IL3ALWN: Academic Skills and Language for Law (Part 3)

Module code: IL3ALWN

Module provider: International Study and Language Institute

Credits: 0

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Mr Sebastian Watkins, email: s.a.watkins@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 8 September 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module focuses on the academic language and writing skills needed to more effectively manage written coursework assignments, principally essays on part 3 Law modules. It is primarily designed for undergraduate Law students who are entering the UK HE system at part 3 and whose first language is not English. The module aims to support the transition to the UK HE context and academic culture.

The module is non-credit-bearing and designed to support students’ disciplinary study, the expectation being that students will apply the skills they have learnt on IL3ALWN in their credit-bearing work. Therefore, for the module itself there is no assessment.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Apply knowledge of the key written genre in part 3 Law, essays, to interpret assignment tasks and employ appropriate organisational patterns in their completion.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of academic integrity through appropriate use of referencing conventions, including the paraphrase and summary of source material.
3. Employ task-appropriate language (grammar and lexis) in written texts.
4. Demonstrate critical evaluation of their own and others’ writing through completion of guided reading and writing tasks.

Module content

Classes will have the following foci: 

• Understanding the key written coursework assignment genre in Law, essays, including: 
  • expected structural & argumentation patterns and how these differ according to question type  
  • reading-to-write processes and the centrality of source use and synthesis to successful writing in Law 
  • how ‘voice’ and ‘stance’ are realised linguistically within Law assignment texts 
• Key skills for academic writing within Law: 
  • incorporating sources using paraphrasing, summarising and direct quotation 
  • ‘information flow’ in English-language texts 
  • employing linguistic features of textual cohesion to clearly signal relationships between parts of a text 
• Grammar for academic communication, including verb tense and form, nominalisation, and clause and sentence structure. 
• Developing self-confidence in academic communication through guided tasks and discussions 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module takes a discipline-specific, genre-based approach to language and literacy development using example student texts and published Law-specific sources in classroom tasks.  

Teaching and learning is facilitated in a generally task-based approach, through a combination of reflective and productive activities, guided analysis of texts and peer and tutor feedback. The guided analysis of texts involves 'noticing' of key organisational and linguistic features in context and exercises to practise the use of relevant language. 

Interactive tasks are regularly included and are appropriately scaffolded to build students’ confidence in participating in discussion. The in-person delivery of the module will be supported by digital tools in the classroom where appropriate (e.g. short interactive learning tasks and/or quizzes). 

Study hours

At least 6 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

There is no assessment on this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

There is no assessment on this module.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Sessions will take a task-based approach, enabling students to receive feedback from the instructor and from other students during class discussions. 

Reassessment

Additional costs