FULL-TIME HIGHER ENGLISH
COURSE
INTRODUCTION
This is a General English course for European and International learners who are working towards an upperintermediate or advanced level of English (CEFR B2/C1). It is full-time (16 hours per week) with an additional two and
a half hour Exam Preparation top-up course for December leavers (18.5 hours).
All students are expected to take the Cambridge ESOL FCE or CAE examination at the end of their course.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Students joining this course will have an intermediate+ level of English and must be 16 years or above.
PLACEMENT INTERVIEWS
New students will have an interview prior to being offered a place on a course at Cardiff and Vale College International.
This interview can be in person or via Skype for students out of country. It will include consideration and discussion of
your written statement and a spoken interview. If necessary, you may be asked to complete a computerised multiple
choice test and an additional piece of writing.
THE COURSE INCLUDES:







Full-time tuition with experienced and qualified tutors using subject-specific books and authentic materials (paperbased and electronic)
A course book and use of the college’s Moodle site
Continuous assessment through progress tests and written assignments
Regular tutorial time to discuss your progress
Guided self-study time
Entry to Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE) or Advanced (CAE) exams (conditions apply)
Full use of the college’s academic and social facilities (see Induction guides for details)
COURSE CONTENT
On this course you will cover all four language skills as well as grammar, vocabulary and cultural aspects of language
(see details below). In addition there are the following lessons: Cultural and Topical, Tutorial and Self-Access, Grammar
and Lexis, and during the summer term you will undertake FCE or CAE Exam Practice.
Speaking
You will take part in interactive communication tasks such as role-plays,
discussions and interviews. At FCE/CAE you will be expected to be able to
accurately use a range of grammatical forms and vocabulary in appropriate
situations. In addition, you will also focus on discourse management and
pronunciation.
Listening
You will have the opportunity to practice listening for general understanding and for detail from a
variety of sources on a range of topics. Tasks will include note-taking, information gap filling,
sentence completion and matching multiple-choice. You will use online software as well as practising
for general situations and exams in class.
Reading
You will be encouraged to read widely whilst studying here. In class, you will be given
a range of texts to read with accompanying tasks and encouraged to develop reading
speed and style. These texts may come from newspapers, magazine articles, reports,
fiction, brochures etc. You will practise tasks such as multiple-matching, deducing
meaning, text cohesion awareness, and comprehension.
Writing
You will be given the opportunity to develop your written accuracy, focusing on spelling, punctuation,
sentence structure and text coherence. At FCE/CAE level you will be taught to communicate
effectively in a variety of written styles, such as report writing, short stories, discursive compositions,
articles, reviews and transactional letters.
Grammar
You will study and review the important structures such as tenses, word order, question formation
as well as areas of grammar that can interfere with meaning and comprehension. You will be given
the opportunity to practise the new structures actively in both writing and speaking, through
controlled practice and freer communicative activities and homework exercises.
Vocabulary
You will study areas of vocabulary such as collocation, word formation, phrasal verbs, set phrases
and idiomatic expressions as well as topic-related vocabulary. You will be given the opportunity to
try out your new words and phrases actively in both writing and speaking, through controlled
practice and freer communication activities in class, and homework exercises.
Pronunciation
You will study the key areas of pronunciation including individual English sounds,
syllable stress, connected speech, intonation, rhythm and word stress. You will be
taught the phonemic symbols of English sound in order to help you understand how
to use learned vocabulary correctly.
COURSE OUTCOMES - PROGRESSION
Students who successfully complete this course have several possible progression routes:





Move on to an Advanced or Proficiency General English course in the college
Move on to the IELTS Preparation course in the college
Apply for a Mainstream course in the college
Apply directly for Higher Education course at university
Apply for a job (showing English language level through the FCE qualification)
For further information about the Cambridge First Certificate or Advanced English qualifications go to these websites:
http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams/first/
http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams/advanced/
PART -TIME UPPER-INTERMEDIATE GENERAL COURSE
INTRODUCTION
This is a General English course for European and International learners who are working towards an
upper-intermediate level of English (CEFR B2). It is part-time (3 hours per week) with the option of
an additional two and a half hour Exam Preparation top-up course for December candidates.
All students are expected to take the Cambridge ESOL FCE examination at the end of their course.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Students joining this course will have an Intermediate+ level of English and must be 16 years or above.
PLACEMENT INTERVIEWS
New students will have an interview prior to being offered a place on a course at Cardiff and Vale
College International. This interview can be in person or via Skype for students out of country. It will
include consideration and discussion of your written statement and a spoken interview. If necessary,
you may be asked to complete a computerised multiple choice test and an additional piece of writing.
THE COURSE INCLUDES:





