This chapter introduces the central problem addressed in the book: how English for Specific Purposes (ESP) can support novice students entering higher education, particularly in contexts where English is a foreign language. These learners are new to their chosen disciplinary fields and are still developing as academic language users at a point when expectations regarding specialised academic communication begin to intensify. The chapter situates this problem within ongoing debates about the role of language in disciplinary learning in higher education and outlines the book’s focus on how academic communication mediates knowledge building. It sets the scope for examining current challenges in ESP pedagogy and for exploring alternative ways of supporting students’ gradual entry into disciplinary discourse.