Students for whom English is an Additional Language (EAL)

Adjusting to Australian culture

Adjusting to a new culture can be challenging. Adjusting to a new educational culture can be just as difficult.

This short video introduces tips for making the most of your time in Australia by being prepared with some coping strategies.

For assistance contact the International Student Support team

Resilience strategies resources:

The James Cook University Student Association

What’s on in Townsville

Townsville Tours and Trails free app

JCU Clubs and Societies Townsville

What’s on in Cairns

My Cairns app

JCU Clubs and Societies Cairns

Study Planners:

Create a weekly study planner (PDF, 1468 KB)

Weekly study planner template (DOCX, 97 KB)

World Englishes and Australian English

Australian English is similar to British and American English, however there are differences.

This short video provides a brief overview of Australian English, and provides advice on how to adjust.

Australian Language resources:

Aussie slang dictionary

Aussie slang quiz

Understanding assessment in Australia

Higher education assessment methods differ between countries. Australian universities place emphasis on showing your ability, practical skills, and critical thinking.

This short video introduces common assessment practices in Australia.

Visit the JCU Learning Centre website for further information about assessment types at JCU.

Essay planning and structure

The essay is a basic assessment tool used in many Australian university courses. Understanding the basics of essay writing is essential if you want to achieve satisfactory results.

This short video introduces methods of essay planning, and basic essay structure.

Additional resources

See Essay Writing Basics for additional essay writing guidelines and support.

Download our Editing guide (PDF, 285 KB) for valuable hints on how to successfully edit your own writing.

Download our Proofreading guide (PDF, 295 KB) to help you focus on the detail of your writing: formatting, spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Genre and discourse

Each specialist area of study has a unique set of writing styles and language. These are known as genre and discourse.

This short video introduces these ideas.

Additional resources

Build your academic vocabulary. Download Choosing the right word (PDF, 232 KB) for a list of frequently used academic words.

Download our Building vocabulary guidelines (PDF, 288 KB) for help to expand your academic vocabulary using the Academic Word List (AWL). Learning vocabulary from the AWL will help you improve your comprehension of academic texts. It will also help you write assignments in an academic style.

The Academic Phrasebank developed by The University of Manchester can assist you with your academic writing. It aims to provide you with examples of some basic phrases of writing organised according to the main sections of a research paper, e.g. describing methods, reporting results or discussing findings.

Download our List of Reporting Verbs (PDF, 387 KB) to help you to use a variety of reporting verbs when referring to other people’s research in your writing.

Download the English Prepositions List (PDF, 373 KB), a booklet by Josef Essberger which lists 150 English prepositions and provides examples of their use in context. You can also test your understanding of prepositions with quiz questions at the end of the booklet (answers are provided).

Planning for success

The most effective way to plan for success is to prepare a study plan.

This short video introduces this critical step.

Visit the JCU Learning Centre's Getting Started guide for further information and to download our study planner templates.

Consider taking these JCU subjects

In consultation with your Academic Advisor and JCU International, you may also wish to consider taking one of the following subjects as part of your degree:

CU1010: Effective Writing

CU1200: Effective Speaking

Other EAL resources

EAL Resources for Students
Answers to common questions about the English language, as well as help with grammar, idioms, and academic conventions. This resource includes a number of links to online courses, grammar sites, vocabulary activities, and help with specific tasks.

Academic English Café
Take free English language quizzes on grammar and writing topics, practice with real academic vocabulary, access real model essays on many academic topics, and listen to authentic English language programs.

Education First
Work through fully interactive tests and educational games to improve your skills. There is no charge, but you do need to register to use this resource and your browser must accept cookies and have Flash Player installed. Once you are registered you can also keep track of your test scores over time. While the test itself is free, it is part of a commercial site so there are some optional extras that require payment.

EAL Writing and Reading
Learn writing and reading skills that will help you through your academic career.