English language development
English language skills
Develop your English language and communication skills for success at university and beyond.
Use the menu on the left to find out about the free workshops, programs and resources for the skills you are most interested in developing.
Watch Chenglong as he asks his peers about the range of English language programs and support available on his study journey.
Diagnostic assessment feedback and recommendations
Not sure where to start? Take the Diagnostic English Language Assessment (DELA) to assess your strengths in academic reading, writing and listening and receive personalised recommendations to support you in your skills development journey. It’s not an exam and you can’t fail.
Vocabulary and grammar
Workshops
Academic Skills offers free English language workshops for all study levels.
Topics include:
- Vocabulary building strategies
- Grammar and expressions
- Using and understanding language tools and apps
- Improve your English in 10 minutes a day
Academic English Tutorials (graduate coursework)
Join our free tutorial program available to graduate coursework students in your first or second semester of study. The tutorials require no additional assessments and can help you further develop your academic and English language skills within the context of your discipline. You’ll need to apply to participate, and spaces are limited.
Learn more
Web resources
Explore our resources to develop your language skills.
Topics include:
- Using tenses
- Punctuation
- Using articles ('a/an', 'the' and no article)
- Forming subject-verb agreement
- Passive voice (coming soon)
- Nominalisation (coming soon)
- Developing your vocabulary
- 10-minute English
- Improving your English
- Academic and professional communication
- Online tools for English language (coming soon)
Reading and writing
Workshops
Attend our range of workshops on academic reading and writing for all study levels.
Topics include:
- Reading club
- Messaging and emailing in English
- Improve your English in 10 minutes a day
- Critical thinking
- Essay writing
- Understanding referencing
Academic English Tutorials (graduate coursework)
Join our free tutorial program available to graduate coursework students in your first or second semester of study. The tutorials require no additional assessments and can help you further develop your academic and English language skills within the context of your discipline. You’ll need to apply to participate, and spaces are limited.
Improve your English in 10 minutes a day
Join our online program to receive daily prompts and bite-sized activities to improve your reading skills.
Web resources
Explore our resources to develop your academic reading and writing skills.
Topics include:
- Reading critically
- Academic style
- Clarity and focus
- Writing a great essay
- Research reports
- Connecting ideas
- Editing
- Emailing your lecturer
Online modules
Join the English for Success community for tips, videos, examples of good writing and interactive exercises to test your understanding and get feedback on your academic English.
Topics include:
- How to write effective paragraphs
- How you can transform your writing to be more academic
- How to communicate complex ideas clearly and simply
- Golden rules for writing
- Four ways to make your writing more sophisticated
Other ways to improve your reading and writing skills
Individual appointments and writing advice Service
Get feedback on your writing and personalised advice on developing your English language and communication skills during an individual appointment with an Academic Skills Adviser. Or you can submit a piece of work to a Writing Advice Service Mentor for quick feedback on a part of your writing.
Academic English 1 (ESLA10003) credit subject for undergraduate students
Through the study of multiculturalism in Australian society, this subject develops students’ ability to use academic English language.
Presenting Academic Discourse (LING90002) credit subject for graduate students
This subject focuses on the advanced language required for successful graduate study in English.
Listening and speaking
Workshops
Attend our range of workshops on academic reading and writing for all study levels.
Topics include:
- Aussie English
- Conversation group
- Improve your English in 10 minutes a day
- Listening Club
- Speaking Clearly
- Getting the most out of lectures
- Academic listening strategies
- Participating in class discussions
- Presenting effectively
Academic English Tutorials (graduate coursework)
Join our free tutorial program available to graduate coursework students in your first or second semester of study. The tutorials require no additional assessments and can help you further develop your academic and English language skills within the context of your discipline. You’ll need to apply to participate, and spaces are limited.
Improve your English in 10 minutes a day
Join our online program to receive daily prompts and bite-sized activities to improve your listening skills.
Web resources
Explore our resources to develop your listening and speaking skills.
Topics include:
- Intercultural communication
- 10-minute English
- Talking to your teacher (coming soon)
- Language for group work (coming soon)
- Listening techniques (coming soon)
Online modules
Join the English for Success community for tips, videos and examples to practice and test your pronunciation and presentation skills at your own pace.
Topics include:
- Pronunciation
- Oral presentations
Other ways to improve your reading and writing skills
Melbourne Talks
Melbourne Talks is a free, peer-to-peer program hosted by the Student Peer Leader Network in partnership with Academic Skills. It is open to all University of Melbourne students wanting to become familiar with Australian culture and University life while gaining confidence communicating in English and making friends with other students.