English for Academic Purposes (EAP)

R3 472

We know that academic language is no one’s mother tongue. Our English for Academic Purposes offering focus on expanding your academic English vocabulary and teaching you the skills to understand content and express yourself with confidence in the academic world.

If you would like to improve your vocabulary and public speaking skills, if you find reading with comprehension challenging, or if it’s hard for you to write essays and assignments in an academic way, these modules will be really useful. We offer them as five-week online offerings, four hours per week.

We offer this programme as a credit-bearing programme (usually great for students, as your results are added to your academic transcript) OR a short course (no credits, but you get a Certificate of Competence on completion). The content stays exactly the same. What will it be?

If you are interested in completing the semester course, please contact SU International, the University’s international office.
2025 dates

Term 1 and 2
Speaking & Language: 10 February – 16 May
Reading & Writing: 10 February – 16 May

Speaking & Language (online): 4 March – 30 May
Reading & Writing (online): 4 March – 30 May

Term 3
Speaking & Language (online): 28 July – 17 October
Reading & Writing (online): 28 July – 17 October

Term 4
Speaking & Language: 15 September – 6 December
Reading & Writing: 15 September – 6 December

Category:

Description

Downloadable documents

2025 Info page

Presenters

Our presenters are friendly, qualified and experienced English language teachers who are passionate about working with students from around the world.

Location

Online or in-person in Stellenbosch

Speaking & Language:

By the end of this course you will be able to –

  • use spoken English in an academic context
  • improve your public speaking
  • plan, organise and write a speech for a presentation
  • create visual presentations to enhance and accompany your speech
  • acquire effective and appropriate speaking and presentation techniques to evaluate speeches
  • listen to a presentation for understanding and ask contextualised questions

Reading & Writing:

By the end of this course you will be able to –

  • use English in an academic context
  • read and summarise a variety of academic texts
  • identify five different essay types
  • build arguments and structure academic writing
  • write, revise and edit a variety of academic texts

The EAP short course consists of two modules: Speaking & Language, and Reading & Writing. You are welcome to register for both or for one course module only. Each EAP module is presented online for 2 hours, twice a week over 5 weeks (4 hours per week; 20 hours per module). Both modules run every term with a final session at the end of the year.

Speaking & Language takes place 16:00 – 18:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Reading & Writing takes place 16:00 – 18:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays.

As this course is presented online, you will need access to a laptop, or desktop computer with a good speaker or earphones and microphone, as well as internet access for the video-call sessions.

Our EAP course is aimed at local SU students, SU staff and members of the public who do not speak English as a first language, but who are required to do an extensive amount of writing, reading and speaking in English for their academic courses. They should be at a general English B2 (Upper Intermediate) level, according to the Common European Framework of References (CEFR).

You may have to complete an online placement test at the start of each module to determine your level. This way our instructors can give you the best possible guidance for where you are at.

Click on the ‘Apply now’ button. This will take you to an MS Form to register your interest in the EAP short course.

You will then be contacted and sent a link to register and pay for the short course. A payment notification e-mail will be sent to you containing your unique reference number. Please e-mail this proof of payment along with a copy of your South African ID and/or passport to Jeanene Olivier at olivierj@sun.ac.za.

You will be accepted into the course once you have paid the fee in full, completed the online registration and after we have received a copy of your identity document/passport.

If you are interested in completing the semester course, please contact SU International, the University’s international office.

Some modules in your study programme might make you feel like you just cannot get ahead. The EAP modules can help you get on top of it all. These modules will give you the tools to feel more confident and perform better academically, and make your learning material more accessible.

The price for each module is R3 307. In other words, it is R3 307 for the Speaking & Language module and R3 120 for the Reading & Writing module. The price includes digital notes.

Please note that the course book for Reading & Writing is not included in the course cost and should be purchased from Van Schaik’s book store on campus prior to the start of the module. The course book details: Academic English – Reading and Writing Across the Disciplines. Pearson. ISBN 9781787260849

Any questions?

E-mail Michelle Pieters at michellep@sun.ac.za.

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