LilacBush
ACADEMIC ENGLISH FOR TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS
Academic English for School Students
Develop your academic English skills with our intensive, confidence-building courses that teach you to write, speak, and think in academic English.
Build Real Understanding
Learn WHY language works the way it does - develop strategic thinking, not just rule-following
14 Courses
Progress systematically from paragraph writing through essay mastery to university specific formats
Small, Supportive Groups
Weekly live classes with max 4 students - your consistent group throughout each course
Academic Success
Starts with Strong Foundations
The Challenge
You are academically capable. You understand complex concepts in your native language. You can have conversations in English. But when you need to:
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Write a 5-paragraph essay analyzing a historical event
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Construct an argumentative essay with evidence and counterarguments
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Explain a process clearly in writing
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Describe a place or object vividly and
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Participate confidently in classroom discussions
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Give presentations that engage your audience
... suddenly English feels different. More formal. More structured. More demanding.
That is because academic English is a specific type of English - with its own conventions, patterns, and purposes. At my courses, I teach you to communicate academically.
... suddenly English feels different. More formal. More structured. More demanding.
That is because academic English is a specific type of English - with its own conventions, patterns, and purposes. At my courses, I teach you to communicate academically.
What Makes Academic English Different
It is not about difficulty - it is about precision and purpose:
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Precision: Expressing complex ideas clearly and exactly
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Structure: Organizing information logically so readers can follow your thinking
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Evidence: Supporting claims with reasoning and examples
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Formality: Using appropriate register for academic contexts
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Strategic thinking: Knowing which language tools to use when and why
Here, we learn these skills systematically, building our confidence step by step.
Course Eductaional Approach:
Teaching Purposes, Not Just Tools
The Problem with Traditional Courses
Most English courses teach you rules:
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"Use topic sentences in paragraphs"
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"Don't start sentences with 'and' or 'but'"
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"Complex sentences are better than simple ones"
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"Start with the most important point"
What This Means for You?
You memorize the rules. You might even follow them. But you do not understand why they exist or when to use them strategically.
The result? You can write "correctly" but your writing feels forced, unnatural, or formulaic. You follow templates but cannot adapt to new situations. You know what to do but not why or when.
My Approach
I teach the strategic purposes behind every language tool, format choice, and organizational decision:
Instead of: "Use a semicolon between independent clauses"
I teach: "Use semicolons when you want to show two ideas are closely connected - more connected than a period would suggest, but not connected with a cause-effect or contrast relationship like a conjunction would show. It is about relationship strength, not just grammar rules."
Instead of: "Use transitions like 'first, second, third'"
I teach: "Sequential transitions ('first, next, then') work for simple processes. But complex processes need more sophisticated transitions showing causation ('as a result'), simultaneity ('meanwhile'), or conditions ('if this occurs'). Choose transitions that accurately reflect the relationships between steps."
What This Means for You?
You understand the logic behind every choice - grammar, format, organization, argumentation
You can adapt to new writing situations - not just follow templates, but create strategies
You develop strategic thinking about communication - you become a communicator who makes conscious choices
You feel confident, not anxious - about academic writing, speaking, and any communication challenge
You can explain your choices - "I organized it this way because..." instead of "I did what the template said"
You transfer skills to new contexts - once you understand principles, you apply them anywhere
Learning Steps in Each Course
Step 1: Learn Together (Live Online Class)
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Weekly 1-hour session with your instructor and small group (max 4 students)
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Explore new concepts with explanations and real-time examples
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Practice with guided exercises and personalized feedback
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Ask questions, discuss with classmates, build understanding
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Leave each session with clear grasp of the week's strategic principles
Step 2: Deep Understanding (Student's Book + Quiz)
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Read theoretical explanations at your own pace
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Study annotated examples that show principles in action
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Answer questions to check your understanding
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Complete self-assessment quiz to confirm you have grasped key concepts
Step 3: Practice Systematically (Workbook)
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Complete 10-15 exercises applying what you learned: identification → analysis → application → creation
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Submit marked exercises for detailed teacher feedback
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Self-check some exercises with complete answer keys
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Build confidence through structured, purposeful practice
Step 4: Reflect and Integrate
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Consider reflection questions to deepen understanding beyond exercises
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Connect strategic principles to your own writing and speaking
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Develop metacognitive awareness (thinking about your thinking)
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Build lasting habits of strategic, intentional language use
Courses That Build
from Foundations to Mastery
Progress from essential writing skills to university-level communication. Start with foundations, build complexity, and develop complete academic mastery.
