The Blended On-campus Pre-sessional prepares you for your degree studies at King’s. It offers intensive English language and academic preparation to enable you to achieve success in your chosen degree. Successful completion of the Pre-sessional will allow you to meet the English language requirements of your degree offer.

The Blended On-campus Pre-sessional offers a mix of small group study and tutorials on campus, alongside online lectures for larger groups and a range of tasks and activities online to complement your self-directed study.

This is a full-time programme which will enable you to meet the conditions of your degree offer and get to know the King’s academic approach and our community before you start your degree.

The 6-week Pre-sessional seeks to boost your English by 0.5 IELTS or equivalent.

This programme is a highly respected alternative to retaking external English tests, as it teaches both the academic and English language skills needed to succeed at King’s.

What can I expect in terms of the Blended On-campus Pre-sessional?

King's Foundations delivers innovative Pre-sessional study, allowing you to immerse yourself in both English language and the academic and social culture of King’s before progressing to your chosen degree.

The Blended On-campus Pre-sessional delivers lectures online alongside some tasks and activities that you will access digitally. These should be completed in preparation for your on-campus tutorials and small group sessions with your classmates and tutor.

At present we are planning for timetabled small group teaching and study on campus to allow us to ensure the safety of students and staff in following current government guidance around covid-19. This may change to more or less time on campus and larger or smaller groups, depending upon the situation in July and August. If restrictions returned, such as we had in summer 2020, then all students would complete our fully Online Pre-sessional.

Our online format has connected an international community of learners, for the last three years. In 2018, 2019 and 2020 the progression rate (95%+) from our Combined Pre-sessional, along with our student satisfaction rates, has been excellent. You can rest assured that whether you are on campus or online you will receive a quality educational experience.

Almost 2000 students studied a Pre-sessional at King's in 2020 and as a result:

95% felt better prepared for their degree studies
93% would recommend online study at King's to a friend
98% would review and replay the lessons in the future to support their studies

As a King's Pre-sessional student you will have:

• full access to King’s online resources as a student of the university
• face-to-face interaction online and on campus with teachers and fellow students
• regular personal feedback on your work and progress in tutorials
• high quality, innovative, British Council award-nominated lessons
• technical support provided Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm London-time

Assessment

We take a portfolio approach to assessment. This means that you will have several tasks to submit during the programme which will input to your final, overall grade.

Our assessment is designed so that you can build on the feedback and input you get from your tutors. On successful completion of the Blended On-campus Pre-sessional programme, you will progress to your chosen degree.

Required Pre-sessional exit grades vary depending on your chosen degree. You will also be supported during your degree through continued skills support.

The main aim of the Pre-sessional is to ensure that you meet or exceed the minimum language entry requirements for your chosen degree. In addition, you will:

• receive an introduction to the UK academic culture
• improve your ability to use academic English appropriately and effectively at university level
• focus on improving your linguistic and academic skills, required for successful study at King's
• benefit from using an online platform and face-to-face learning
• a bespoke business stream for students progressing to King’s Business School
• develop your academic:
• reading and writing skills so you are able to submit strong written assignments on your degree course
• listening skills to be able to follow, take notes and learn from lectures on your degree course
• speaking skills so you can participate effectively in seminars and communicate successfully with your classmates and tutors on your degree course
• language and confidence, both online and face-to-face, before joining your degree programme

You need to hold an offer to study a degree at King’s.

The Pre-sessional has different entry requirements depending on the English language level needed by each academic department.

Please use our  Pre-sessional English Calculator to find out which Pre-sessional course is right for you and the English language requirements for each department.

If you do not know which faculty or department offers your degree, search for your course.

We can accept the same standardised tests as we do for our degree programmes. These are IELTS (UKVI or Academic), Pearson Test of English (UKVI or Academic), TOEFL iBT (including TOEFL home, where it is being offered), Cambridge and Trinity exams.

See our Pre-sessional entry requirements for more information

PLEASE NOTE: students who hold unconditional offers are welcome to register for a 6-week Pre-sessional.

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and classes, some of which will be online:

• Weekly lectures, seminars and tutorials.
• Regular tutorials during which you will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues related to your studies and progress.
• Flexible self-study through video lessons and complete related work over the week. Some lessons focus on listening and others will focus on reading and writing.
• Each week you will be required to submit work on a task, you will receive individual feedback and support.

Weekly time commitment

The Pre-sessional programmes are full-time, intensive programmes which combine structured study with independent study. You are expected to commit to at least 35 hours a week for class and self-study activities.

In most weeks, your course will include at least:

• 7 hours of live classes lead by a tutor
• 10 hours of online tutor-directed lessons
• 10 hours of independent study and assessment work
• A variety of organised enrichment and co-curricular activities

Download sample on-campus timetable

£4,150