1. OBJECTIVES:
After studying this course, the student should have achieved a low intermediate level of English equivalent to that of B1 on the European Framework, or a good pass at the Cambridge ESOL Preliminary English Test. This level has been defined by the European Council as the ‘Threshold’ level. Speakers at this level are able to use English for routine purposes and to participate in exchanges on familiar or everyday topics. Non-routine contexts and topics of a more abstract nature may result in the breakdown of communication. Speakers have limited independence, and are reliant on their interlocutor to develop the exchange. There will be frequent need for repair and a certain amount of negotiation of meaning. Basic errors will occur with frequency; pauses to search for language may sometimes demand patience of the listener; features of L1 pronunciation will obscure meaning at times.
2. TEACHING & METHODOLOGY:
The course gives systematic coverage of the four skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking), but with especial emphasis on the spoken mode. Methodology is consistent with the communicative approach, but incorporates recent research into vocabulary and pedagogic grammar.
English will be both the object of study and medium of communication in class, such that the use of Spanish will be kept to a minimum. Communicative activities will predominate, grammatical expositions will be brief. Homework will be set regularly (ie, at least once a week) and will include reading activities. Copies of the coursebook recordings will be made available for personal study, as will copies of previous exams (but note that these are currently undergoing revision).
Students should note that whilst regular attendance is not a sine qua non of the course, it is highly recommended. Passing the course requires a low intermediate level of proficiency to be achieved across the four skills. The final exam is designed to establish this. There is no secret to the exam or the criteria on which it is based, nor are there any shortcuts - students are advised against cramming.
Finally, the course is intended to be both a useful and enjoyable experience.
3. SYLLABUS:
The syllabus below is illustrative rather than definitive. It would be impossible to itemise every structure and lexical item the student should know, and probably of limited value even were it so, given that questions of use would remain to be defined.
Module 1.
Function/vocabulary: People around you
Grammar input: Present simple and continuous
Module 2.
Function/vocabulary: Remembering and forgetting
Grammar input: Past simple and continuous; comparing past and present with used to, still, not ... any more/longer
Module 3.
Function/vocabulary: Describing towns and cities
Grammar input: Comparatives and superlatives (slightly higher than, one of the biggest ... in the world, etc.); other expressions of comparison ( not as ... as, fewer/less than, similar to, etc.)
Module 4.
Function/vocabulary: Life experiences
Grammar input: Present perfect simple and past simple; for, since and ago with the present perfect continuous
Module 5.
Function/vocabulary: Training and work
Grammar input: Future plans and intentions with present continuous, will, going to, intend to, due to, etc.; future clauses with if and when
Module 6.
Function/vocabulary: Television
Grammar input: Adjectives ending in -ing and -ed; passive forms
Module 7.
Function/vocabulary: Social occasions
Grammar input: Polite requests; will (instant decisions and responses)
Module 8.
Function/vocabulary: Machines
Grammar input: Defining relative clauses; quantifiers (a few, a lot of, etc.)
Module 9.
Function/vocabulary: Society and change
Grammar input: Making predictions with modal verbs and likely to, may, may well, probably won’t, etc.; real and hypothetical possibilities with if
Module 10.
Function/vocabulary: Reporting
Grammar input: Past perfect and past simple; reported speech and reported questions
Module 11
Function/vocabulary: obligation & permission
Grammar input: patterns of verbs for obligation & permission in present and past; expressions with do
Module 12
Function/vocabulary: 3rd conditional
Grammar input: 3rd conditional; could have / would have / should have
The coursebook , workbook and corresponding tapes are available in the university library, as are the recommended readers. Your teacher will also make available copies of the tapes/CDs from which you can make individual copies for personal study.
During the course the teacher will also provide students with various study guides aimed at helping them to revise the items covered in class and prepare effectively for the exam.
4. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
(a) Coursebook:
Sarah Cunningham and John Moor, Cutting Edge Intermediate. (Orange cover)
Student’s book and Workbook
(b) Dictionaries:
Bi-lingual: Larousse, Gran Diccionario: Inglés-Español, Español-Inglé
Collins, Collins Learner’s Dictionary: English-Spanish, Español-Inglés
Mono-lingual: Longman, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
(c) Recommended readers:
These are currently being reviewed. Further information will be distributed in class. For reference only, those from last year are as follows:
Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep. Oxford Bookworms. Black Series, stage 4.
L. P. Hartley, The Go-Between. Longman.
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations. Oxford Bookworms. Black Series, stage 5.
5. EVALUATIÓN:
Evaluation will consist of a final exam in June (with the opportunity to repeat in September). This exam is currently undergoing revision and further details will be made available in class, and published on the website of the Servicio de Lenguas Modernas.
For the moment, the following points can be made:
- the design of the exam emphasises objectivity
- the criteria on which students are being evaluated are transparent
- the exam covers all four skills
- there will be three papers, the exact content of which is yet to be determined
There will be two practice exams during the course, at Christmas and Easter. These will be the June and September exams from the previous year. The idea behind this is that students become familiar with the format of the exam and the level expected of them. Do not worry if your score in these exams is low, as the course is designed to bring you up to the required level, but do take account of the result and make sure you carefully study the areas where you were weak in the practice exam. Because of the changes, last year’s exams will not be an exact reflection of what to expect in June, but the teacher will carefully explain the differences, and we will do our best to adapt them so that they more closely resemble the new format.
If you attend the course regularly and follow the guidelines provided by the teacher, there is no reason why you should not pass the exam with a good grade. If, however, you do find that you have failed in June, make sure you go to the ‘revisión’ because the teacher will explain what you have to do during the summer in order to pass the September resit, and will give you the appropriate materials to help you.
Finally, a word of warning and a word of advice. Students who are ‘libre’ or who, for any other reason cannot attend classes, make sure you are well informed of what you need to do to pass the course. You will need to study regularly; attacking English over a two week intensive period just before the exam is unlikely to enable you to pass. This is especially true if you only need the credits from English to complete your degree. DO NOT leave it until the last moment. If at all possible, get the class notes from someone who is attending, and likewise do the exercises that are set every week. Establish a good habit of regular study from the start.
