Overview

This topic provides an advanced level of academic English while refining students’ underlying English skills. Students are exposed to a variety of general and academic texts and to spoken English in both a lecture and conversational context. Students give presentations and engage in discussions on a range of general topics … For more content click the Read More button below.

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Aims

In the listening component, students work on listening comprehension with different kinds of one-way listening: listening to monologues in the form of academic lectures and listening to two-person dialogues, including interviews and conversations. As part of lecture listening, students learn to take notes while listening to lectures.

In the communication component, students take part in discussions on topics introduced through listening material and also prepare extended presentations on topics within their specialized fields or areas of interest. Discussion skills focus not only on explaining ideas clearly and coherently but also on skills for effective interaction, such as turn-taking, asking and responding to follow-up questions, and active listening. Presentation skills focus on information-giving, particularly explaining, persuading, and introducing statistics or graphical information. Students are also encouraged to actively listen to and participate in follow-up discussions after other students’ presentations.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this topic you will be expected to be able to:
1.
Follow speech and complex lines of argument in longer lectures and other listening material while listening only once and without losing track of the flow
2.
Identify main ideas in a lecture
3.
Identify the main reasons for and/or against an argument or idea in a discussion, whether implied or directly stated
4.
Distinguish between main ideas and specific details in concrete or abstract ideas presented in listening material
5.
Identify important details in more complex listening materials such as quantities (but not necessarily specific numbers), cause, effect, reason, result
6.
Recognise and identify paraphrased information in listening texts or information paraphrased from listening material in questions
7.
Arrange complex information clearly in sequential/chronological or process order
8.
Recognise when the speaker is giving his/her own opinion
9.
Identify changes in the speaker’s mood and tone from pronunciation features of the speech
10.
Demonstrate an understanding of grammar and vocabulary used for academic purposes appropriate for this level (matched to the CEFR C1 level vocabulary)
11.
Participate appropriately in group discussions on complex or unfamiliar topics by expressing and expanding on ideas with extended comments and responses and using appropriate turn taking techniques
12.
Articulate clear reasons in support of or against a particular viewpoint
13.
Respond to others’ questions, arguments or comments appropriately
14.
Speculate or hypothesise when presenting or discussing a complex subject
15.
Explain statistical and graphical information clearly to an audience to support main ideas OR provide a clearly developed argument, counter-argument and refutation about an issue with justification to support main ideas
16.
Accurately use a range of grammar up to and including CEFR C1 level to express ideas appropriate to the topic and task
17.
Rephrase ideas to demonstrate range of language and to provide clarity for the listener when necessary
18.
Demonstrate appropriate choice of vocabulary at CEFR C1 level to express ideas suitable to the topic and task
19.
Produce smooth, extended, understandable spoken discourse at an appropriate pace with little hesitation and very few errors in word sounds, stress, rhythm and/or intonation
20.
Develop and present a clear argument in a defined speaking task that is appropriately structured
21.
Deliver information in a logical sequence with very good development of ideas
22.
Connect sections of the talk with appropriate discourse markers

Assessments

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Requisites information

Pre-requisites: