IF0COM2: Communication, Language, and Academic Skills 2

Module code: IF0COM2

Module provider: Global Academy

Credits: 40

Level: F

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Professor Liz Wilding, email: e.a.wilding@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s): IN THE SAME YEAR AS TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE IF0COM1 (Compulsory)

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

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 20 July 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module will help students to build on the academic English and study skills developed in IF0COM1, supporting them in meeting the 91µ¼º½â€™s English language requirement for progression from Part 0 to Part 1.

This module will enable students to:

• consolidate their academic English language proficiency and communicative competence
• further develop and reflect on the academic study skills needed for their undergraduate degree and beyond
• engage actively with UK higher education culture and expectations

On successful completion of the module, students will have demonstrated CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) B2 in the academic communication and language skills covered by the module.

Module learning outcomes

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

• Use a sufficient range of academic vocabulary to express and develop ideas clearly and accurately on abstract or subject-related topics
• Engage in oral communication on abstract topics with a degree of fluency and spontaneity, expressing ideas, responding to others, and sustaining interaction appropriately
• Identify and reformulate the significant ideas of extended academic texts, and explain abstract, subject-related concepts clearly in their own words
• Develop and justify viewpoints on abstract or subject-related topics, supporting ideas with reasons and examples, and evaluating different perspectives

Module content

The module will help students consolidate core language and academic skills, including:

• Effective listening, reading and note-taking skills applied to discipline-specific texts
• Communication and mediation skills
• Academic writing and argumentation skills, with a focus on key discipline-specific genres and language
• Reflection and evaluation skills
• Core language knowledge skills (grammar, vocabulary)
• Digital literacy

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will employ a communicative approach to language and skills development. Student will be expected to engage actively during the face-to-face classes, often working collaboratively. They will also be expected to work independently outside class, to complete assignments, and to further develop their language and academic skills.

Study hours

At least 96 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

Students need to achieve all of the following to pass this module:

1. ​A mark of 5.5 overall, with no element (Speaking, Listening, 91µ¼º½ and Writing) below 5.0 in the TEEP
2. An average of 40% across the two coursework elements

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

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.

Reassessment

Additional costs