Episode 172 Do You Need To Study Academic English?

In this episode we were talking about Academic English. This is an internationally recognised branch of English that often has longer sentences and more complicated vocabulary. In general, unless you are in or want to be in the scientific or academic field, you won't need to be fluent in this branch of English. However, if you do want to study abroad or plan to a be an academic, then it's worth focusing on this area of English. Academic IELTS is the test you'll likely need to pass if you want to study abroad. As I've mentioned in previous videos, IELTS is a test, which means passing it is not as simple as just getting good at English! IELTS requires an understanding of strategy to pass the test. You need to understand exactly what the examiner is looking for, otherwise, no matter how good your English, you will fail (yes, even native speakers!). So I would advice finding yourself a teacher who specialises in IELTS tests. Here's a link to some Academic IELTS test papers, see how you do: https://ielts.org/take-a-test/preparation-resources/sample-test-questions/academic-test If you know what field you're specialising in then make sure to spend time listening to podcasts from your field and reading the journals from your field. This will help you build up a collection of commonly used words and grammar structures and get better at using this kind of English. Vocabulary Academic - something relating to universities or schools, used to define the researchers often working out of universities, also includes professors and teachers who do their research in university. Fellowship - a kind of research position in university, usually a kind of scholarship that can involve living in or travelling to another country or university. Journal - a magazine that especially serves a particular area of focus for researchers, this can be any area of science or study. Paper - this describes the write up part of any scientific study. If you're completing the study as part of your dissertation for university then we would keep the word 'dissertation' to describe it. But for many career-academics they will be completing multiple works of research each year that are not for any specific qualification. These papers or studies are often shared in journals. Peers - a group of people that share a similar interest, field or level of study Complexity - something complicated Obscurity - something unusual or rare to see Rigorous - well thought out and complete effort for something Content - the work that goes out on the internet in any form Accessible - to make something easy for everyone to use or understand, including people who speak other languages and people with disabilities. Acronym - the first letter of a group of words, put together to make something that resembles a word. This often makes it easier to talk about groups or bodies without having to say their whole name each time. Acronyms include: FBI, EU, UN, UNESCO