Three hours of tuition per week with an experienced, qualified tutor using a subject-specific book
and authentic materials (paper-based and electronic)
Use of the college’s Moodle site
Continuous assessment through progress tests and written assignments
Entry to the FCE ( First Certificate in English ) exam (conditions apply)
Full use of the college’s academic and social facilities (see Student Handbook for details)
COURSE CONTENT
On this course you will cover all four language skills as well as grammar, vocabulary and cultural
aspects of language The lessons will follow an English language course book which has been designed
specifically to bridge the gap between Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate. In addition,
supplementary authentic materials may be used from a variety of sources.
Speaking
You will take part in interactive communication tasks such as role-plays,
information gathering, discussions and interviews. At FCE level, you will be
expected to be able to accurately use a range of grammatical forms and
vocabulary in appropriate situations. In addition, we will also focus on discourse
management and pronunciation.
Listening
You will have the opportunity to practice listening for general understanding and
for detail from a variety of sources on a range of topics. Tasks will include notetaking, information gap filling, sentence completion and matching exercises.
Reading
You will be encouraged to read widely whilst studying here. In class, you will be given a
range of texts to read with accompanying tasks. These texts may come from newspapers,
magazine articles, reports, fiction, brochures etc. You will be required to complete tasks
such as multiple-matching, deducing meaning, text cohesion awareness, and
comprehension.
Writing
You will be given the opportunity to develop your written accuracy, focusing on
spelling, punctuation, sentence structure and text coherence. At FCE level, you will
be expected to communicate effectively in a variety of written styles, such as report
writing, short stories, discursive compositions, articles, reviews and transactional
letters.
Grammar
You will study and review the important structures such as tenses, word order, question
formation as well as areas of grammar that can interfere with meaning and comprehension.
You will be given the opportunity to practise the new structures actively in both writing and
speaking, through controlled practice and freer communicative activities and homework
exercises.
Vocabulary
You will study areas of vocabulary such as collocation, word formation, phrasal
verbs, set phrases and idiomatic expressions as well as topic-related vocabulary.
You will be given the opportunity to try out your new words and phrases actively
in both writing and speaking, through controlled practice and freer communication
activities in class, and homework exercises.
Pronunciation
You will study the key areas of pronunciation including individual English sounds,
syllable stress, connected speech, intonation, rhythm and word stress. You will be
taught the phonemic symbols of English sounds in order to help you understand how
to say ‘new’ vocabulary correctly.
OUTCOMES - PROGRESSION AFTER THIS COURSE
Students who successfully complete this course have several possible progression routes:




Move on to the Advanced General English course in the college
Move on to the IELTS Preparation course in the college
Apply for a Mainstream course in the college (conditions apply)
Apply for a job (showing English language level through the FCE qualification)
For further information about the First Certificate in English qualification go to this website:
http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams/first/
PART-TIME ADVANCED ENGLISH COURSE
INTRODUCTION
This is a General English course for European and International learners who want to reach an
advanced level of English (CEFR C1). It is part-time (3 hours per week) with the option of a two and a
half hour additional Exam Preparation top-up course.
All students are requested to take a Cambridge ESOL examination at the end of their course.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Students joining this course will have an upper - intermediate level of English and must be 16 or above.
PLACEMENT INTERVIEWS
New students will have an interview prior to being offered a place on a course at Cardiff and Vale
College International. This interview can be in person or via Skype for students out of country. It will
include consideration and discussion of your written statement and a spoken interview. If necessary,
you may be asked to complete a computerised multiple choice test and an additional piece of writing.
THE COURSE INCLUDES:





3 hours per week tuition with an experienced and qualified tutor using subject-specific books and
authentic materials (paper-based and electronic)
Use of the college’s Moodle site
Continuous assessment through progress tests and written assignments
Entry to the Cambridge ESOL Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) exam (conditions apply)
Full use of the college’s academic and social facilities (see Student Induction Guides for details)
COURSE CONTENT
On this course you will cover all four language skills as well as grammar, vocabulary and cultural
aspects of language The lessons will follow an English language course book which has been designed
specifically to bridge the gap between Upper-Intermediate and Advanced levels. In addition,
supplementary authentic materials will be used from a wide variety of sources.
Speaking
You will take part in interactive communication tasks such as discussions and
interviews. At CAE level you will be expected to be able to accurately use a wide
range of grammatical forms and advanced vocabulary in appropriate situations.
In addition, you will also focus on discourse management and pronunciation.
Listening
You will have the chance to practice listening for general understanding and for
detail from a variety of sources on a range of topics. Tasks will include note-taking,
blank filling, sentence completion and matching multiple-choice. Students are
expected to be able show understanding of agreement, attitude, feeling and
interpreting context.
Reading
You will be encouraged to read widely whilst studying here. In class, you will be given
a range of texts to read with accompanying tasks. These texts may come from
newspapers, magazine articles, reports, websites, brochures etc. You will be required
to complete tasks such as multiple-matching, deducing meaning, text cohesion
awareness, and comprehension.
Writing
You will be given the opportunity to develop your written accuracy, focusing on
spelling, punctuation, sentence structure and text coherence. At CAE level you will
be expected to communicate effectively in a variety of written styles, such as report
writing, essays, discursive compositions, reviews and transactional letters.
Grammar
You will study and review the important structures such as tenses, word order, question
formation as well as areas of grammar that can interfere with meaning and
comprehension. You will be given the opportunity to practise the new structures actively
in both writing and speaking, through controlled practice and freer communicative
activities and homework exercises.
Vocabulary
You will study areas of vocabulary such as collocation, word formation, phrasal
verbs, set phrases and idiomatic expressions as well as topic-related vocabulary.
You will be given the opportunity to try out your new words and phrases actively
in both writing and speaking, through controlled practice and freer communication
activities in class, and homework exercises. Attention will be paid to pronunciation
OUTCOMES - PROGRESSION AFTER THIS COURSE
Students who successfully complete this course have several possible progression routes:




Move on to the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) part –time course in the college
Apply for or accept a place at university in Higher Education
Apply for a Mainstream course in the college (conditions apply)
Apply for a job (showing English language level through the CAE qualification)
For further information about the Certificate in Advanced English qualification go to this website:
http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams/advanced/