Academic English and everything you need to know

Academic English is not only essential for international students but also an important key for students studying international programs in Vietnam. So what is academic English and what do you need to know about it?

See also: Foreign languages

1. What is academic English?

It is an English used in academia – colleges and universities in English-speaking countries. This is a separate form of English used in study and research with more complex requirements than communicative English. Academic English equips learners with comprehensive English skills, an essential foundation for entering foreign university lecture halls.

1.1. Distinguish with communicative English

Academic English has a style that often has formal and objective nuances, expressed in different forms such as essays, research articles, presentations… with its own standards of structure and organization.

Communicative English is widely used in daily life activities for the purpose of listening and understanding. Therefore, the sentences and grammatical structures of communicative English are also simpler, easier to convey and absorb.

1.2. Distinguish with specialized English

Academic English is also different from specialized English which is a specialized word system of an industry, while academic is a method of using sentences and grammar in university study and research. If specialized English only serves a specific industry, academic covers more fields.

1.3. Obstacles make academic English difficult to study

Because it is English used in a university environment, not everyone can meet the complex requirements of academic English. The large amount of terms plus the use of complex structures and continuous linking words in sentences is a huge obstacle for students. Not only that, ensuring a logical and coherent text is also very difficult to study for those who are new.

See also: What is specialized English?

2. Where is academic English used?

This kind of English is commonly used in universities, colleges or even high schools with international programs. Students easily encounter academic vocabulary through essays, scientific research, presentations and in citation of documents.

• • Essay and research: An essay should be presented in a systematic and orderly manner, with a title, divided into sections and with enough sections such as summary, conclusion, and references. In terms of language, academic essays often use simple grammatical structures, but sentence structures are long, complex, with many main and minor parts.

• • Citation: Each essay has a specific topic and requires specialized research knowledge. Students need to master how to find and refer to research papers, books, citations and build upon them their essays, all using academic vocabulary.

• • Presentation: A presentation on scientific topics should be fully used with knowledge and skills of academic English, must have a clear structure with coherent transition words.

3. Academic English subject in the international – bilingual schools

In international programs, this subject is not only a subject but also integrated into all modules. In addition to the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, subjects at an international – bilingual school also help students develop more specialized skills such as finding documents, developing research papers, quoting sources, avoid plagiarism, think critically, give presentations, work in groups…

4. Academic English textbooks for reference

Because of the high requirements on style and grammar, academic English cannot be learned simply through listening and speaking with foreigners like communicative English. Therefore, books or textbooks are necessary guidelines for students. Here are the textbooks for your reference:

• • Writing Skills Practice Book for EFL
  • Academic Writing Practice for IELTS
  • Academic Writing: A Handbook for International Student

5. Effective learning method you need to know

• • Read a lot of articles by topic: This will help you quickly become familiar with and recognize the terms in the topic, so that you are not overwhelmed by the amount of new vocabulary but can focus on analyzing the writing style, using use grammar and link sentences.
  • Watch and listen to academic news from the press: Not only reading and writing skills but also listening and speaking academic English are necessary for discussions and presentations, and of course there is no better practice than watching the news on television.
  • Look up the dictionary of synonyms and academic vocabulary lists: This is an extremely effective method to help you improve your vocabulary, avoid repeating words while writing, and improve your reading of documents and articles.

6. List of common academic vocabulary words you can refer to

The number of academic words is infinite, a word can have many variations with the same or nearly the same meaning. Words are also divided into separate fields or topics. It is important that you know what the academic field or the topic you are looking for is, so that you can identify the right vocabulary list to refer to.

7. Academic English teaching centers in Ho Chi Minh City

The curriculum or learning method is sometimes still not enough. Therefore, students are increasingly interested in prestigious centers. A team of teachers with many years of experience teaching international programs – certificates and tailor-made courses are important criteria that you need to consider. Depending on your needs and conditions, you choose the most reputable and suitable center.

See also: What is integrated program?

Intertu Education is currently enrolling IB program courses, AP program courses, A-level program courses, IGCSE program courses. If you have any questions about academic English, please contact us directly, via email or hotline for free advice.