Pre-sessional courses are a way to develop your English for academic purposes before starting a degree. Passing one means that you will not need to take an English language test to enrol on your degree programme.
They also give you the opportunity to:
- develop your study skills
- meet other students and staff at social and educational events
- experience university life in the UK before you begin your degree course (if you enrol in an on-campus pre-sessional course)
Read more about what the courses cover and how they are assessed.
You can take any of the courses online or in person on our campus in Southampton. To study in person you’ll need a student visa, unless you are a UK resident.
Check which pre-sessional courses is right for you
The English language band that you can achieve at the end of this course depends on the length of the course and your IELTS score at the start.
Apply for a course that:
- you meet the entry requirements for
- helps you reach the English language band you need
Applying for the right course
We offer pre-sessional courses of 16, 11 or 6 weeks. A longer course will give you more opportunities for learning and feedback.
To decide which course is right for you, you'll need to:
- Determine your current English language proficiency level.
- Find the English language requirement for your degree course.
- Check which pre-sessional courses will help you meet your English language requirement.
- Check you meet the entry requirement for the pre-sessional course.
Determine your English language proficiency
We use the University of Southampton English Language Proficiency Bands in our entry requirements and pre-sessional courses. These are based on International English Testing System (IELTS) scores. IELTS gives an overall score and a score for the individual components:
- reading
- writing
- speaking
- listening
At the end of your pre-sessional English course you will achieve one of these English language bands.
| English language band | Equivalent IELTS score |
|---|---|
| Band A | IELTS 6.0 overall score with at least 5.5 in all components |
| Band C | IELTS 6.5 overall score with at least 6.0 in all components |
| Band D | IELTS 6.5 overall score with at least 6.5 in reading and writing and 6.0 in speaking and listening |
| Band E | IELTS 6.5 overall score with at least 6.5 in all components |
| Band G | IELTS 7.0 overall score with at least 6.5 in all components |
Find out more about how the tests are assessed.
We also accept other equivalent qualifications. You can download this proficiency band lookup table (PDF, 172KB) to work out your current proficiency band and equivalent IELTS score.
Find the English language requirements for your degree course
You can find the overall IELTS score that you need for your degree course:
- in your conditional offer letter
- using the course finder (it's in the 'Entry requirements' section on your chosen course page, under 'International students')
Here is an example of course entry requirements: Accounting and Finance (BSc).
Note: at this time, pre-sessional courses cannot be used for progression onto undergraduate medicine degrees.