Academic writing course

What is it? How will it help? 

Have you ever stared at the blank page not knowing how to start? Or maybe you couldn’t get your sentences to flow and kept tripping over words? Maybe you keep moving paragraphs around or feel like the essay is still not saying what you want it to say.

Writing can be a challenging and frustrating process. After all, we’re trying to turn what’s in our heads into something others will easily understand – and that’s surprisingly difficult. In this six-week course, we will look at how to make this process easier and more manageable by helping you find what works for you. You’ll leave with practical tools and strategies that you can apply to your next assignment.

Each session will also help you think about whether and how you can use GenAI for academic writing in ways that support your learning and thinking, deepen your reflection, and improve your own writing. 

This course is a series of six sessions that cover the process of academic writing from the blank page to submission. By signing up you’re committing to attend all six sessions (where possible).

Who is it for?

All students, regardless of subject, level of study or writing ambitions, are welcome. You will benefit from this course whether you’re still learning how to write or want to improve and polish your writing to get a First.

What happens in the sessions?

The sessions will last 1.5 hours and be a mixture of instruction, discussion, and hands-on practical activities and exercises. You'll have the opportunity to receive feedback on your writing throughout the course.

What will I learn?

Below you’ll find the course structure and session titles. Each session builds upon the previous one, so the course is best taken as a whole.

• Session 1: What is Academic Writing For? Purpose and Communication
• Session 2: How Do I Even Start? Planning and the Blank Page
• Session 3: How Do I Organise it? Structure and Paragraphs
• Session 4: Are My Ideas Clear? Sentences and Flow
• Session 5: How Do I Make it Sound More ‘Academic’? Word Choice and Style
• Session 6: Have I Actually Said What I Mean? Revising and Editing

When is it? How do I book?

The course will run once in each of the three terms. There will be three groups each term: two online and one in person.

In Term 1, the course will start in Week 5 (w/c 12 October 2026)

You can attend the course either in person or online via Teams. Here are the available times and dates. The buttons below link through to the booking form.

Group 1: Tuesdays, in person, 12 - 13:30 (room TBC), starting 13 October
Group 2: Wednesdays, online, 14 - 15:30, starting 14 October
Group 3: Thursdays, online, 11 - 12:30, starting 15 October