Language and Academic Skills for ESL and International Students

Students for whom English is a second language (ESL) and international students may experience difficulties with both language and academic skills, at least initially in their studies. On entering an Australian university, all students encounter a new educational culture. Just as living in a new culture involves various lifestyle adjustments, studying in a new culture involves various academic adjustments such as different teaching styles, different academic expectations and different study habits. Many students experience difficulties with lecture note-taking, tutorial participation, critical thinking and being an independent learner.

Language Adjustment

You will probably have some initial difficulties adjusting to Australian English. Australian English is a distinct variety of what have been called world Englishes, with its own characteristic features that distinguish it from British, American, Malaysian, South African and other varieties. The greatest variation occurs in pronunciation and vocabulary in informal situations where broad Australian accents, Australian colloquial expressions and slang are common. However, in formal academic contexts (especially in academic writing), there is far less variation between educated Australian usage and international standard English.

Academic Language

Being a student at a University means that you are a member of a sub-culture that has its own ways of speaking and writing. You will, of course, be familiar with many of the terms and concepts used in your specific areas of study. You won’t use ‘academic’ language all the time, of course, but you will need to become familiar with it, so if you need help in developing these skills, ask your tutor.

‘As long as you can support your argument the lecturer will be – you know – very fair about it. So it’s more about the style of it, or whether you can put your arguments across clearly. If you can’t, you can’t blame anyone for not giving you good grades for your essay’ (Student from Malaysia)

Australian English

Lecture Note-taking

Critical Thinking