8-week courses

Our 8-week summer pre-sessional course focuses on developing the English language and core study skills you need to study effectively on an academic course in the UK.

Your pre-sessional result will only be valid for entry to academic courses in the 2024/25 academic year.

You can choose to complete the course online from your home country or to join us on campus in Cardiff.

Both the online and on campus 8-week programmes are full-time, intensive courses of approximately 30 hours per week, including class time, tutorials, self-study, homework and assessment.

Course dates

Applications for the 8-week courses are now closed.

8-week A (online only)

The 8-week A course will run from 8 July to 30 August 2024 as a fully online course which you can study from your home country.

The 8-week A course will include live online classes and class tasks, plus online seminars and tutorials between 09:00 and 14:30 UK time (British Summertime) with additional hours of guided practice and self-study. We have designed this focused online course to provide you with the contact hours and practice required to help you improve your language skills and reach the entry level for your academic course.

The deadline to apply for this course is 21 June 2024.

A CAS will not be issued for this course as it can not be studied from the UK.

8-week B (on campus)

The 8-week B course will run from 15 July to 6 September 2024 on campus in Cardiff.

The 8-week B course will include live on-campus classes and class tasks, plus seminars and assessment tutorials between 09:00 and 15:00 UK time (British Summertime) with additional hours of guided practice and self-study.

The deadline to apply for this course is 14 June 2024.

Cost

The course fee for 2024 entry is £3,480.

Entry requirements

IELTS (Academic)

The 8-week courses are for students with IELTS (Academic) 6.0 overall who have a score of 5.5 in Writing (and all other sub-scores at 5.0 or higher) and have a course entry requirement of IELTS 6.5 overall.

*for academic offers requiring 6.5 in writing, applicants must have 6.0 in this sub-score to join the course.

On campus

Applicants for the 8-week B course will need to ensure that they take the IELTS (Academic) for UKVI test or the Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic UKVI test.

Online

Students who are taking the 8-week A course can use a Duolingo, TOEFL iBT (including Home Edition) or the non-UKVI version of IELTS (Academic) or Pearson Test of English Academic to meet our entry requirements. View the PTE, TOEFL iBT and Duolingo requirements.

Course outline

The 8-Week A and B courses will:

• develop your language and skills to prepare you for your academic course at Cardiff University
• include a full teaching programme and course materials that will cover the skills of academic reading, writing, listening, and speaking
• feature ‘guided practice’ materials which provide extra opportunities to develop key areas of academic language and skills, supplemented by self-study materials that you may wish to practise in your own time to check your understanding of different aspects of the course
• offer every student a rich classroom experience: you will be placed in a group of students for your lessons with our experienced and qualified tutors – we hope that you will enjoy working both individually and with the other students in your group as you develop your skills together
• provide tutorials with your teacher and individual feedback on your progress
• offer all students pastoral care from our approachable and caring team
• introduce you to academic life and provide professional guidance on academic issues and expectations

Improving your academic English

This part of the course will focus on the ways we use the English language in an academic context. We will concentrate on the grammatical structures and vocabulary commonly used in presenting academic work while improving confidence in communicating with, and responding to, the academic community.

Study skills

Academic study skills are invaluable and we believe that all university students would benefit from this course. In this part of the course, you will learn and practice the core skills needed to complete your chosen degree programme.

They include skills such as note-taking, summarising, text structure, referencing, data analysis, understanding lectures, making presentations, and participating in seminars and tutorials.

Academic orientation

All students will be familiarised with university resources provided to students enrolled on academic programmes of study and with the conventions and expectations for the presentation of academic work.