The course aims to reach a B1+ level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in the following skills:
Reading and listening comprehension
Comprehension of materials related to the students' field of interest and discipline if the language is clearly articulated: identifying the structure of a document, distinguishing the main ideas of a document from its details, understanding simple technical information and inferring the meaning of a word from its context.
Oral production (alone and in interaction)
Produce a simple text (with or without preparation) on familiar topics : describe an event in sufficient detail to be understood, describe feelings and reactions, explain a problem and suggest solutions, develop a clear argument/explanation and be understood without difficulty, and check understanding with questions. Written production : Write simple articulated texts on a range of topics in his/her field, linking a series of discrete elements in a linear sequence, reporting experiences, adopting a simple formal style, presenting the main ideas of a document clearly and coherently, and taking notes in a simple presentation, provided that the topic is familiar, the formulation direct and the diction clear in everyday language.
The secondary school foreign language competence framework states that the level of proficiency in English is between B1- and B1+ (depending on the first or second foreign language). The priority of Bloc 1 is to enable each student to be confirmed at the end of Bloc 1 in a B1+ level in the skills. This course also serves as an introduction to formal and scientific English. At the end of the year, students should be able to: - talk about their university environment and write a formal email to a professor - process documents discussing topics related to their field of study (simplified or not) with the aim of either exaplaining a scientific concept or summarizing information.
The course is divided into 4 modules: 1) Module 1 - University Life: talking about one's new environment + becoming familiar with the academic register 2) Module 2 - Popular Science 3) Module 3 - Let's Talk about Science: introduction to the reading skills needed to read scientific texts and write summaries 4) Module 4 - Budding Researchers: introduction to the scientific English genre through the work of simplified research articles in English.
The final grade for the course is calculated as follows:
A) Continuous assessment (60%)
At the end of each module, students are required to submit a final task and take a grammar/vocabulary test on the subject matter of the module in question.
1) Module 1 - University Life: writing an email + grammar/vocabulary test 1
2) Module 2 - Popular Science: submit a video explaining a scientific concept + grammar/vocabulary test 2
3) Module 3 - Let's Talk about Science: writing a summary of a science magazine article + grammar/vocabulary test 3
4) Module 4 - Budding Researchers: Submit an elevator pitch video + grammar/vocabulary test 4
The final tasks must follow the instructions given in class. Failure to do so will result in a FAIL.
B) Final evaluation (May; 40%)
In May, students will have to take an oral and a written test.
1) The oral evaluation will consist of an informal conversation with their teacher about their first year at university (see module 1), popular science (see module 2) and their opinion on the topics covered in the texts and videos seen in class (see modules 3 and 4).
2) The written evaluation will cover the vocabulary and grammar worked on during the year. More specifically, students will be asked to (1) identify and correct errors in excerpts from texts (error-detection exercises) and (2) complete sentences with the appropriate word.
According to article 79 §1 of the "Décret Paysage", all learning activities that took place in Q1 must be assessed. The grade given in January will reflect the student's progress on modules 1 and 2.
Please note: the final grade of the course will only be validated if the student meets ALL these criteria:
1) presented all parts of the course (this includes every final task AND test in each module)
3) obtained at least 10/20 for the continuous assessment AND in the final evaluation.
If these requirements are not met, the student will get a maximum grade of 6/20. For the following session (September), if the overall average of the AA does not reach 10/20, each student retakes the parts for which he/she did not obtain 10/20.
An exemption from the Bloc 1 course is only possible on presentation of an official certificate attesting to a mastery of the 5 skills (oral reception, written production, written and oral monologue and interaction) at a minimum level of B1+ on the Common European Framework of Reference.
Warning : please note that the success of this teaching unit does not lead to any certification whatsoever.
The documents needed to follow the course are available on WebCampus.
Vocabulary book: Stuart Redman. English Vocabulary in Use - Pre Intermediate/Intermediate 4th edition. Cambridge University Press (2017).
Application to improve English pronunciation : Flowchase
Both will be available at the university's sales outlets.
| Training | Study programme | Block | Credits | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor in Biology | Standard | 0 | 2 | |
| Bachelor in Biology | Standard | 1 | 2 |