The International Office and the Centre for Language and Linguistics welcome you to Canterbury Christ Church University. Thank you for accepting the offer of a place on our General English Language Course. We hope you will make international friends and enjoy improving your English with us at our university in the heart of historic Canterbury.

Dina Norris
Course Team: Dina Norris and Laura Spencer

Key dates

Course start date: 16 September 2024

Academic Calendar: Trimesters

View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2024-25 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays. 

Welcome

To help us to get to know you better and to understand your needs as an English learner, on arrival you will have a short informal chat and short written task so that we know your current level of English. It will also help if you can tell us the English language level you are studying at now, and any international exams you have taken (e.g. IELTS, TOEIC or TOEFL). (If you have already told us this on your application form, you do not need to tell us again.)

General English is a full-time course so you should plan to be in class Monday to Friday 9:00-12:30 and Monday to Thursday 13:30-15:00. These classes will be in different rooms and with different teachers across our campus, but we will tell you exactly where to go and when. You can see a campus map below:

https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/asset-library/Courses/Self-guided-tour.pdf

Before you arrive in the UK, you want your English to be as good as it can be. See our suggestions under Recommended Reading List below.

Your welcome and induction will be w/c 16 September 2024 - we look forward to meeting you then.

Getting started

We know that students who read and listen to English in their own time, learn much more, and learn much faster. Try to listen to and read English every day. For example:

  • videos and films that you find interesting e.g. on YouTube (it can help to watch something you have already watched in your own language; on YouTube you can even slow down the recording playing speed if you want)
  • online radio e.g. BBC World Service is good for international listeners https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio
  • English language websites about anything that interests you
  • read an English book; even something simple or that you already know in your own language
  • buy an English-language newspaper or read it online
  • look at websites for English language learners; e.g. www.learnenglish.org.uk (British Council)


Pre-course reading

It is useful to note that the University Bookshop offers 10% discount on most titles in print and have some price-beating book bundles. They also price match Amazon on core texts recommended in the module handbooks you will receive when you start in September.

International student success programme

International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.

Contact details

FAHE.CourseAdmin@canterbury.ac.uk