform, Learning Mall Online (LMO). The last week of the course will include assessments and induction to in-sessional academic English courses.
- The 12-week distance/remote learning course will combine live seminars and one-to-one tutorials with weekly asynchronous online lectures, lesson preparation materials and self-study materials completed outside class time.Seminars and tutorials will be conducted synchronously using the videoconferencing platform BigBlueButton, while self-study aspects of the course will be organised using XJTLU’s dedicated virtual learning platform, Learning Mall Online (LMO). The last week of the course will include assessments and induction to in-sessional academic English courses.
The course will focus on language and transferable academic skills, with typical content covering:
Writing:
- Writing clear and well-organised paragraphs and essays
- Paraphrasing, summarising, and quoting
- Referencing and understanding the principles of Academic Integrity
- Synthesising information from various sources together with your own voice
- Improving cohesion and coherence in your writing
Speaking:
- Giving academic presentations
- Participating in academic seminar discussions
- Using appropriate functional language in academic speaking
- Using information from sources in academic discussions and presentations
Reading:
- Analysing and identifying key features of texts of different genres
- Skimming, scanning, understanding the gist, and reading for detail
- Identifying important information and selecting key ideas
- Evaluating texts (including critical analysis of author, bias, purpose, genre, etc.)
Listening:
- Preparing to attend lectures
- Following the structure of lectures
- Identifying key ideas in lectures
- Taking effective notes during lectures
Academic skills:
- Understanding differences between academic cultures
- Reflecting on and improving your performance
- Managing your time
- Giving, receiving, and acting upon formative feedback to continuously improve your work
- Following a systematic process approach to assessments
Fees
RMB 22,000 (full fees as deposit)
How to apply
Application Deadline:
7-week Intensive Course: 24 June 2024
12-week Part-time PSE Course: 20 May 2024
Payment Deadline:
7-week Intensive Course: 1 July 2024
12-week Part-time PSE Course: 27 May 2024
Places on the 12-week part-time PSE course are limited and available on a ‘first-come, first-served basis’. If you would like to attend the course, please send an email to pgadmissions@xjtlu.edu.cn to indicate your interest in the part-time PSE course option by 20 May 2024.
IF YOU ARE A CONDITIONAL OFFER HOLDER
If you are a conditional offer holder you can also send an email to pgadmissions@xjtlu.edu.cn (Masters Admissions Team, Graduate School) to apply to take the onsite Password English language test provided by XJTLU in lieu of an IELTS/TOEFL or its equivalent. We will arrange a test for you on campus. The results will normally be released within five working days.
Please note that the Password Test is only available to students who have been issued a conditional offer to study at XJTLU. In principle, the University provides one Password Test opportunity for each conditional offer holder.
To complete the Pre-sessional course and be eligible for admission to your XJTLU master’s programme, you are required to:
- fulfill the attendance requirement
- complete all the course assignments and pass the final writing and speaking assessments.
Failing to meet either of the above requirements will be considered as having failed the course and, as a result, failing to meet the English language entry requirement on your current offer. In such a case, your conditional offer will be deferred to the following year and you will be given one more chance to take the PSE course. Admission to your master’s programme will ultimately depend on successful completion of the retaken course.
IF YOU ARE AN UNCONDITIONAL OFFER HOLDER
Unconditional offer holders are also encouraged to take the PSE course because the course is not purely focused on raising English proficiency level but rather also aims to provide essential academic skills to help ease transition between an undergraduate programme at a Chinese institution and a master’s programme at an EMI (English as Medium for Instruction) university like XJTLU. Simply send an email to pgadmissions@xjtlu.edu.cn to apply for course enrollment.
Entry requirements
English level requirements | Programme |
IELTS 6.5, with no single component less than IELTS 6.0 | MA China Studies |
IELTS 6.5, with no single component less than IELTS 5.5 | MSc Media and Communication |
IELTS 6.0, with no single component less than IELTS 5.5 |
|
IELTS 6.0, with no single component less than IELTS 5.0 |
|
IELTS 5.5, with no single component less than IELTS 5.0 |
|
Direct Entry Only |
|
Overview
Our Pre-sessional English (PSE) programme is designed to help students improve and develop their general and discipline-specific English language and study skills, with a particular emphasis on academic writing and speaking, in order to enable them to function effectively in their postgraduate master’s programmes. Taught by lecturers in the XJTLU English Language Centre, our programme is BALEAP(British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes) certified and has been conferred “Validated Programme” status by CIOL (Charted Institute of Linguists).
The programme comprises of 140 hours of teaching and 105 hours of self-study, and there are two options available of two different lengths, i.e., a 7-week summer intensive course, and a 12-week part-time course. The 12-week part-time course is designed for part-time programme students who cannot take the 7-week intensive course and full-time programme students who prefer a longer and less intensive course with the same language and skills focus as the 7-week intensive course.
Once you are accepted onto a Pre-sessional English course, you will not need to retake a language test. This means that you can concentrate on developing your postgraduate study skills.
WHO SHOULD TAKE A PRE-SESSIONAL ENGLISH COURSE?
If you have applied for an XJTLU master’s programme and meet the minimum English language requirements for the course, as shown below, you may be accepted onto the Pre-sessional course subject to Programme Director approval. Upon successful completion of the Pre-sessional English course, your XJTLU master’s offer letter will be changed to “Unconditional” for English level.
If you have already met the English language entry requirement of your prospective master’s programme, you are also welcome to take the PSE course to support improvements in your academic English language skills.
FULL-TIME PSE
PART-TIME PSE