Course description

Are you starting an Access to HE Diploma, a distance-learning degree or a university course after years away from education? This course teaches the academic writing and study skills your course will expect: understanding assignment questions, reading and making notes, planning and building essays, writing in an academic style, using sources, Harvard referencing and academic integrity.

There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons. Each one explains a skill in plain English with tables and examples, works through a realistic example, lists the common slips, answers the questions learners often ask and ends with a Try it exercise. You follow three adults back in education: Melody, a teaching assistant on an Access to HE Diploma; Orville, a postal worker on a part-time distance-learning degree; and Marzena, a former nursery room leader in her first year at university. You'll see Melody's essay develop from the brief to her final draft, and the course ends with the whole essay and her tutor's feedback. Every section has a practice pack with a worksheet, model answers and a cheat sheet, and the extras include a study planner, a self-review, note-making and source record sheets, essay and paragraph planners, a Harvard quick guide, checklists and a reflective writing template.

What you'll learn

• Returning to study: routes into higher education for adults, support services, time management around work and family, and confidence as a returning student.
• What academic writing is: how it differs from other writing, the main types of assignment, reading a brief and marking criteria, the writing process and using feedback.
• Reading academically: finding and judging sources, skimming and scanning, note-making methods and source records, and critical reading.
• Understanding the question and planning: command words such as discuss, analyse and evaluate, breaking down a question, planning an essay, and word counts and deadlines.
• Building an essay: essay and paragraph structure, introductions, conclusions and linking ideas.
• Academic style: formal language, cautious language, balance, when to use I, and concise sentences and proofreading.
• Using sources: why writers use sources, quoting, paraphrasing, summarising and bringing several sources together.
• Harvard referencing: in-text citations, reference lists for books, chapters, articles and web pages, secondary references and common puzzles.
• Academic integrity and AI tools: plagiarism, including the accidental kind, other misconduct, similarity reports, AI tools and your institution's policy, and habits that protect your work.
• Other assignments: reports, reflective writing, exam essays, presentations, and a full sample essay with tutor feedback.

Who it's for

Adults preparing for or starting an Access to HE Diploma, an Open University-style distance-learning course or a degree, and anyone returning to study who wants to feel confident about essays, referencing and academic reading. You should be comfortable with everyday reading and writing in English. For grammar and punctuation, see English Grammar and Punctuation for Adults: Write with Confidence.

Please note

This course is independent study skills training. It isn't accredited, it doesn't give you credits towards any qualification, and it isn't connected to any college, university or awarding body. Where your own course handbook, referencing guide or policies say something different, follow them.

Harvard is a family of referencing styles, not one fixed set of rules. Institutions use different versions, with small differences in punctuation, italics and order. Always follow your own institution's referencing guide: where it differs from this course, your guide wins.

What will I learn?

• Plan your study time around work and family, and use your institution’s support services
• Read an assignment brief and marking criteria, and use tutor feedback to improve your next piece of work
• Find, judge and read academic sources efficiently, and make clear notes with full source records
• Work out what an essay question is asking from its command words, topic and limits, and plan an answer
• Write essays with clear introductions, well-built paragraphs, linked ideas and conclusions that answer the question
• Write in a formal, cautious and balanced academic style
• Quote, paraphrase, summarise and bring several sources together in your own voice
• Write Harvard in-text citations and reference lists for books, chapters, articles and web pages
• Avoid plagiarism and other academic misconduct, read a similarity report and follow your institution’s rules on AI tools
• Write reports, reflective pieces, exam essays and presentations, and learn from a full sample essay with tutor feedback

Frequently asked questions