Foundations
Courses in this series develop the core writing skills you will use throughout high school and university. Master paragraph structure, essential organizational patterns (explanatory, process, descriptive), and learn to apply these skills in both single-paragraph and extended formats. By completing this Series, you will have the essential building blocks for all academic writing.
ACADEMIC PARAGRAPH WRITING:
FOUNDATIONS AND ESSENTIAL TYPES
Duration: 10 weeks
Cost: $550
Learn seven fundamental paragraph patterns that appear across all academic subjects. Understand when to use each type and how to recognize what different assignments require.
ACADEMIC PARAGRAPH WRITING:
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPHS
Duration: 8 weeks
Cost: $550
Learn seven explanatory paragraph types. Develop the ability to explain concepts, processes, and ideas clearly - the type of writing you will do constantly in science, social studies, history, and informational assignments across all subjects. Learn to break down complex ideas into understandable parts, choose appropriate examples, and organize explanations logically.
Why this course matters: Much of academic writing is explanation. This course teaches you to break down complex ideas and present them clearly.
Intermediate
WRITING ABOUT PROCESSES:
EXPLAINING HOW THINGS HAPPEN
Duration: 10 weeks
Cost: $550
Master sequential explanation - how to write clear instructions (directional processes) and how to explain how things work or happen (informational processes). Learn to organize steps logically, use time-order transitions strategically, and ensure completeness. Apart from process paragraphs, you will practice multi-paragraph formats (process essays, lab reports) to prepare for authentic academic applications.
Why this course matters: Process writing appears everywhere in academics: lab procedures in science, historical developments in history, technical explanations in all subjects. From explaining photosynthesis to writing complete lab reports, these skills are essential for academic success.
WRITING VIVID DESCRIPTIONS
FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES
Duration: 10 weeks
Cost: $550
Create vivid, precise descriptions using sensory details, spatial organization, and appropriate descriptive vocabulary. Learn the difference between objective description (scientific observation, factual reporting) and subjective description (personal impressions).
Why this course matters: Academic description is not creative storytelling - it is precise observation and strategic reporting. You will need these skills for lab observations, character analysis in literature, historical scene descriptions, art analysis, and any subject requiring careful, accurate description.
Building Academic Sentences
STRATEGIC SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION
Duration: 9 weeks
Cost: $550
Build a strong foundation in sentence structure: subjects, verbs, objects, complements, and their patterns. Learn when to use these elements strategically for clarity, precision, and emphasis. These are truly powerful language tools in Academic English.
Why this course matters: Before you can create complex sentences effectively, you need to master creating the building blocks of a sentence.
MODIFYING CLAUSES
FOR PRECISION AND INFORMATION DENSITY
Duration: 9 weeks
Cost: $550
Learn to embed additional information using relative clauses, participle clauses, appositive, and noun complement clauses to add sophistication and density without losing clarity.
Why this course matters: These clauses let you pack information efficiently without losing clarity - essential for academic density. Learn to write sentences that sound sophisticated because they ARE sophisticated, not because they are complicated.
COMPLEX SENTENCES
FOR EXPRESSING COMPLEX IDEAS
Duration: 8 weeks
Cost: $550
Master the tools for showing relationships between ideas: subordination (because, although, when, if), coordination (and, but, so), and strategic choosing based on what relationships you want to express. Learn to build sentences that express complex thinking clearly.
