The Combined Pre-sessional prepares you for your degree studies at King’s. It offers 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 Combined Pre-sessional starts online, with students arriving in London for the last six weeks of the programme. 

Online learning allows you to remain at home for a longer period of time before your degree commences. We structure our programme to ensure that you are able to attend lectures and tutorials at a time suitable for your time zone, while a number of self-guided study sessions and preparatory tasks can be completed at times to suit you, but in advance of a specific class.

There is a significant time commitment and requirement to complete the components of the course, both online and on-campus, to meet the conditions of your degree offer.

The 11-week Pre-sessional seeks to boost your English by 1.0 IELTS or equivalent.

What can I expect in terms of the Combined Pre-sessional?

King's Foundations is a sector leader in delivering high quality and engaging online programmes and was shortlisted for a British Council innovation award for its Combined Pre-sessional programmes, which are a mix of online and on-campus learning.

We have run our programmes in an online format, connecting an international community of learners, for the last three years. In 2018 and 2019, the progression rate (95%+) from our Combined Pre-sessional, along with our student satisfaction rates, has been excellent. 

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

Download the sample timetable: Sample Timetable 2020.

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 face-to-face online tutorials
• the ability to work at your own pace and develop your confidence
• 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 Combined 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
• join a discipline-focused stream to reflect your chosen degree
• achieve 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
• benefit from using an online platform and virtual face-to-face learning
• enjoy online study and the more flexible approach to learning that it allows
• 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.

See the Pre-sessional IELTS entry requirements and the Pre-sessional TOEFL, Pearson and Cambridge CAE/FCE entry requirements for more information.

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

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 online and on-campus lectures, seminars and classes:

• A webinar/seminar each week – with up to 12 students and a teacher, generally for an hour in duration - on campus during the last six weeks of study
• Tutorial every week - 2-3 students with a teacher, live interaction – generally 30 minutes in duration - on campus during the last six weeks of study
• During the online element of the programme, there is a choice of times to attend tutorials and lessons so can fit it around work or studies or family
• 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.
• Online lectures and small group sessions on campus for the last six weeks of the programme

Weekly time commitment

The Pre-sessional programmes are full-time, however, some elements can be undertaken in your own time during a week and in preparation for a class or tutorial. We structure our programme to ensure that you are able to attend lectures and tutorials at a time suitable for your time zone for the online element of the programme. Tutor-directed study is scheduled for specific times, but self-directed study and preparatory tasks can be completed at times to suit you, generally in advance of a specific class.

Each week you will have 15 hours of tutor-directed study and five hours of self-directed study. In addition there will be extra-curricular activities for you to participate in.

Key terms

• A lecture is a teacher-directed session focusing on key language and skills.
• A seminar enables student discussion and help with assigned tasks.
• A tutorial gives feedback and discusses your progress, generally a small group of 3 to 4 students, tailored to your learning needs.

£6,250