Language Skills Development
Studying and researching in another language is an amazing achievement but can be challenging no matter how fluent you are. The English language programme aims to support and guide you through some of these challenges offering tailored Academic English seminars, Social English workshops, and much more.
The programme is delivered by the Languages EAP Team (English for Academic Purposes) and is free for students and researchers of the universities in Cornwall.

Autumn and Spring terms 2023-24
There are a range of courses running across the year. Full details of courses and registration will be published in September. Please contact the Languages Team with any questions.
Subject-Specific Academic Language Skills
Open to undergraduate and post-graduate taught students, these weekly workshops run in parallel to your degree course. They aim to develop the advanced writing and language skills you’ll need for your studies. You'll be grouped by level (undergraduate or post-graduate) and discipline area to allow for a focus on specific language and style e.g. Language for Renewable Energy Engineering, Language for Business and Law, or Language for Biodiversity and Conservation. The focus of each session is negotiated depending on upcoming assignments and the group's language interests. If English is not your first language, it's strongly recommended that you join the sessions to see how we can help you make the most of your studies.
English in the News
Would you like to find out more about what’s going on both in Britain and around the world? These sessions will give you the chance to discuss the hot topics of the week, increase your vocabulary and develop your speaking and listening skills in a relaxed atmosphere.
Language in Use
These weekly sessions are a chance to review grammar and vocabulary that you may have studied a long time ago or just want to feel more confident about using. We’ll look at elements like tenses, prepositions and articles in a context, and why we use the structures we do, in speaking and writing. The classes are also a good way to meet other international students and ask questions you have about the English language in a relaxed environment.
Social and Current Affairs
Would you like to find out more about what’s going on both in Britain and around the world? These sessions will give you the chance to discuss the hot topics of the week, increase your vocabulary and develop your speaking and listening skills in a relaxed atmosphere.
Creative writing
If you are interested in writing narratives or scripts, or this forms part of your course, these sessions can help you with effective use of tenses in storytelling, vocabulary for description and slang/casual language for natural dialogue.
Sounds of English
These five workshops focus on the pronunciation and delivery of spoken English, and how to develop your speaking and listening skills. We’ll also be looking at aspects of connected speech, and discovering why native speakers can be difficult to understand! Part of the course will involve giving mini-presentations and receiving feedback on pronunciation and the effectiveness of communication.
Professional Communication
This series of 5 workshops focuses on the language and conventions of communicating in a professional environment, including CVs and job applications, as well as email correspondence, and expressions for meetings online and in person. The workshops are repeated across the year so you can fit them around your timetable.
Writing for publication
This course aims to help develop academic writing style and expression, as well as the clarity and flow of ideas. A key part of the course is receiving feedback on samples of writing, and therefore you will be expected to submit written texts of up to 500 words each week. To take into account different levels of experience in writing in Academic English, the first class will be a needs analysis.
Family classes
Open to the spouses and partners of staff/students. These weekly sessions focus on functional English language skills needed to interact with people in shops, restaurants and social situations etc. A great opportunity to ask questions about the English language or British culture, to meet other family members in a similar situation and learn in a friendly, relaxed environment.
Tutorials
Students can also book 1-1 tutorials for language and writing skills feedback on pieces of work. More details available here.