module specification

This module is designed to advance the students’ English language skills to the level required for their academic study and to develop their written and oral fluency in English Language, their reading comprehension and their analytical expertise at Common European Framework of Reference C1/C2. There is an emphasis on lexical development and autonomous learning.

OEL001 OELO61 Ease 50+

Students will:
• develop their knowledge of academic English in relation to their studies
• develop their advanced reading, writing and speaking proficiency 
• be able to express themselves fluently and relate their contribution to other speakers
• research and write clear, well-structured texts about complex subjects at Common European Framework of Reference C1/C2.
• present information effectively to a given audience
• demonstrate the correct use of a wide range of vocabulary, phrases and expressions

Lexis and phrasing
Students are expected to study and use appropriately:

Common idioms, phrasal verbs, similes and metaphor; word form and compound adjectives; collocations, phrasing; a variety of registers; antonyms, synonyms and neologisms

Language structure
The following will be discussed and applied in a number of contexts:

• Sequence of tenses in short texts
• Clauses: purpose and reason, defining and non-defining
• Standard punctuation
• Direct and reported speech
Reading and writing
Students will be introduced to a number of texts from a variety of sources. They will:

• select and summarise relevant information in response to tasks;
• Identify global and specific information
• Identify and understand cultural inferences, digression and purpose in given texts
• select evidence to support a viewpoint;
• write in a variety of registers including academic English;
• write for a number of purposes: reports, letters, proposals etc.; organise paragraphs and texts at the appropriate level of proficiency C1/C2

Listening
The emphasis in the module is both on authentic listening and controlled practice. Students will:

• select information from a range of sources in order to complete tasks;
• differentiate between global and specific information
• take notes, reconstitute notes

Spoken English
students will :

• apply appropriate register in a variety of tasks;
• Practise taking equal turns in academic discussion, listening to others and giving and receiving information.

The module is delivered through a blended learning approach, combining class contact time with guided independent study, using WebLearn and other online and paper based media. Students are expected to read widely and to follow individual lines of literary and specialist interest. They are responsible for completing a series of directed formative tasks designed to improve their speaking, reading and writing ability.

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

A: Demonstrate an understanding of  a wide range of lexical items and use language accurately
B: Demonstrate competency in spoken English proficiency at a CEFR C1/C2 level.
C: Demonstrate competency in written work, demonstrate the conventions of academic referencing and strategies for avoiding plagiarism
D: Research a given topic using electronic and paper based  resources and use critical thinking to analyse texts and evaluate sources

Summative assessment is designed to test the level of the students’ competency in the learning outcomes listed above:
Class test:(A)
Coursework:(C,D)
Individual presentations: (B)
Formative assessment is conducted by class tests and homework

Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary
Capel A, Sharpe W, 2011 Cambridge Objective Proficiency CUP
Gude K et alia 2008 Proficiency Masterclass Oxford