Learning outcomes

The student will develop the following English skills related to level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR):

The student will be able to...

    General reading comprehension :

Read with a high degree of autonomy, adapting the mode and speed of reading to different texts and purposes, using appropriate references selectively. If the student has a large and active reading vocabulary, he or she may encounter difficulties with infrequent expressions at this level.


    General listening comprehension:

Understand standard spoken language, live or in the media, on familiar and unfamiliar topics normally encountered in personal, social, academic or professional life.

Understand the main ideas of structurally and linguistically complex speeches on concrete or abstract topics in standard language, including technical discussions in his/her own field of specialization, and follow a speech of some length and complex argumentation provided the topic is fairly familiar and the general outline of the talk is indicated by explicit markers.


    In general oral production:

Give a detailed description and presentation on a wide range of subjects related to his/her field of interest, developing and justifying ideas with secondary points and relevant examples.

Explain a point of view on a problem, giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

Develop a presentation clearly and methodically, emphasizing key points, while being able to depart spontaneously from a prepared text to follow up interesting points raised by listeners, often demonstrating fluency and ease of expression.


    General written production:

Write clear, detailed texts on a wide range of topics related to his/her field of interest, synthesizing and evaluating information and arguments borrowed from a variety of sources.


    Oral interaction:

Start, sustain and end conversations naturally and with effective turns of phrase.

Engage in a conversation of some length on most topics of general interest, participating effectively even in a noisy environment.

Take the initiative in a conversation, expanding and developing ideas, without much help or stimulation from the interlocutor.

Take charge of a series of questions, after a presentation, with a degree of ease and spontaneity that does not cause tension to the audience or to him/herself.


 

Goals

 Main objective: to improve your oral skills so that you can express yourself with ease and accuracy in a variety of situations. Particular attention is given to the skills required to deliver a quality oral presentation on a technical subject.
   

Additional objectives :

    - further develop written expression,
   -  extend the acquisition of new vocabulary, focusing on false friends, prepositions and postpositions, as well as vocabulary related to the world of work
   -  reduce recurring errors by weekly reminders based on mistakes identified by your teacher. Students will be asked to take into account the corrections made in class, and one question on the exam will be based on these. Each week, a student will be assigned to take notes of the teacher's comments and make them available on a shared folder.  



 

Content


On the basis of the various oral and written tasks completed during the term, the student will build up a personal portfolio. This is the key to the final oral examination. The precise content of the portfolio and the practical details of the various tasks are detailed in the Student Vademecum.

In brief,
1. written expression

    production of summaries or reports and drafting of personal opinions/analyses with critical hindsight (formative evaluation) based on the oral activities proposed.

2. oral expression

    Three main areas will be covered:

    - Student corners (in continuity with Bloc 2)
    - a technical presentation in groups of three on a topic chosen from among those provided by the specialty teachers (see Vademecum). The activity is graded and an individual mark is awarded to each student. A detailed debriefing will then be provided by your teacher.
   -  various oral activities (such as news presentations or big debates) will be offered on a regular basis to enable you to practice your English in a variety of contexts.

3. Vocabulary

One of the aims of the course is to develop lexical knowledge by focusing on false friends, prepositions and postpositions, as well as thematic vocabulary related to aspects of professional life.
This vocabulary will be studied through self-study, and will give rise to three tests to be organized over the course of the term. To help you prepare for these tests, you will be given revision exercises in the week preceding the test.
   

Reminders of grammar and vocabularywill be given on a regular basis , based on questions raised and problems encountered by students.


 

Table of contents

Le English course covers the following two chapters:

  1. Vocabulary expansion 
  2. How to make a good presentation ?

 

Exercices

Formative assessment in the form of written and oral tasks to be completed during the year, with feedback.

Assessment method

For the English 3 course, the marking system is as follows:


1.FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Each student will be required to complete a number of oral presentations and written tasks during the term. The various written tasks, together with written preparation for the various oral presentations, will be included in the portfolio to be handed in for the January oral exam.

Here are the details of the presentations and tasks to be produced:

    - Selling a product (oral presentation + preparation page)
    - Your own student corner (oral presentation + preparation page)
    -  2 News (presentation + preparation page)
    -  2 big debates (debate participation + 2 summaries)
    - 3 written tasks (200 words each) in different formats relating to your fellow students' student corners


Instructions and explanations for the various activities described here are included in the Student Vademecum. Students can always ask their teacher for feedback on a written or oral task.

