Checklist

Academic English study checklist

A checklist for building academic English: working through dense scholarly texts, mastering the academic word list, and writing with clarity and a formal register.

Built for English (Academic) · Learners building academic reading and writing fluency.

Progress

0 of 12 tasks complete

Reading dense texts

Develop strategies for getting through journal articles and textbooks without rereading every sentence five times.

Preview structure before reading linearlyRead the abstract, headings, and topic sentences first. Academic prose is front-loaded; knowing the argument shape makes dense paragraphs parse faster.~10 minAnnotate for argument, not vocabularyMark claims, evidence, and the author's stance in the margins. Chasing every unknown word wrecks comprehension flow; infer most from context.~20 minSummarize each section in one sentence from memoryAfter a section, look away and state its point. If you can't, you skimmed; this active-recall pass catches the comprehension you only imagined.~12 min

Academic vocabulary

Build the formal, cross-disciplinary word stock that distinguishes academic English from conversational fluency.

Work through the Academic Word List in contextThe AWL's 570 word families appear across all disciplines (analyze, hypothesis, derive). Learn each in a real sentence, not as a bare gloss.~20 minCollect collocations, not just single wordsAcademic English runs on partnerships: 'conduct research', 'draw a conclusion', 'pose a question'. Wrong pairings sound off even when each word is correct.~15 minLearn hedging and signposting phrasesMaster 'this suggests', 'arguably', 'it could be argued that'. Hedged, signposted prose is the register markers of academic writing.~12 min

Writing clarity

Produce clear, formal academic prose and tighten it through revision.

Draft with topic sentences leading every paragraphState the paragraph's point first, then support it. English academic writing is reader-responsible: the writer, not the reader, does the work.~25 minCut nominalizations and passive overuseTurn 'the implementation of a reduction' into 'we reduced'. Verb-driven sentences are clearer and more concise than noun-stacked ones.~15 minRead the draft aloud for flow and registerReading aloud exposes run-ons, awkward rhythm, and informal slips. Your ear catches what silent rereading glides over.~12 min

Feedback and consolidation

Pressure-test your output against real standards and log recurring weaknesses.

Shadow an academic talk or lectureEcho a TED or lecture speaker to absorb stress patterns and connected speech, which sharpens both listening and spoken register.~15 minGet one piece of writing critiquedA tutor, writing center, or proficient peer should flag register, article use, and prepositions, the errors that persist longest for advanced learners.~20 minKeep an error log of repeated mistakesTrack recurring slips, often articles (a/the), prepositions, and subject-verb agreement, so you can target the actual gaps.~8 min

Common mistakes

Stopping to look up every unfamiliar word, which fragments comprehension when most meanings are recoverable from context
Writing in an inflated, over-complex style believing it sounds academic, when clarity and precision are what graders actually reward
Importing conversational fillers and contractions into formal writing, breaking the academic register
Neglecting collocations and producing grammatically correct phrases that still sound unnatural to fluent readers
Treating articles (a/an/the) and prepositions as minor, when they're the most persistent errors and the most visible to examiners

Pro tips

Read widely in your target discipline; the vocabulary and sentence patterns you need are field-specific and best absorbed from real papers
Build a personal phrase bank of academic functions (defining, comparing, conceding) you can reuse across essays
Use a corpus tool to check whether a collocation is actually used by native writers before committing to it
Practice paraphrasing source sentences in your own words; it builds vocabulary range and is essential for avoiding plagiarism
Watch lecture content with English subtitles, then without; the subtitle-then-bare progression trains academic listening efficiently

FAQ

How should I start the Academic English study checklist?

Start with the first phase, then run one timed Study Spaces sprint before adding more tasks. The goal is execution, not a perfect plan.

What should I do if I fall behind?

Copy the remaining tasks, pick the highest-score or highest-deadline item, and restart with one focused block.

How often should I review progress?

Review after each sprint and once at the end of the week so the next session starts with a clear first task.

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Turn this page into a live sprint

Start the matching room for English (Academic), then use the sprint plan as the first task and recap script.

Academic English study checklist
Focus target: English (Academic)
Block 1 (25 min): closed-book recall or one timed practice set.
Break (5 min): mark confusing items without opening a new task.
Block 2 (25 min): correct misses and write the next first step.
Done: one score/error note plus one queued task for tomorrow.

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