The Arch School of English

Edinburgh, Scotland
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GENERAL ENGLISH COURSES AT THE ARCH SCHOOL OF ENGLISH

 

CHOOSING THE BEST COURSE FOR YOU

General English courses are run at levels chosen to meet the needs of the students enrolled in the school at any time. You will be tested online before coming to study when you apply for a student visa. Students may choose to study

  1. the part time 9-hour-a-week course (taking the General English basic course, from Monday to Wednesday between 9.30a.m and 12.30p.m.), or

  2. the full-time 15-hour-a week course (taking the same basic Monday to Wednesday course as part-time students plus special activity classes on Thursday and Friday from 9.30-12.30p.m), or

  3. the 3 or 6-hour-a-week course. The Thursday and/or Friday classes are best if you choose one of these options.

 

Students can start the course on any Monday during the school term and choose to study from 1 week to a full academic year.

 

 

 

 

 

OTHER WAYS OF LEARNING IN AND OUT OF SCHOOL

 

Whole-School activities

Every morning at 11 a.m. students from all the classes gather together for coffee, tea and biscuits, and continue practising speaking English. Class Teachers give students a break-time task to encourage them to mix with students from other classes and staff members and practise their conversation skills. This is often a chance for students to try out new skills they have learnt in class that day and to become more confident in speaking and listening.

 

 

Homework

As part of the course, students are also expected to complete homework (about 6 hours a week for full-time students and an hour for each day they study as a part-time student).

 

 

Personal reading

Research shows that if students regularly read books in English at the right level for them, they will make better progress in reading, writing, speaking and listening. At the Arch school we show students how to choose the best books for them from the school library or other sources, so that they can really enjoy reading and help themselves to learn English faster. We also have a selection of tapes, videos, DVDs, comics and magazines in the library, which students can borrow.

 

 

HOW WE PLAN YOUR COURSE

Students at the Arch can study in small groups (of between 2 and 12 students) and this means we can be very flexible about what we do in classes. When students enrol in the school they do a placement test to help us decide the best level for them and we will also ask them why they want to learn English and how they like to learn.You will be tested online if applying for a student visa. Different methods of learning suit different learners, so we use a variety of activities to make sure everyone is happy and able to learn in the best way for them.

 

ASSESSMENT

Teachers use informal progress tests to check students’ learning and progress during the course and from time to time they will talk to students individually or ask them to complete a form to tell us what they think of the course/school so far. This helps us to make changes quickly when needed and give students the best possible learning experience. Teachers are always happy to hear students’ ideas and talk about any problems with their courses.

 

 

The regular progress tests, homework and discussion with students help us to decide if students have a problem in some area of study, or are ready for the next level of classes. Not everyone learns at the same speed and sometimes students may need to study for more time at the same level. We change the course-books we use for each term, so that students do not have to repeat the same materials but can build on what they learnt before.

 

WHAT YOU WILL DO IN CLASS

Students at the Arch School use English during lessons to learn English. Students need to work together and play a full part in class activities. We will often encourage and help students to work out rules for themselves and become active learners. In general our students prefer that more time is given to spoken English than written English, especially at lower levels, although students practise all skills – reading, writing, speaking and listening - in classes.

 

In the basic course, we use a course-book to help students to learn systematically but teachers choose the classroom activities to suit the needs and aims of all the students in the class and may use additional materials from the wide selection in our school resource library as well as activities from carefully selected online

resources. As a result, lessons may include audio-visual materials, discussions or activities with a partner, in a group or as a whole class, role plays and drama, letter and report writing, individual and group presentations, language games and competitions, and practice tests.

 

Pronunciation is taught as an integral part of all courses and we teach the students the International Phonemic symbols to equip them to use dictionaries to become more independent learners. Students taking the basic General English course are expected to buy their own copy of the course book for their class.

