Academic orientation Assessing your academic skills Read these problems. Which do you agree with? (Write v, X or 2) Understanding lectures in English It’s hard for me to listen for a long time (e.g. one hour). [| | find it difficult to identify the main points. [_] I find it difficult to understand the accents of the lecturers Taking part in group work I'm shy about working with other people. It's difficult for me to understand other students’ English. Giving presentations | have a lack of confidence. | have a lack of experience. [_] It's difficult for me to understand questions afterwards. Reading academic texts | don’t read very quickly. It’s difficult for me to understand new words. [_] Finding information to include in my own writing | don’t know how to find good sources. | don’t know how to use the internet effectively. Writing essays | have a narrow range of vocabulary/grammar. | don’t know the difference between essay types. Summarising what | have read It’s difficult for me to identify the key points. It's difficult for me to use my own words when summarising. Learning academic vocabulary It's difficult for me to understand subject-specific language. |_] | can understand a lot of words but | often can’t use them appropriately.