Learning outcomes

The overall aim of EELVB295 English II is to achieve overall competence level B1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The following are extracts from the various main indicators and criteria; please refer to the relevant pages of the Companion Volume with new descriptors for further details :

Reception

  • Listening Comprehension
    • Overall listening comprehension (p. 55):
      • Can understand straightforward factual information about common everyday or job related topics, identifying both general messages and specific details, provided speech is clearly articulated in a generally familiar accent.
      • Can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure etc., including short narratives.
    • Understanding a conversation between other speakers (p. 56)
    • Listening as a member of a live audience (p. 57)
    • Listening to announcements and instructions (p. 58)
    • Listening to audio media and recordings (p. 59)
  • Reading comprehension
    • Overall reading comprehension (p. 60) :
      • Can read straightforward factual texts on subjects related to his/her field and interests with a satisfactory level of comprehension
    • Understanding correspondence (p. 61)
    • Reading for orientation (p. 62)
    • Reading for information and argument (p. 63)
    • Reading instructions (p. 64)
    • Reading as a leisure activity (p. 65)
    • Audiovisual reception (p. 66)
    • Reception strategies (p. 67)

 

Production

  • Spoken production
    • Overall oral production (p. 69):
      • Can reasonably fluently sustain a straightforward description of one of a variety of subjects within his/her field of interest, presenting it as a linear sequence of points.
    • Sustained monologue: describing experience (p. 70)
    • Sustained monologue: giving information (p. 71)
    • Sustained monologue: putting a case (p. 72)
    • Public announcements (p. 73)
    • Addressing audiences (p. 74)
  • Written production
    • Overall written production (p. 75):
      • Can write straightforward connected texts on a range of familiar subjects within his/her field of interest, by linking a series of shorter discrete elements into a linear sequence.
    • Creative writing (p. 76)
    • Essays and reports (p. 77)

A variety of production strategies (e.g. planning, clearing, checking and correcting) will be used to achieve the objectives of Level B1.

 

Interaction

  • Oral interaction
    • Overall oral interaction (p. 83):
      • Can communicate with some confidence on familiar routine and non-routine matters related to his/her interests and professional field. Can exchange, check and confirm information, deal with less routine situations and explain why something is a problem. Can express thoughts on more abstract, cultural topics such as films, books, music etc.
      • Can exploit a wide range of simple language to deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling. Can enter unprepared into conversation of familiar topics, express personal opinions and exchange information on topics that are familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life (e.g. family, hobbies, work, travel and current events).
    • Understanding an interlocutor (p. 84)
    • Conversation (p. 85)
    • Informal discussion (with friends) (p. 86)
    • Formal discussion (meetings) (p. 87)
    • Goal-oriented cooperation (p. 88)
    • Obtaining goods and services (p. 89)
    • Information exchange (p. 90)
    • Interviewing and being interviewed (p. 91)
    • Using telecommunications (p. 92)
  • Written interaction
    • Overall written interaction (p. 93) :
      • Can convey information and ideas on abstract as well as concrete topics, check information and ask about or explain problems with reasonable precision.
      • Can write personal letters and notes asking for or conveying simple information of immediate relevance, gettingacross the point he/she feels to be important.
    • Correspondence (p. 94)
    • Notes, messages and forms (p. 95)
    • Online interaction (p. 96)

Several interaction strategies (e.g. turn-taking, cooperating, clarifying) will be used to achieve the above objectives.


It is important to note that not all of these skills will be addressed proportionally. Indeed, although the skills of oral production will be focused on during the lessons, the other linguistic aspects will be dealt with actively or passively, to a lesser extent, though.
 

 

Goals

Overall B1 level, with a focus on oral production skills.

Content

A series of themes related to the business world will form the starting point for the activities in each lesson, with a general introduction followed by more in-depth exercises. The next lesson will often begin with a brief review of the previous week's theme. The activities, mainly oral in nature, will be accompanied by receptive activities (e.g. texts and videos) available on WebCampus, and will aim to ensure that students are able to express themselves on a wide range of subjects relating to themselves and their specialities, while developing certain soft skills (e.g. reading graphs).

Past topics have included socializing, student jobs, homeworking, internships, businesses, entrepreneurship, CVs, trends, corporate social responsibility, hospitality, e-commerce, social media marketing and success. Some of these topics will be repeated, others modified or replaced according to the needs of the students, and care will be taken to ensure that there is no redundancy compared with the previous year when students on the EELVB395 English III course have classes with students on the EELVB295 English II course.

Students are kindly invited to share their suggestions for themes and/or activities with the teacher, as well as their needs for the job market.

Table of contents

There is no syllabus; see WebCampus for the different themes and related content.

Vocabulary lists will be made available on WebCampus as preparation for each lesson.

The activity slides will be uploaded after the lessons, as the teacher will be adding to them (e.g. feedback, additional vocabulary) during the interactions. These are not part of the material to be revised, although the topics covered could be brought up again during the oral exam.

If you are having difficulty with grammar, you may wish to consult the following reference: Oxford Practice Grammar Intermediate: With Answers and CD, written by John Eastwood. Publisher: Oxford University Press (ISBN-19-430913-4)

Students are also invited to consult their class teacher for additional resources.

Assessment method

The final grade (out of 20 points) will be calculated on the basis of an average that will take into account several components, according to a choice of 'route' made by the student:

Route A (valuing attendance and participation in the course) :

  • Continuous assessment :
    • Course attendance and participation (15%)
    • Portfolio (10%): this involves consulting a series of textual and audiovisual resources over the course of the second semester and producing a brief summary. Further details will be published on WebCampus; this platform will be used for the submission of the document, which will take place no later than the day on which the student presents his/her exam.
  • Written exam (35%) (duration: 1 hour) :
    • verification of vocabulary acquisition (e.g. fill-in-the-blank sentences, sentence composition) ;
    • one or more writing tasks (e.g. giving an opinion, describing a situation, etc.).
  • Oral examination (40%):
    • 15-minute discussion with the course coordinator and possibly his/her substitute.
    • Students must be able to talk about elements and themes in their portfolio. This will involve being able to briefly summarise, give an opinion, justify an opinion, make a comparison, etc. There is no question of verifying the acquisition of theoretical knowledge.
    • This oral exam will take place face-to-face, with no preparation time.
    • You will need to book an appointment via WebCampus to ensure that the test runs smoothly.

Course B :

  • Continuous assessment :
    • Portfolio (5%): see above (Pathway A)
  • Written exam (45%): see above
  • Oral exam (50%): see above


Students will be invited to make their choice of pathway by a date to be specified in due course; in the absence of any reaction, it will be assumed that the student has opted for pathway B.

These procedures and weightings will apply in both the first and second exams sessions.

If the portfolio is incomplete and/or submitted late, a zero will be awarded for this component of the assessment. Failure to submit a portfolio will mean that the student will not be able and allowed to sit the oral examination, as there is no content to discuss.

A fail for one of the parts will result in a 1-point penalty on the final average, e.g. if a student obtains 11.4/20, this grade will be decreased to 10.4/20, then rounded down to 10 (instead of 11).

All students are required to sit both the written and oral examinations; failure to do so will result in an overall zero for the assessment.

 

Warning : please note that the success of this teaching unit does not lead to certification.

Sources, references and any support material

If you have some trouble with grammar, the following reference is recommended:

  • Eastwood, John. Oxford Practice Grammar Intermediate: With Answers and CD. Oxford University Press. ISBN -19-430913-4

 

 

Language of instruction

Français