As you master academic English, you will draw on four main skills—reading, writing, speaking, and listening—and you will develop those skills at different rates. At this point, for example, you may have more control over spoken English than formal grammar or you may have stronger reading skills than listening skills. To increase your chances of success in college, strive to balance your skills so that you can rely on strengths in not just one or two but all four skill areas.
It may help to work with an instructor or adviser to create a plan that identifies areas for improvement and lists strategies that will help you build your skills.
Strategies for improving your academic English
Related topics:
Intensive and extensive language activities
Reading while listening
Using a dictionary or a thesaurus
Becoming familiar with the Academic Word List
Learning prefixes and suffixes
Keeping a vocabulary notebook
Keeping an editing log