Academic English
Location: Nieuwegracht 94, Utrecht
Level: Advanced (B2/C1)
Are you pursuing a degree taught in English? Or are you going to write your thesis or dissertation in English and may have to present it too? Are you sometimes unsure if you phrase things correctly and would appreciate feedback on this? In this Academic English course, you will hone your academic skills. This will help you to improve your grades, deliver presentations in English easier and spend less time on writing assignments.
About the course
This Academic English course has a dual focus: academic writing and academic presenting. You will get regular, personalised feedback that will help you achieve quick results and gain confidence.
We will work with different academic texts. You will learn how to quickly scan and analyse information from an article. Further, you will also practise building and structuring academic texts and will learn how to use AI as a writing tool.
You will also practise giving presentations. By training your presenting skills often, public speaking will become easier and easier. You will become more fluent in English and will have to search for the right words less frequently.
This Academic English course is suitable for bachelor and master students (HBO &university) with at least a B2 level command of English. Want to know your current
level? Then take our free placement test.
Learning Goals
By the end of the course you will have:
- expanded your academic vocabulary.
- improved your fluency in English.
- learned how to analyse academic texts.
- practised using AI (e.g. ChatGPT) as a writing tool.
- improved your academic writing style.
- learned how to structure an academic paper.
- practised with delivering academic presentations.
- acquired self-study strategies, so you know exactly how best to manage your time while studying.
Method
- During this interactive course there will be individual assignments, but we will also be working in pairs and small groups.
- You will receive regular, structured feedback on both your written work and delivery of presentations. Giving and receiving feedback from fellow students is also part of our didactic approach. We will guide you in this process.
Time investment
- This course consists of 8 meetings of 1 hour and 45 minutes each.
- To ensure that you learn as much as possible from the meetings, we expect you to spend about 2-3 hours a week on self-study. Of course, you will receive class material and assignments for this, which will be discussed in class.
Practical
- The language of instruction is English.
- You can order the necessary books for this course via our special books page. We count on everyone having the material with them on the first lesson, so that we can make a good start right away.
- You will receive a certificate of participation if you have attended 80% of the meetings.
- Do you work at Utrecht University or are you registered as an (exchange) student at this university? Then you will receive a 15% discount. Register with your UU email address and the discount will be automatically
settled.
Schedule
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Starting date: 3 September 2025 (Utrecht)
Day Date Start End Wednesday 3 September 2025 18:00 19:45 Wednesday 10 September 2025 18:00 19:45 Wednesday 17 September 2025 18:00 19:45 Wednesday 24 September 2025 18:00 19:45 Wednesday 1 October 2025 18:00 19:45 Wednesday 8 October 2025 18:00 19:45 Wednesday 15 October 2025 18:00 19:45 Wednesday 22 October 2025 18:00 19:45 -
Starting date: 13 November 2025 (Utrecht)
Day Date Start End Thursday 13 November 2025 15:15 17:00 Thursday 20 November 2025 15:15 17:00 Thursday 27 November 2025 15:15 17:00 Thursday 4 December 2025 15:15 17:00 Thursday 11 December 2025 15:15 17:00 Thursday 18 December 2025 15:15 17:00 Thursday 8 January 2026 15:15 17:00 Thursday 15 January 2026 15:15 17:00
Take our placement test
If you want to take a course at Babel, it is important to take our free placement test.