Why this course matters: Academic vocabulary means you are using words precisely . "Demonstrate" and "show" mean slightly different things, so weneed to choose precisely. Strategic vocabulary use signals expertise and supports clear thinking.
FOUNDATIONAL ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
Duration: 10 weeks
Cost: $550
Transform what you can already say into precise academic register. Develop understanding of how vocabulary functions as a meaning-making system in academic communication and uild the vocabulary competence expected at university level and beyond.
Why this course matters: Academic vocabulary is not about using big words to sound smart - it is about precision. "Demonstrate" and "show" mean slightly different things; strategic writers choose precisely.
PUNCTUATION FOR ACADEMIC WRITING
Duration: 8 weeks
Cost: $550
Use punctuation to guide reader comprehension: commas for clarity, semicolons for connection, colons for emphasis. Understand the purposes behind punctuation rules, which is a system for showing readers how ideas relate.
Why this course matters: Punctuation is a powerful tool for controlling meaning. Master this system and your writing becomes immediately clearer and more professional.
Rhetoric Tools
ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING
Duration: 8 weeks
Cost: $550
Master the art of constructing convincing academic arguments: develop clear, defensible claims; support them with relevant evidence and reasoning; anticipate and address counterarguments; organize persuasive thinking that demonstrates critical analysis. These argumentation skills are essential across many academic contexts - from debates to research papers to analytical essays.
Why this course matters: Argumentation is fundamental to academic thinking. You will use these skills in almost every subject at university, whenever you need to take a position and defend it with reasoning.
University Success
MASTERING ESSENTIAL ESSAY TYPES
Duration: 10 weeks
Cost: $600
Master six essential essay formats: descriptive, compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution, analytical, and argumentative. Learn the strategic purpose of each format, when to use it, and how to organize your response appropriately, applying all your paragraph, sentence, vocabulary, and argumentation skills within the right structure for each task.
Why this course matters: Different assignments require different essay formats. This course teaches you to recognize what is being asked and organize your complete essay response strategically, bringing together all the skills you've built in previous courses.
MASTERING ESSENTIAL ACADEMIC FORMATS
Duration: 8 weeks
Cost: $600
This is a practical course in the specific formats which university students use most: summaries, response papers, exam answers, and research papers. You will learn to execute common academic writing tasks efficiently, accurately, and confidently.
ACADEMIC BOOTCAMP
FOR UNIVERSITY FRESHMEN
Duration: 6 weeks
Cost: $500
This bootcamp is designed for first-year students (and beyond) struggling to meet university writing expectations. It addresses the specific gap between high school essays and university analysis. Through six focused lessons, you will master strategic reading, evidence-to-analysis ratio, paragraph architecture, advanced transitions, academic voice calibration and citation practices.
Flexible Pathways: How to Progress
Pathway 1: Complete Systematic Progression
Timeline: 18-24 months
Follow the designed progression: Foundations →Intermediate → Building Academic Sentences → Rhetoric Tools → University Success
Best for:
Students starting 2+ years before university
Those wanting comprehensive preparation
Learners who prefer thorough, systematic foundations
Benefits: Complete mastery, no gaps, maximum confidence
Pathway 2: Targeted Skill Development
Timeline: Flexible
Take courses based on specific needs and schedule
Best for:
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Students with specific weaknesses
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Those combining with other studies
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Learners wanting maximum flexibility
Benefits: Address specific gaps, flexible scheduling
Who Are the Courses For
These courses are for teens who:
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Are at B1+ English level (intermediate - can hold basic conversations, read adapted texts, write simple paragraphs)
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Plan to study at an English-medium university or programme
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Are willing to invest time and effort (3-4 hours per week for each course -this is serious skill development, not a quick fix)
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Learn well with theory-first approaches (they like understanding concepts before practicing)
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Benefit from small-group interaction (they will participate in a class with just 3 other students)
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Are academically motivated (they care about doing well, want to be prepared, take education seriously)
Parents: This is for you if you want:
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Genuine skill development, not just test scores (these courses build real competence that lasts)
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Systematic, thorough preparation (comprehensive progression from foundations to mastery)
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Small group attention (max 4 students means your teen won't get lost in a crowd)
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Investment in your teen's future (strong academic English foundations matter for university success and beyond)
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Teaching that respects your teen's intelligence (we treat students as capable thinkers, not just rule-followers)
This may NOT be right if you:
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Are looking for quick exam preparation (we build deep competence; that takes time)
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Want purely conversational English (our focus is academic communication)
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Need passive learning (these courses require active engagement and practice)
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Expect learning without effort (mastery requires consistent work)
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Want big classes (we keep groups tiny intentionally)
FAQ
How do I know if my teen is ready for these courses?
