Do you need to improve your English language skills to study in the UK?
An Oxford Brookes pre-sessional English course will help you to meet the English language requirements of your chosen course. Even if your current English qualifications are high enough, you may choose to take this course to boost your confidence in English (writing, reading, listening and speaking) before starting your degree.
“Taking pre-sessional English has prepared me a lot for my master’s degree. Before I didn’t know how to do academic writing, academic reading, or critical thinking so during the course I learned a lot to prepare myself. The teaching method was brilliant.”
Samirah Altukhaim, pre-sessional English graduate
You may be asked for proof of your English Language level so that you can study at a UK University. Normally this is an IELTS certificate, but Oxford Brookes University can accept many different English Language qualifications from around the world.
If your qualifications do not meet our English requirements, Oxford Brookes can offer you another way to improve your English. We run pre-sessional University English courses in the UK for a variety of levels on campus, and now we offer some of these courses online too!
Depending on your current IELTS level and the IELTS level you need for your course you can join our course in September, January, June or July.
For the on campus study options, you will need a UKVI-approved SELT Certificate issued in the last two years.
More information on entry requirements can be found on the University English course page.
You will need to apply through our direct application portal. This is where you can upload your supporting documents.
Yes, you can join our distance learning course in September, January or June. The course is 12 weeks long and you will need IELTS 5.5 overall with no score lower than 5.0. If your IELTS score is lower than this, we offer options to study on campus instead.
We also run a 6 week distance learning course starting in July only for students who already have an IELTS 6.0 overall score but are looking to improve one or two individual scores, or you could join the 12 week course if you prefer more time focusing on your studies.
Because this is a distance learning course you do not have to have a UKVI-approved SELT Certificate issued in the last two years. We can use any of the English Language qualifications accepted by Oxford Brookes.
You also don’t have to hold an undergraduate or postgraduate offer from Oxford Brookes University in order to take the University English course, but if you do want to study on campus with us immediately after your University English course, you should already have this offer from us in place to make it easier for you to apply for your visa.
June entry:
12 weeks (on campus) - Application deadline: 30 April 2023
12 weeks (distance learning) - Application deadline: 15 May 2023
July entry:
6 weeks (on campus) - Application deadline: 30 May 2023
6 weeks (distance learning): Application deadline: 1 July 2023
June entry teaching period: 2 June to 25 August 2023
July entry teaching period: 13 July to 25 August 2023
Semester 1 induction begins: 18 September 2023
Teaching is organised into modules covering writing, reading, listening and speaking. This also includes language and vocabulary development as well as study and research skills.
You will have an academic advisor available for set ‘pop-in’ hours and official meetings throughout the course. They can help you with any academic issues and questions you might have.
Assessment could be through essays, in-class tests, presentations, group work and portfolio assignments.
If you are studying one of our distance learning courses, all sessions are live and interactive. They are delivered in the UK during the early morning which means the early evening in China and Japan (for example).
Depending on your offer and the IELTS level you enter with, you will either need to pass the pre-sessional English course with 50% or 60%. Your results are normally released 10 days after completing the course and if you are successful and plan to progress to an Oxford Brookes course on campus in the UK, we will help you apply for your visa.