When supporting students with their English, the overriding strategy of the Learning Support and Development Service is to focus on communication rather than English language.

When students approach the Service for support with English, often at the request of their tutor, the first question we ask is, “specifically in what aspect of your learning do you feel English language skills are a barrier to your learning”. I.e., what activities are problematic? What follows will normally be a study skills centred appointment. Common strategies for students to help make their communication with peers and tutors more effective will include; encouraging students to make more written contact with their tutors, and for students to request more written guidance to ensure comprehension.

Specific English language tuition takes the form of reminders of language structures, reminders of grammatical models, reminders of verb forms and use of tenses. Our students have been attending English language lessons often for ten years or more prior to attending GSA. When English language mistakes are highlighted, students can usually self-correct. Given the IELTS entry levels of our students, mistakes are much more common than language errors.

Overall the guidance for production of language, both written and spoken is centred on structure. Students are encouraged to focus on structure because if the structure is apparent, it helps the reader or listener to have expectations, and therefore even when some language is difficult to comprehend, structure allows understanding.