Across Europe, many master's programs are taught in English, and many of their students learned English as a second or third language. Your thesis is then in English too. That raises practical questions: how good does the English have to be, does language count in the assessment, and who can help? This guide answers them with what European universities say themselves, and is clear about what Esmond can and cannot do for you.
Esmond reads your chapters against each other from within your field and points out contradictions, factual errors, and blind spots you can't see in your own draft.
If your program is taught in English, the thesis is normally in English. The University of Helsinki says so for its English-language degrees, and it checks your English before you start: “The English skills of students completing an English-language degree are examined before they begin their studies.” The master's manual of the semiotics program at the University of Tartu in Estonia states: “The Master’s thesis must be written in English, or in another language if agreed upon with the supervisor and program manager.”
Admission already tested your English, so the thesis is not a language exam. It is still a text in English, and the way you use the language is part of what it shows. Helsinki lists what a master's thesis must demonstrate: “In the thesis, you must demonstrate your familiarity with the thesis topic, mastery of the necessary research methods, the ability to think scientifically and proficiency in academic writing.” Lund University in Sweden describes the standard in plain terms: “In addition, academic writing requires that you express what you want to say clearly, briefly and concisely, with proper source references and a clear referencing technique.”
Some programs add a second language. In Tartu's semiotics program, a thesis in a language other than Estonian has a short summary in Estonian, and that summary should give a coherent overview of the whole thesis. At Helsinki, students in English-language master's programs complete a maturity test in English, on the field of their thesis. Check what your own program asks for; these extra parts may have their own deadlines.
A hypothetical example of a commentYour introduction calls the measure "customer loyalty", chapter three switches to "customer retention", and the results report "repeat purchases". Are these three names for one variable, or three different things?
A first comment on one part of your own draft, right away and without an account.
Get a free previewThe guidelines of the Department of Media and Communication at the University of Oslo in Norway name the research question, theory and method, knowledge of the field, structure and coherence, and then two points about language: “Precise and clear language”, and a coherent use of terms. The same guidelines describe a thesis that falls short as one characterized by imprecise language together with unclear reasoning and unclear structure.
The master's thesis evaluation guidelines of the Aalto University School of Engineering in Finland have a separate criterion for presentation and language, covering the overall appearance, a coherent and formal style, and a well-organized whole. Under that criterion, the same guidelines list that the thesis contains no structural, grammatical, or spelling errors that complicate reading.
In both guides, language is one point among several, next to the research question, method, and structure. Language matters most where it affects the content: when a reader cannot tell what you claim, when a key term changes meaning, or when a hedge turns a finding into something weaker or stronger than you meant. The risk lies in ambiguity: passages where a reader cannot tell what you mean.
| Language issue | Why an assessor notices | What to check in your draft |
|---|---|---|
| A key term changes between chapters | It looks like a change of concept, and the argument seems to drift | Keep a list of your key terms and use one name for each |
| Very long sentences with several claims | The reader cannot see which claim the evidence supports | One main claim per sentence in the results and discussion |
| Hedging that does not match the evidence | "Proves" overstates a correlation; "might perhaps" understates a clear result | Compare each verb of certainty with your method |
| A term translated literally from your first language | It may mean something else in the English literature of your field | Check how the sources you cite use the term |
| Tense switching in the methods chapter | It is unclear what you did and what you plan | Use one tense for what you did, and keep it |
Many universities offer language support for students who study in English, usually at no cost to you. Uppsala University in Sweden runs the Language Workshop: “The Language Workshop offers academic language support for all students and PhD students at Uppsala University.” It holds tutorials and lectures on academic English and Swedish, including oral presentation skills and reading strategies. Lund University offers courses, an open online course on academic English with a companion guide for second-language students that you can download, and individual consultations at its academic support center. Lund starts from the point that “University studies presume that you have good general language skills.”
In Poland, the Writing Lab of the American Studies Center at the University of Warsaw gives one-on-one sessions to its students: “we can provide individual support in various aspects of writing, such as organization, clarity, grammar and style.” It points out some grammar mistakes, and says it cannot edit students' assignments. At Charles University in Prague, the Language Center of the Faculty of Social Sciences offers consultations on academic English to academic staff and doctoral students, and also says it is not a copy-editing service.
At the University of Helsinki, some faculties cover language revision of doctoral dissertations. The university explains why: “It is important to ensure that dissertations are not unfairly overlooked in the scientific community due to shortcomings in linguistic expression.” Its Language Center provides that service. None of the pages quoted here offers the same for a master's thesis, so ask your program before you count on it.
The services quoted here help you learn to express your work in English. Warsaw's Writing Lab and the Charles University Language Center say they do not edit or copy-edit your text, and Warsaw asks students to come early, with specific questions.
This example is made up. A student from Portugal is in an English-taught master's program in public health in Sweden. Her survey of nurses is careful and her statistics are sound. In her first draft, the discussion says the data "demonstrate" that shift length causes burnout, while her method is cross-sectional. Her introduction speaks of "burnout", her methods of "exhaustion", and her tables of "fatigue". She also uses "actual" in the Portuguese sense of "current" throughout one chapter.
The causal verb and the three terms are problems of content, and a spelling check finds neither: a reader who knows the field sees a causal claim the design cannot support and three variables where there is one. The false friend "actual" is a language problem, and a spelling check misses it too. She settles on one term, replaces the causal verb with one that fits a correlation, and asks her university's language service to check the idiom, including "actual".
Esmond evaluates every assignment before you submit. It never writes it.
Esmond is an AI tool that doesn't write for you. If your course doesn't allow any AI tools, don't use Esmond for that work. If you're unsure, ask your instructor or advisor.
Esmond reads the content of your draft. It flags factual errors, inconsistencies, and blind spots, such as a term that changes meaning between chapters or a conclusion that claims more than your method allows. It adds no text to your thesis. Esmond doesn't correct your language and is no substitute for a language check. For grammar and idiom, use your university's language services.
The review is always in English. Quotes from your draft stay in the language you used, so an interview excerpt in Polish or Spanish is quoted as it stands. Esmond doesn't apply the rules of any country, university, or program, so your program's own guidelines still decide what counts. See how Esmond works, the sample report, and why a European review for what happens to your file.
Assessment guides such as those of Oslo's Department of Media and Communication and the Aalto University School of Engineering include language among their points, usually as clarity, precision, and consistent terms. Aalto's guidelines list, among their points, no structural, grammatical, or spelling errors that complicate reading. Ask your supervisor how language weighs in your program.
Usually not for a master's thesis. Services such as Uppsala's Language Workshop and Warsaw's ASC Writing Lab give feedback and teach. Warsaw's Writing Lab and the Charles University FSV Language Center say they do not edit or copy-edit students' texts. At Helsinki, some faculties cover language revision of doctoral dissertations.
No. Esmond reads the content and flags factual errors, inconsistencies, and blind spots. It doesn't correct your language. The review is in English, and quotes from your draft stay in the original language.
Yes. A draft with uneven English can still be read for consistency, evidence, and gaps, as long as a reader can follow what you claim. That is what Esmond reads for, and you can ask your supervisor to comment on content first.
Read on November 7, 2026.
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