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New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Academic) (Level 5)

Do you need additional English skills in order to study at a postgraduate level? Study English and prepare yourself for your future studies and career.

Level
5
Credits
60 (0.5 EFTS)
Campus
Mt Albert
Start dates
February, July or September
Duration
Full-time for 16 weeks or part-time options available.

Programme overview

This programme extends on your previous English language study. In this programme, you'll be able to understand and produce extended and complex academic texts on a wide range of topics. Your study is personalised, allowing you opportunities to choose your own topics and research your future field of study.  

Unitec employs the latest teaching practices, uses collaborative learning spaces, and provides a true campus and community experience, so you'll be prepared for success in a range of degree-level and postgraduate programmes, such as:

Part-time options are available for domestic students choosing this programme.

Is this the right level for me?

If you're not sure, feel free to take this free online test to help you determine what English programme to apply for. Alternatively, simply apply and we can move you into the right programme after you sit the placement test (if required). 

Where to from here?

Most students who successfully complete this programme can move into any Unitec programme that requires IELTS 6.5 (all undergraduate degrees and most post-graduate programmes).

Please note: International students who graduate will NOT be eligible for a post-study work visa upon completion of this programme.

Graduate Profile - English Language

Jingwei Xu

New Zealand Certificate in English (Level 5) / Postgraduate Diplopma in Creative Practice (Graphics and Animation)

Having already completed a Bachelor of Art and Design (Animation) and Master of Arts (Illustration and Publication) in China, most people would think ‘enough is enough’; but not Jingwei. When he moved to New Zealand in 2017, Jingwei knew that he wanted to continue studying within a Western context. To do so, he needed English. Jingwei did his Level 4 (Academic) certificate at Otago Polytechnic before moving to Auckland to do his Level 5 (Academic) certificate at Unitec.

Jingwei found the Level 5 challenging, but very rewarding; “The teachers I met were perfect and dedicated ... I learnt a lot from the English course, especially how the academic system works in Western education ... and how to do research”. In fact, it was these research skills that he found most beneficial when he moved into the Postgraduate Diplopma in Creative Practice (Graphics and Animation). “After succeeding in the English course and my postgraduate studies ... I now truly understand what academic research is, I know the scientific process of doing research”.

As a result of his studies, Jingwei created and printed his first graphic novel called Twentyfive, and secured a job at Universal Pharmaceuticals as a graphic designer. He also secured volunteering roles at IT's Accessible (which provides resources for people with disabilities), and Colour Our Story (which puts together colouring-in books using illustrations made by children all around the world).

“I learnt a lot of things when I was in China, about graphic design and making comics, but I needed something that could link all of those things, like a key – and I got that key from my studies in New Zealand.”

Admission requirements

Academic requirements

For this programme, you will need the following:
  1. To be 16 years old by the time the programme starts
  2. A New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Academic) (Level 4) or equivalent, IELTS (Academic) with an overall score of 6 with no band lower than 5.5, or achieve an appropriate score on Unitec's Language Studies English Language Placement Test. 

If you don’t meet these requirements, you may still apply under special or discretionary entrance.

For more information download the programme regulations:

Programme Regulations

Courses and timetables

For more details on the courses including timetables, please click on the course names below.

Courses Credits Aim
Listening in Academic Contexts (EAPL5151) 15 credits (0.125 EFTS) This course develops students’ understanding of complex, oral academic texts on a wide range of topics at CEFR high B2 level.
Speaking in Academic Contexts (EAPL5152) 15 credits (0.125 EFTS) This course develops students’ ability to participate flexibly and effectively in extended spoken academic discourse on a wide range of topics at CEFR high B2 level
Reading in Academic Contexts (EAPL5153) 15 credits (0.125 EFTS) This course develops students’ understanding extended, complex written academic texts on a wide range of topics of at CEFR high B2 level.
Writing in Academic Contexts (EAPL5154) 15 credits (0.125 EFTS) This course develops students’ ability to write well-structured, sophisticated, extended academic texts on a wide range of topics.