Students should be at B1 level (intermediate English). If your teen can:
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Hold a basic conversation in English
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Read and understand adapted texts or simple articles
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Write simple paragraphs with some errors
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Understand basic grammar concepts
... they are ready to start. If you are unsure, contact us to discuss their readiness.
Should my teen take courses during the school year or summer?
Either works. During school year, students typically take 1 course at a time (3-4 hours/week commitment). During summer, some students take 2 courses simultaneously for faster progress. We offer courses year-round.
What age students are these courses for?
Designed for ages 14-18 (high school age). The content level and examples are appropriate for teenage learners, while the rigor prepares them for university-level work.
Can younger/older students take these courses?
Younger students (12-13) can take them if they are at B1 level and academically mature. Older students (18+) might prefer our University Student courses, which have more age-appropriate examples, but teens' courses work fine if they are in that age range.
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Will there be homework?
Yes - students complete workbook exercises between live classes (typically 3-4 hours of independent work per week). This practice is essential for skill development.
How much parental involvement is needed?
Minimal. Teens study independently and attend classes without parent participation. Parents might help with technical setup for first class and can monitor progress, but the courses are designed for teen autonomy.
What if my teen struggles with self-directed learning?
The live classes provide structure and accountability. Your teen will have weekly sessions where they must participate and show progress. The small group (max 4 students) means they can't hide - but also means they get support when they struggle. The teacher provides support and direction throughout the course.
Can teens from different countries take courses together?
Absolutely! We welcome students from any country. The teaching approach works well for students from various educational backgrounds who value systematic, theory-based learning.
How long until we see improvement?
Students typically notice improvements in understanding within 2-3 lessons. Visible improvements in writing usually appear by course end (8-9 weeks). Significant transformation happens across multiple courses as skills compound.
Will these courses help with school grades?
Yes. Skills learned directly apply to school essays and assignments. Many students report improved English grades as their understanding deepens.
Do students get grades or reports?
Students receive feedback throughout each course. We can provide progress reports for parents upon request.
What happens if my teen doesn't pass a course?
Our model is mastery-based, not pass/fail. Students work through material with teacher support. If a student struggles, we provide additional guidance and resources. In rare cases, we might recommend repeating a course for stronger foundations.
What equipment does my teen need?
Computer/tablet with reliable internet, webcam, microphone (built-in or headset), quiet space for classes. Access to printer helpful for workbooks but not required (digital access provided).
What if we need to pause or cancel?
No problem. There might be different circumstances under which you may need to pausa or cancel. You should contact us as soon as possible to discuss the terms of pausation or cancellation. If you notify us about your decision to cancel before the third live session - we return the full payment.
Are there scholarships or payment plans available?
We do not provide any scholarships, but we provide different payment options for each course. See the course of your interest to learn about the payment options available for it.
Can my teen take courses with a friend?
Yes! If two students register for the same course and start date, we'll place them in the same group (along with 1-2 others for the 4-student max). Friends often enjoy learning together.