The various written tasks are to be included in the portfolio, which is to be submitted by Friday December 20 at 11.59 pm in the tab that is intended for this purpose. You must upload it to WebCampus in PDF format.


2.CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT: TECHNICAL PRESENTATION (20%)

Technical presentation by groups of three students on a topic chosen from among those provided by specialty teachers (see Vademecum).  An individual mark will be awarded to each member of the group, based on the following aspects: quality of English, body language, compliance with instructions on presentation techniques, interaction with the class, diversity and quality of interactive activities.

A detailed debriefing will then be provided by your teacher.

The mark awarded for this part will be final and will be used as it stands in the second session mark in the event of failure in the first session.


3.VOCABULARY TESTS (20%)  3 vocabulary tests will take place during the term.

    Test 1 - week 4 - face-to-face: 20 sentences to complete, including a preposition or postposition if necessary, with a translation provided - 5%.
    Test 2 - week 7 -- face-to-face: 20 sentences to complete, including an expression whose translation will be given to you in French. 5%
    Test 3 - week 12 - face-to-face: 40 sentences to complete, including a faux ami (false friend) whose translation will be given to you in French. - 10%

4.ORAL EXAM (60%)

The oral exam will consist of a 15-minute discussion with your teacher. It is conditional on the submission of your complete portfolio before the start of the session (see Vademecum). The examination may cover the following aspects (see Vademecum for details):

    - the technical presentations you have attended as a spectator
   -  your personal student corner and those you have attended as a spectator
   -  the two big debate sessions
   -  the various written tasks carried out during the quad
    - your news presentations
    - the Selling a product oral activity

If the portfolio is not complete, you will not be allowed to take the oral exam and will receive a zero for it.

At least two topics will be covered during the exam, in a spontaneous interaction in which fluency, lexical and grammatical variety (idioms, structures, etc.), communicative attitude, body language and the ability to bounce back will be the watchwords. One of the questions on the oral exam will relate to the corrections made in class by your teacher.

Non-participation (e.g. unjustified absence) in any part of the continuous assessment and/or oral examination will automatically result in failure of the first session.

You are allowed to take notes with you to help you develop your ideas during the exam (key words, mind maps, etc.).

SECOND SESSION

In the second session, students re-sit activities that have not been passed during the year, with the exception of the technical presentation, for which the mark awarded in the course is carried over to the second session. The marking system is as follows


CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT: TECHNICAL PRESENTATION (20%)


The mark awarded for this part of the course is final and will be carried over to the second session.

VOCABULARY TEST (20%)

The test will cover all vocabulary, i.e. the following 3 parts: prepositions and postpositions, thematic vocabulary and false friends. See vocabulary expansion section on WebCampus.

The test will consist of the following parts: a maximum of 30 sentences to be completed by including a false friend whose translation will be given to you in French, 20 sentences to be completed by translating an expression linked to the thematic vocabulary and 20 sentences to be completed with a preposition or postposition, if necessary.


ORAL EXAM (60%)

The oral exam will consist of a 15-minute discussion with your teacher. It is conditional on the submission of your complete portfolio before the start of the session (see Vademecum).

One of the questions on the oral exam will relate to the corrections made in class by your teacher.

If your portfolio was complete in January and has therefore been validated by your teacher, you will start from this and do not need to produce a new version. The instructions about how to make your portfolio complete will be made available in the beginning of the second term. 

If your portfolio was not complete in the first session, you must complete it in order to take the oral exam.This portfolio must be submitted one week before the exam date (via WebCampus, homework tool).

You are allowed to take notes with you to help you develop your ideas during the exam (key words, mind maps, etc.).

 

Sources, references and any support material

    How to make a presentation? syllabus (available on WebCampus)
    The Grammar Bible (available on WebCampus) syllabus summarizing basic grammatical rules in simple French
    Vademecum de l'étudiant (available on WebCampus): a collection of tips and instructions for various assignments and presentations.
    Vocabulary expansion: exercises and corrected version (available on WebCampus)

 

Language of instruction

Français