... good to find a book which is focused particularly on the sort of students and tasks we teach at this level. Oxford Brookes University, Oxford Ideal for our Master's preparation course. Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge ... very impressive, everything I need in a well-trialled and useful format. Morna Lawson, Glasgow Caledonian University On pre-sessional courses at UK universities students produce an extended piece of writing, often called a library project. This book focuses on the writing and research skills necessary to do this. It also looks at how to develop spoken skills. The eight units provide a solid course, which has been trialled and honed by tutors at the University of Reading, UK. Typical EAP areas are covered, such as avoiding plagiarism and acknowledging sources. Lengthy appendices include a sample project and a wealth of source material. The material espouses a process approach to writing. A teacher's book describes the methodology as one which 'encourages critical thinking'. The material is well laid out and attractive. It is expected that teachers will use supplementary material on, say, grammar. Recommended for EAP teachers. Pete Sharma for the Bournemouth English Book Centre in the EL Gazette This book has been developed in the context of university pre-sessional courses and takes current research on English for Academic Purposes into consideration. It would be a useful tool for any student beginning university, but has particular application to ESL students who may not have had much exposure to Western-style academic writing and conference conventions. It is aimed at students with an IELTS score of 5.5. This means that in order to obtain maximum benefit from the book, students should already have the ability to read and understand basic tertiary-level course material. An ESL student will probably need to have done a course in academic reading and have some competence in writing everyday texts first, as one of the basic premises of the book is that students are reading in order to learn. One very helpful feature is the way that students are taken through the research and writing process using material provided in the book. Students are presented with six texts from a variety of authentic sources, including books, journals and websites. They are required to add two of their own in order to write an essay. Students are taken step by step through the process of writing a paper and are given practice in planning, researching and writing up their findings. The presentation of material in seminar, conference and tutorial formats is also covered. Other skills that are introduced and practised include referencing, summarising, writing and support of a working title and thesis, the inclusion of data in texts, reading to extract and evaluate information, and writing introductions, conclusions and definitions. Students are also given exposure to a range of types of writing, including report writing and case studies. A sample of a completed written paper is given. In my experience, helping students to reference correctly and to avoid plagiarism is a major challenge and, while these subjects are covered, I think I would need to supplement the material for my students. APA (American Psychological Association) referencing is used in the course, but this is not explicitly stated. An APA quick reference summary of the most common types of source material would have been useful (and will possibly be provided on the website). In addition, references to the texts in the appendix don't give the page numbers of the original articles, making it difficult for students to practise making in-text citations correctly. An environmental theme links the texts and most of the examples supporting the stages in writing for the first paper that students write. This has the advantage that students build a schema and vocabulary that they will use in their paper. This ensures a reasonable level of success for the first project, an important motivator for students struggling with what is a very new skills for many of them. The provision of the material for the first project has the advantage of enabling the instructor to direct the students and assess the control that they have of the material. Students write a paper on a subject of their own choice for the second project and are guided through the process of using and benefitting from tutorials in order to do this. Overall, the material is attractively presented and very user-friendly. It is designed to engage the students in learning about an interesting, relevant topic while learning a mechanical academic skill. An accompanying Teacher's Book provides clear concise background information, ideas and, where appropriate, answers to each section in the course book. There are also a number of photocopiable pages that are suitable for making overhead transparencies and useful 'written project evaluation' and 'presentation assessment' forms. Many sections have tantalising references to web support, for example on avoiding plagiarism. However, at the time of writing this site is still under construction. Sandy Willcox, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for English Teaching Professional, Issue 45, July 2006 Published in conjunction with the University of Reading, Extended Writing and Research Skills has been a popular generalist course book for proficient NESB students about to embark on tertiary studies. While many British course materials suffer from assuming that English is only spoken north of Land's End, Extended Writing and Research Skills employs international contexts to develop universal themes. Its focus enables it to unpack several important writing skills: developing ideas, structuring an argument, what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. There are also some useful exercises aimed at developing oral