IELTS v EAP

31st July 2020

We recently asked  Greg, one of our English Language Teachers about his views on whether having an IELTS score sufficient to get you into a UK university was sufficient. Below is his response.

"The essential differences between IELTS and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) is that IELTS although covering all key skills and has an academic focus is limited in that it isn’t specifically tailored to what they will be doing at university. EAP is directly focused on providing ‘all’ the necessary skills for students to be able to confidently enter undergraduate/post-graduate programmes in a native speaking country. Here are the essential skills that are taught in EAP.

Writing:

-Essay Structure

-Paragraph Structure

-Using Sources/citations/referencing

-Paraphrasing/Summarising

-Thesis statements

-Writing introductions/main body/conclusions

-Structuring an argument

Reading

-Finding sources

-Extended reading that they will need at university

-Note-taking skills

Listening

-Extended listening to lectures

-Note-taking

-Listening to presentations

Speaking

-Seminar Skills

-Giving presentations

-Language for discussing in class

Further skills:

-Critical thinking

-What to expect  at university

These are just some of the aspects that won’t be focused on in IELTS so it is much more specific. Yes, IELTS will grant students access to university with a score of 6.5 but won’t teach them any of the skills needed to succeed!'

If you want to know more and see how Greg can help you improve your IELTS score and EAP skills, contact us now by clicking here.