- Every student needs top class reading, writing, listening and speaking skills to succeed at an academic level. Skillful focuses on each of these skills to give presentation, instant practice and complete immersion in that area of language. It offers students the opportunity to develop language skills by presenting them with ideas from today"s world, while building critical thinking skills that are vital for academic success. The course takes a skills-based approach with each unit distinguishing between and global and close skills. The nature of each unit encourages students to think about the world around them, creating exciting and engaging learning material. The skills boxes that appear throughout the books signal the topic focus to the teacher, while providing the students with relevant tips, words and phrases. The study skills focus develops this further, providing students with practical guidance and support, and building confidence for independent learning throughout their university career.