skills presentations; anyone who has sat through what passes for oral presentations will understand that most students need to develop their competencies in this area. As a course book, however, Extended Writing and Research Skills is limited and old-fashioned. Its limitations are clear and well understood: the authors have focussed on the skill of writing, and to that end it is a good book. Unfortunately, this focus falsely separates writing and reading to the detriment of both. Good writing and good reading go together because the synthesis required in critical treading - the close analysis of textual material - is precisely the same process which is key to the development of an argument. It is by deciphering the point of view of the written, spoken, televisual material under scrutiny, and appreciating the devices used in the construction of that point of view, that successful students bring to their writing. By moving away from the assumptions inherent in language learning, EAP practitioners could focus more on the 'hidden curriculum' of tertiary studies: absorbing information; developing and testing ideas; focussing deeply on the responses of others and seeking to understand the assumptions behind them; articulating one's own response in the light of newly developed knowledge; acknowledging the ideas of others; developing objectivity and theoretical sophistication. My other concern is the apparent (and rather quaint) assumption that students do most of their assignment research via books. Search engines, databases, e-journals, podcasts and blogs have proliferated in the last decade. One of the requirements of a course book is to familiarise students with research techniques and platforms. In my experience, the skills for deciphering on-line material are much the same as for older media - notwithstanding a lot more chaff for the same amount of wheat - but it is essential that students gain familiarity with on-line materials beyond computer games and Facebook. Nowadays course book should consider an on-line element as an indispensible part of the format, while remaining practical, grounded, realistic and skills-based. Jack Bowers for the Journal of Academic Language & Learning, Vol 2, No 1, 2008 Working with ESOL graduate students, the benefits of this series becomes clear. This course takes students sequentially through the process of producing an extended piece of academic writing. Aimed at students with an IELTS level of 5.5, it teaches the writing and research skills necessary for such a task, as well as developing oral skills for participating in tutorials, seminars or presentations. The approach taken encourages students to work independently, supported by the provision of detailed advice and model answers, in addition to web-based material for independent study. Students use relevant and authentic source materials to produce a piece of extended writing. There is a logical development progression of skills covered in the 8 chapters such as finding information effectively, using evidence to support ideas, and acknowledgement of sources. The text layout, broken down into achievable tasks, is manageable for students particularly in a tutorial situation. Examples used in context throughout the book clearly model the learning objectives for each chapter. The design of the material is based on work carried out at the University of Reading's Centre for Applied Language Studies and supported by a review of current research into EAP methodology reflecting the most recent developments in language teaching for academic purposes. The book can be used in conjunction with English for academic study: reading and writing also published by Garnet Education. Reasonably priced, with good examples and step-by-step skill progression, English for Academic Study: Extended Writing and Research Skills sets realisable goals along with reasonable expectations for developing facility in academic writing. Very user-friendly! John McKeown, Lakehead University, Canada for iatefl Voices, Issue 194, January-February 2007 EAS is an EAP series (English for Academic Study) comprising seven separate course books covering the following areas: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, Extended Writing & Research Skills, Pronunciation and Vocabulary. The books reflect the most recent developments in EAP and are based on practical experience of EAP practitioners in the classroom. Each book can be used as a stand-alone course or supported by others within the series, depending on the needs of the students. EAP is taught on all courses that prepare overseas students for study at universities in English speaking countries. Students hoping to study abroad will therefore get a head start by studying such material rather than general English. The EAS series is used on a high proportion of EAP courses in the UK and Australia (and the US version is now being used in North America). It has received widespread praise, and the in the words of a lecturer at a university in the UK: 'There is virtually nothing else that has come on the market in the last ten years that touches it.' The series has been designed for students on pre-sessional and foundation courses within an IELTS range of 5.0 to 7.0. However, they can be used for any group of students who need to improve their English academic skills within this range. The series is based on authentic reading or listening texts within the appropriate range of the students; these have been carefully selected to illustrate the skill area in focus. Free audio material is included where appropriate, featuring authentic transcripts of realistic length with a variety of accents. The Listening course also comes with a DVD. A website features a variety of teacher and student resources including interactive activities for Extended Writing & Research Skills. TESOL Spain Newsletter, Vol 34-2, 2010
