Academic Writing
Academic writing both teaches and gauges a student’s ability for critical thinking and analysis, persuasive communication, and independent thought and reasoning. These are the skills of the future and fundamental to success in a globalized world. Equipping students with these skills is the centerpiece of the Englist program.
We provide a completely immersive English learning environment
Teachers speak English at a native level
Our classes are conducted completely in English, with no exceptions. Students listen, speak, read, and write in English at all times.
Small class sizes
We keep classes lively, but small. Students are encouraged to express their ideas and use their critical thinking skills both through interactions with the teacher and in group discussions.
Why is academic writing so important?
It develops strong communication skills
Through academic writing, students cultivate their ability to think independently. As they learn about academic writing structure and how to present a strong argument on paper, they are also building more confident communication skills.
It improves overall English ability
Writing well in English requires proficiency in English grammar and comprehensive knowledge of academic vocabulary. As students strengthen their writing abilities, they also naturally improve their understanding of English grammar, expand their lexicon, and advance their comprehension skills.
It trains students to think critically
Students must exercise their reasoning skills when putting together a well-written academic essay. By employing their analytical skills when constructing a piece of academic prose, students also become stronger independent thinkers.
Our mission at Englist
Unlike most English programs that emphasize “technical” learning to get high SAT scores, or teach students “tricks” to memorize vocabulary and grammar rules more efficiently, Englist adopts a more organic approach. We raise issues to inspire students to think. Group interactions encourage students to speak up and exercise their social skills, and academic writing exercises help them build independent thinking skills. We aim not only to improve students’ English skills, but to help them effectively fulfill their highest potential when they eventually leave the classroom and go out into the world.
Our Writing Classes
Writing Essentials
American English Level: Grades 6-8
Writing Essentials introduces students to the idea of writing as a communication tool and as a method of developing deep thinking. Students will try different types of academic writing, including sentence and paragraph construction, summary, review, narrative, creative, and more practical forms like emails and blogging. Students will be challenged to explore ideas they encounter and learn to present their ideas in a convincing and clear manner. Students will also be tasked with developing mechanical skills through mechanics practice and rewriting edited work.
Essay Writing
American English level: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-11
Essay Writing focuses on the Simple Persuasive Essay (SPE), a writing curriculum developed by Englist. The purpose of the SPE is to introduce students to each component of an essay, how to structure these components to convey ideas, and the logical underpinnings of communication and academic writing. Students are also introduced to simple expository and narrative essays, as well as basic stylistic features like transitions and descriptive writing.
Advanced Writing
American English level: Grades 9-11
Advanced Writing expands on the foundations of the Essay Writing course and tasks students with mastering the five paragraph essay, the format most commonly used in Western education. Students also learn to write different types of essays. The course further introduces students to advanced writing formats like research essays, writing for standardized tests like TOEFL and IELTS, and literary tools and analysis. Students at this level focus more heavily on content and reasoning.
Essays by our upper level writing students.
(click to see the entire essay)
Chrys Yang – Grade 9
Air pollution in Taiwan
Kate Huang – Grade 8
Why Taiwan’s declining birth rate is a problem
Samuel Chen – Grade 9
Problems with Taiwan’s education system
American English level: Grades 7-12
Taipei Teen Tribune is an Englist publication founded in 2015, and is written by Taiwanese students about our world and what we think is important. We write about current events, culture, school, trends, and everything in between. All articles are written by Taiwanese students in their own words with minimal editing. These stories are theirs, and chosen because they reflect real opinions and real concerns.
Students in this class write researched articles and opinion pieces to be published in Englist’s online magazine, Taipei Teen Tribune. Students are only admitted to this class after they’ve proven to be strong enough English readers and writers, and are invited. Most of the students enrolled have studied at Englist for at least two years.
Proficiency tests
In order to ensure students are placed in the classes they will derive the most benefit from, new students must first take a proficiency test. Englist teachers will evaluate the new student’s English level and recommend suitable courses based on assessment results.
Englist students have gone onto prestigious schools all over the world, including …
UC Santa Barbara
University College London
University of Toronto
東吳大學
Soochow University
Department of Law
政治大學
National Chengchi University
University of Miami
King’s College London
UC Davis
國立臺灣大學
National Taiwan University
Our Teachers
Englist prides itself in the quality of our curriculum and teachers. All of our instructors are enthusiastic teachers and experienced educators.
Teachers speak English at a native level
With fluent English speakers leading the class, students learn pronunciation and grammar in a much more natural way. This immersive English learning environment allows students to hear the language in the way it would normally be spoken among native English speakers.
Livelier and more interactive classrooms
All of Englist’s teachers grew up in Western education systems and instruct students in a similar fashion. We aim to inspire engagement and independent thinking in our students, a departure from the rigid and rote memorization techniques common among many other after school programs in Taiwan.
Rich teaching experience in Taiwan
Our teachers have all had years of experience teaching in Taiwan in various schools and institutes, instructing students of all ages from elementary through high school.
Learn academic writing on your own time – online!
If your schedule isn’t flexible enough to accommodate Englist’s class schedule, you can try our online courses. Our online academic writing course is proprietary and based on our actual curriculum, and you can take lessons according to your own schedule, at any time you’d like.
Contact Us
Reach Out to Us
Feel free to reach out to us through the channels below, or simply fill out this form and a representative will be in touch.
Fuxing South Road, Section 2, No. 268, 2F-3
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