AVALINE ENGLISH
Pre-sessional English

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Aims and objectives

This level is designed for degree course preparation in order to help students meet the English language entry requirements. It focuses on students’ development of English language proficiency and academic literacy through different learning approaches. Course includes how to:

• Skills in understanding and analysing academic texts and using them in writing and speaking
• Listen to lectures delivered by academics and other experts
• Understand lectures delivered by academics and other experts while taking effective notes
• Improve students’ ability to speak in academic contexts, with emphasis on oral presentations and seminars
• Develop the ability to write relevant, well-argued essays in an academic style
• Develop the ability to select, use and reference appropriate academic sources
• Develop critical thinking skills
• Go about independent study and library-based research skills as required at UK universities

More specifically, the course in IELTS training will focus on reading and writing ability in a variety of academic registers, as well as developing listening and speaking skills through lectures, seminars and presentations within a university context.

We aim to help advance students’ ability to perform in all four skills related to students’ degree programme and pass the university IELTS requirement.

Course structure:

IELTS Listening Module
The Listening section of IELTS has four sub-sections. The first one is a conversation between two individuals set in an everyday social context. The second is a monologue or a speech. The third section is a conversation among a maximum of four people set in an academic setting and the final one is a monologue on an academic subject, for instance, an academic lecture. Each section is heard only once. Candidates can take notes while listening to the conversations and lectures, which can be referred to while answering the questions.

IELTS Speaking Module 
Certificated IELTS examiners assess candidates’ speaking performance throughout the test. There are four assessment criteria:

• Fluency and coherence
• Lexical resource
• Grammatical range and accuracy; and
• Pronunciation

Fluency and coherence helps students speak at a normal speed (speech tempo) without too much hesitation for most simple sentences.  This level also enables student to put sentences and ideas in a logical, coherent order, using cohesive devices (including linking words, pronouns and conjunctions, etc.) to connect simple sentences together appropriately for improved fluency.

Elementary level grammatical accuracy improves how accurately and appropriately grammar is used, focusing mainly on the past tense.

Pronunciation improves the ability to speak in a way that enables an individual to be understood without too much effort.

Lexical resource assesses the range of vocabulary students use and how accurately and appropriately students use vocabulary to express meaning. It also includes the ability to express oneself using alternative vocabulary when one does not know a particular word.

Grammatical range and accuracy assesses the range of grammar the students use and how accurately and appropriately it is used.

Pronunciation assess the ability to speak in a way which can be understood without too much effort.

Academic Reading
Reading is a core skill for study. Students will do a lot of reading for academic work so if a student’s reading in English is slow, one may need to allow extra time for study.

When students read for academic purposes, they need different strategies from those used when reading for pleasure. They will need to:

• understand new vocabulary and the style in which study materials are written
• identify the principal points within a piece of text
• select the key information relevant to the task or assignment
• read actively and critically, thinking about the sources of the information and whether there is evidence to back up any arguments that are made

Academic Writing
The written assignments may include reports, short answers and essays, each with their own organisation and layout. Students may also have to write an exam under timed conditions. The ability to write in a clear, well-structured English can make a significant difference to assignments and examination marks and performance.

For many subjects students will need to show that they can:

• structure an essay so that it has a clear beginning, middle and end (i.e. introduction, body and conclusion)
• draw information and evidence from the course materials and other sources
• write in their own words, using the vocabulary and expressions relevant to the subject
• link ideas in a logical way
• produce sentences in grammatical English with accurate spelling so that the meaning is clear.

Upon completion, students will be expected to: 

• Understand and use theories and conventions of written academic literacy
• Use rhetorical and logical strategies to express ideas effectively in writing
• Develop their own voice and position themselves in texts
• Employ relevant strategies for distinct tasks, ranging from unseen examination essays to prepared coursework on undergraduate degree programmes
• Meet university English undergraduate entry requirements.

Examination Methods
Coursework (40%)

In-class Assessment	10%	60 minutes in-class test
Project	30%	1500-2000 words

Close Book Examinations (60%)

Listening	40 questions	30 minutes
Project Reading	40 questions	60 minutes
Writing	2 tasks	60 minutes
Speaking	3 parts	10–15 minutes

 

Delivery Hours
Total number of hours:                120 hours