Advanced English Skills 1 3301-L1PAAES-1
First part of the two semester course which reviews the four language skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing - and includes a vocabulary component at the B2/C1 level. The basic textbook is CAE Result, though selected literary readings and listening material may also be included. The course covers the following topics: ambition, success and achievement; travel entertainment, leisure; people, families, appearances; social problems, civil liberties, international issues, environmental problems; science, technology in everyday life; work and the workplace, professions, money; health, fitness, medicine; school, education, university life, educational issues.
The listening component of the course includes a variety of listening activities such as listening for gist and detail, blank filling, multiple matching, multiple choice, etc. Material for extensive listening - a variety of recorded radio programmes - is available for work outside the classroom.
Speaking practise in class is based on the listening and reading texts and its aim is to train students to communicate more effectively by increasing accuracy and range of expression. A variety of conversational techniques and language functions will be introduced and practised. Informal and formal language is practiced in dialogues, interviews, short presentations and discussions.
The texts for reading are thematically related to the main topic of each unit and are taken from authentic contemporary sources. They provide the students with both intensive and extensive reading material for reading comprehension, vocabulary practise and text analysis, as well as points for discussion.
The writing component revises sentence structures and paragraph organization and development. Stress is placed on appropriate choice of vocabulary. The writing of formal and informal letters, reviews, articles, reports and book entries is practised, as well as such practical tasks as notes, memos, announcements and personal advertisements. Principles of essay organization are outlined as an introduction to writing for academic purposes.
The vocabulary introduced during the course relates to the themes around which the units are based. The aim of the exercises is to practise and activate a thematic vocabulary and lexical patterns - collocations, idioms, phrasal verbs, etc.
Progress during the course can be monitored by the students themselves by means of several self-assessment modules. Evaluation on the part of the teacher is based on assessment of student participation in class, assessment of written work done during the course both in and outside the class and a final test based on material covered during the semester.
Type of course
Learning outcomes
Improved general English skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing to the B+/C1 level.
Assessment criteria
Evaluation is based on assessment of student participation in class, assessment of written work done during the course both in and outside the class and a final written test based on material covered during the semester.
Bibliography
Kathy Gude and Mary Stephens. 2008. CAE Result. Oxford University Press.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: