English Academic Year and Semester Courses Explained

English Academic Year and Semester courses might sound like a bit of a mouthful, but they are a fantastic, immersive, and proven way to become fluent in English.

How long do you study for?

The first big decision to make is how long you want to spend abroad learning the language. English Academic Semester courses last 5 or 6 months. If you take an English Academic Year course, it will last for 9 months.

The obvious benefit of choosing an Academic Year course is that you spend longer learning English, as well as living in an English-speaking environment. By the end of your stay you will really feel like a local.

5-6 months is still a long time to study the language and the culture, so even if you choose to take an Academic Semester course, you’ll have plenty of time to make huge improvements.

What will you learn?

The course structure for both Academic Years and Semesters is the same. You will have 20 lessons of General English per week, which focus on the four main aspects of language: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

You will also have 7 sessions of K+ per week. These are personalized sessions for you to study in the areas you most need, including exam technique and study groups.

Intensive courses

You can study intensive versions of each of our long term courses in order to learn even faster. If you take either one of our Intensive Academic Year or Intensive Academic Semester courses, you will take an additional 8 specific skills classes each week.

These classes allow you to focus on specific aspects of the language that you want to improve. For example, you could take a class in English for business, current affairs, local culture, or film studies to name a few.

How much will you improve?

Everyone learns at different rates, but there is no doubt that immersing yourself in the language by living and studying in an English-speaking country is the most effective way to learn. If you take an English Academic Semester course, you can expect to improve by around two English proficiency levels. If you take a year-long course, you are likely to improve by three or four levels.

What does this actually mean? Have a look at our progress chart below to get an idea of our categories. Intensive English students usually progress up a level every 10 weeks.

You can find more information on these courses and contact one of our student advisers to begin your journey. Stop imagining and start doing.