An interactive range of learning resources to assist students in the development of their academic English skills:

https://aeo.sllf.qmul.ac.uk/

A comprehensive outline of the key aspects, features and processes of academic writing:

https://twp.duke.edu/twp-writing-studio/resources-students

An informative and interactive guide for university students in the use of academic English:

https://www.uefap.org/

Yes, this can be done at any time before the completion of your first calendar year by providing evidence of an IELTS 7.0/TOEFL 90 score or greater (or its equivalent on any KAUST accepted admissions English language test). You must provide a valid test certificate of one of these accepted English language tests to Admissions and the Office of the Registrar.

No, this has to be done by yourself through an external, official testing center or online provider.

We are determined to advance science and engineering for the welfare of all mankind.

We embrace diversity and encourage collaboration among faculty, staff, postdocs, and  students from different disciplines, nationalities, and cultural backgrounds.

We are committed to stimulate inspiration and celebrate those with the ability to inspire others.

We provide an open and progressive environment so our people can think clearly, study freely, and examine complex problems through the clear light of reason.

Sorry, this is not a proofreading service. Proofreading an entire thesis does not enable students to improve their writing skills or apply their learning to subsequent sections of their thesis.

The writing coach service is designed to work with students to help them develop better writing skills over time. Students are strongly encouraged to contact Andrea at an early stage of writing so that they can benefit from a collaborative, interactive process of learning and improving over time.

If you’d like to ask questions or require help with planning your work, then please book a one-hour Zoom call here: https://calendly.com/science-editing-experts/60min

You can also email andrea.devlin@kaust.edu.sa to enquire about sending your files for feedback or to ask me anything about scientific writing.

Andrea will provide feedback on a maximum of one proposal, one thesis chapter or one first-author paper at a time for each student; this is to encourage students to avail of the coaching service at an early stage, instead of simply seeking last-minute proofreading. She will then return the file to the student with feedback, so they can review the changes, and accept/reject the issues they can resolve themselves.

A Zoom call with Andrea is compulsory after each feedback session. This will ensure each student understands the changes made to their file and allow the student to discuss any more complicated issues and problems with Andrea.

This strategy helps students develop their skills to spot and correct repetitive minor errors and improve the quality of their work when they write subsequent chapters/papers. Instead of providing a “done-for-you” proofreading service, we want to encourage a personalized, interactive learning process that will ultimately benefit each student and help us to serve a larger number of students.

The writing coach service is open to all students at KAUST.

If you are at an early stage of writing your thesis, then the writing coach service can help you to identify what you need to write, organize your thoughts, and plan your chapter/paper.

If you have already started to write, then the writing coach service will help you to correct basic grammatical errors and follow the “rules” of scientific writing. Andrea can provide comments and make suggestions on the quality of your writing and the clarity and structure of the text.

Students are also welcome to book an appointment to discuss anything related to scientific writing: tenses, active vs. passive; no question is too simple! Andrea can also help you “get unstuck”; she remembers how hard it was to write her PhD dissertation and the feeling of having to learn the “language” of scientific writing.

Andrea would much rather give feedback “little and often”. This service is designed to help you learn and improve over time.

If you need help, send the first early drafts of your writing, rather than struggling to write 100 pages!

Students are strongly encouraged to submit early versions of their thesis proposal and initial chapters to give sufficient time for Andrea to provide input and feedback.

KAUST requires a minimum TOEFL score of 79 on the iBT (Internet Based Test) or 6.5 on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). For further information, please contact Admissions.

The TOEFL iTP is the TOEFL Institutional Testing Program. It differs from the TOEFL iBT in several important ways:

• The iTP is a TOEFL testing program that is purchased by universities for use on their own campuses and is administered by university staff members.  For this reason, iTP scores are not transferable to other institutions.
• While the TOEFL iBT includes Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening sections, the iTP does not include speaking or writing sections.  Instead, it includes Structure and Written Expression, Listening, and Reading sections.
• The TOEFL iBT is an internet-based test and the iTP is a paper-based test.
• The TOEFL score range is from 0 to 120 points, while the iTP score range is from 310 to 677.

The TOEFL iTP is a standardized, multiple-choice, paper-based test and includes the following:

While the structure, format, and scoring system of the iTP is very different from the TOEFL, test items on the iTP are taken from retired TOEFL tests, so the content is very similar.

The ELCP has TOEFL iTP practice test books with CDs (with practice listening tests) available for students to borrow. There are also additional practice resources available online: https://www.englishtestexercises.com/toefl-itppbt

In addition, students who would like to practice for the writing test, can stop by the ELCP to receive a practice writing test and then schedule an appointment to have an English Language Instructor review their essay and provide recommendations to improve their score. Contact us for more details: elcp@kaust.edu.sa