The course
  • You will develop the receptive skills (reading and listening) which you need to follow an English-language course at the university.
  • This course focuses explicitly on the specific characteristics of the more formal academic style. The primary emphasis is on academic vocabulary.
  • You learn to apply the academic register in writing academic texts.
  • You brush up that important grammar you’d forgotten.
  • Practical exercises give you the opportunity of improving your presentation skills.
  • Important: this course demands preparation before each lesson and an active attitude during the lessons. 
 
Target group
  • This course is intended for those with a good basic knowledge of English who wish to further  develop their English language (academic) skills further.
  • Enrolment is open to VUB students only.
Teacher

Charlotte Bollansée

Number of hours

This course is a blended-learning course consisting of 20 hours of synchronous on-campus classes and 10 hours of asynchronous online self-study learning (i.e. 3 lesson hours/week in total). It lasts for one semester and is offered in both the first and second semesters (the registration for the second semester will open in January 2025).

Click here for the timetable & classroom

Please note: Academic English 2 course takes place on Monday between 11am and 1pm. As for any language course, regular attendance in class is important in order to make progress. This is why attendance in class is compulsory. Students who cannot attend one out of two contact hours due to a lesson overlap will not be able to enrol in this course.

Maximum number of participants

25

Registration conditions

In 24-25 this course is only intended for VUB students who can take this course as an optional course in their study program.

To ensure that this is the right course for you, you must first take a placement test. You cannot enroll for this course without passing the test. A few days after participation in the test, you will receive an email with information about the course you are eligible to enroll in (Academic English 1, Academic English 2, Academic English 3, or Academic English 5). The placement test is identical for all these courses. As a result, you can enroll for the test via any of the Academic English course pages. The key is to participate in this placement test first and foremost.

Please note: the placement tests are always scheduled before the course starts. That means that you already have to participate in the test before the start of the course. Unfortunately, you cannot enroll for the course once the deadline for the placement test has passed.

If you wish to register for this course in the second semester, you can participate in the placement test now or at the beginning of the second semester. However, please be mindful of the registration deadline. It is no longer possible to participate in the placement test after this date.   

Register (for the test) from Monday 26 August until Tuesday 24 September. Click here to participate in the placement test.