Pre-Sessional On Campus

Structure

All Pre-Sessional classes have a Writing/Reading teacher and a Listening/Speaking teacher. All courses consist of a weekly full class session with your classmates and your Writing/Reading teacher, 37.5 hours of group and independent study tasks checked and overseen by your two teachers and small group/individual tutorials /guided independent study with your two teachers.

Students must attend all classes and engage fully with the materials. Students are formatively assessed at the end of each four-week block of teaching, and summatively assessed in all four skills of Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing, at the end of the Pre-Sessional. 

Content

• Academic listening: lecture comprehension and note-taking techniques
• Academic writing skills for essays, reports and other types of university writing
• Research skills
• Academic reading and critical thinking
• Incorporating your reading into your writing: referencing and citation
• Academic speaking: Seminar presentation and discussion skills
• Grammar and vocabulary workshops

Teaching

The Summer Pre-Sessional programmes are taught through interactive seminars, lectures and individual tutorials; the lessons involve small group and pair work teaching, the use of IT skills, and the QMplus online learning system.

The Pre-Sessional programmes are taught by highly qualified teachers who have many years' experience of teaching English for academic purposes to adults at university level and who also teach on our in-sessional  English support programmes.

Assessment

Every week, you give presentations, participate in seminar discussions, and write essays and/or reports. These are assessed by your tutors who provide you with detailed feedback on how to improve the quality of your work.

The end-of-programme assessments are accepted by the UKVI; consequently you do not need to sit an IELTS or other English Language Test at the end of the programme. Our end-of-programme assessments test your Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. In order to progress to your degree programme, the University requires you to attend and successfully complete (by final assessment) the QMUL Pre-Sessional Programme. This means you will need to fulfil all the assessments.

At the end of the programme, you receive a report, which is also sent to the Course Director of your degree programme. The report contains information about your attendance, your final percentage mark and recommendations for further English language courses during term time.

Am I guaranteed to progress to my degree?

You have to pass your assessments in order to progress to your degree.

Entry Requirements

Your offer letter will normally advise you which Summer Pre-Sessional you need to take, and this depends on the English requirements of your chosen undergraduate or postgraduate degree programme. As a general guide, each block leads to a 0.5 improvement in your IELTS score. This is only a guideline. Please see the College website for information on specific English Language Entry Requirements for different courses of study.

For the on campus Pre-Sessional Programme, students requiring Student Immigration Permission will need to take a Secure English Language Test (SELT)

Age Requirements

To enrol on the Summer Pre-Sessional, you must be aged 17 or over by the 1st of September before the course begins.

Joint CAS

For applicants applying for the 5 or 9 week on campus Pre-Sessional English programme, Queen Mary may be able to issue a joint CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) to cover both the Pre-Sessional programme and the main degree programme. This will be set up automatically by the Queen Mary admissions team when the offer is made. To be eligible applicants will need to have their results and hold an unconditional offer for both their Pre-Sessional English programme and their main degree programme in order to begin a CAS application. The applicant cannot have any English component of their test below 5.5, if they do they will only be eligible for a single CAS.

We will be unable to issue a joint CAS after the advertised deadline date.  After this point two separate CAS numbers will be required.  Please be aware that a UKVI IELTS will be required for those applying for a separate CAS.

Please see all information on current programme dates, fees and application deadlines.

How to Apply for the Summer Pre-Sessional Programmes

You can apply for the Summer Pre-Sessional Programme in your student portal once you have received your offer for your main programme.

Step 1: Apply for your Degree Programme

Before you can apply for your Pre-Sessional Programme, you must first hold an offer for an Undergraduate, Postgraduate or Pre-Masters programme.

You can apply for a degree online by finding your desired programme and following the instructions.

• Undergraduate
• Postgraduate

For further information on how to apply, please visit our International webpages.

Step 2: Obtain a Valid Proof of your Level of English.

All Pre-Sessional Programme students must meet Queen Mary's English language requirements and must give evidence of your English language ability by producing an English language test score

Step 3: Apply for the Pre-Sessional Programme.

Once you have accepted your offer for a Queen Mary degree programme, you can apply for the Summer Pre-Sessional Programmes. This is available within your applicant portal under my Application. Click through to the application form by using the purple ‘Pre-Sessional English’ tile. Select the appropriate course length from the options listed.

You will need to upload a copy of your English Language evidence as a part of the application process.

If you are applying via UCAS and wish to study a Pre-Sessional English course please apply using this email address presessionaladmissions@qmul.ac.uk and state which course you wish to be considered for.

Step 4: Accept the Pre-Sessional Programme Offer

Successful applicants will receive an offer for their chosen Pre-Sessional Programme. Please confirm your place by accepting this offer online.

Step 5: Request a CAS

Applicants who require Student Immigration Permission (formerly a Tier 4 visa) in order to be able to study in the UK will require a special reference number called a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). You will be sent instructions on how to request a CAS once you have firmly accepted your unconditional offer. The College will not start assigning CAS numbers for the Pre-Sessional Programme before April of the year you wish to study.

For immigration advice, please visit http://www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk/international/immigration/