 

ACADEMIC ENGLISH AND FORMAL EXAMS

For students who want to take an exam, we have more formal practice tests to help and we run IELTS, FCE, CAE and CPE exam preparation classes from time to time when there are sufficient students for this. We can also help them to arrange to take Cambridge and IELTS exams at an exam centre in Edinburgh. Find out more about these exams from the Cambridge exam website. http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/

 

Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE)/Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) preparation classes

 

Students work in a relaxed and friendly environment from a textbook. The classes are structured around the five parts of the exams: reading, writing, use of English, listening and speaking, and students gain plenty of practice in these five skills. They become accustomed to the much higher level of English demanded for these examinations and to exam formats and techniques. The students revise many grammar points, including verb tenses, phrasal verbs, idioms and prepositions. There are also opportunities for the students to improve their pronunciation, increase their vocabulary and to take part in discussions, group and individual presentations etc. Homework is given regularly, students can try practice tests under exam conditions and they take an assessment test at the end of each term. We recommend that students spend at least a term preparing.

 

FCE (at Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) ) is an exam for people who can use everyday written and spoken English at an upper-intermediate level. It is an ideal exam for people who want to use English for work or study purposes. The skills you will gain will enable you to use English in real situations with confidence. FCE exams use real-life situations and are especially designed to help you communicate more effectively in your own life and to focus your language learning on the skills you will actually need. Because FCE exams focus on all four communication skills (Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking) plus the use of English, you increase your confidence in using English in everyday situations.

 

The CAE is set at C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and should equip you to:

    • follow any academic course at university level

    • communicate effectively at managerial and professional level

    • participate with confidence in workplace meetings or academic tutorials and seminars

    • carry out complex and challenging research

    • stand out and differentiate yourself

 

IELTS Exam preparation Course

This class is designed to improve students’ language skills and sharpen their study skills. It aims to bring their language level to the equivalent of IELTS 6.5. Students follow a course book but there is frequent use of supplementary material for consolidation and revision purposes. There is a rolling programme and most students spend between three and eight months in the class, the duration depending on previous experience of IELTS study, present ability and future plans. The maximum number of students in the class is 12 but often the classes are smaller.

 

Teaching Methods

There is a mixture of standard EFL student-centred methodology as used in General English classes (pair, group work and

informal activities) and a more exam-focused style, in line with course-book material (timed exam practice exercises, etc.). A variety and flexibility in teaching approaches and choice of materials allows students from very different backgrounds to benefit from the course - the teacher will take account of changes in the class profile, its overall level and students’ individual strengths and weaknesses.

 

Resources used

At present the main course-book is “Focus on IELTS”. This provides a solid basis for IELTS study but can also reveal linguistic weaknesses, which need to be addressed. The school has a selection of other IELTS course books and activity Books e.g. “Insight into IELTS”, “Step up to IELTS”, “Instant IELTS, ready to use tasks and activities” and other IELTS exam practice books and audio tapes used for revision and consolidation lessons and a class set of Advanced Grammar in Use is available. Supplementary resources from ELT websites such as onestopenglish (Macmillan), developingteachers.com, Longman, Oxford Teachers’ Club, Cambridge ESOL, and Flo-Joe are used.

 

The Cambridge CPE (Proficiency) exam preparation Course

 

The proficiency in English course is for students who already have a thorough grounding in English grammar and are able to use it competently, and who wish to raise their English to an academic level. The course consists of listening, speaking, reading and writing, while grammar and pronunciation are revised as and when necessary. CPE is at Level C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) — an internationally recognised benchmark of language ability.

 

Teaching Methods

Speaking: partner and small group work; practice of all aspects of the speaking element of the exam; occasional focus on individual pronunciation problems; class presentations & discussions on personal reading.

      Listening: Based on tapes accompanying the course, but with other occasional material from radio or TV, or other course tapes.

     Reading:  Short texts for comprehension; skimming and scanning; recognising different styles and registers; regular fiction reading for pleasure

Writing:  Discursive essays, reviews, reports, formal and informal letters, articles; learning to use idioms, expressions and collocations

 

Revision of vocabulary, idioms, punctuation, spelling and expression is ongoing and is encouraged using games, quizzes and various challenges.

 

Materials

Depending on the needs of the enrolled students, materials will be chosen from Objective Proficiency” (Cambridge), “Focus on Proficiency”, “Proficiency Masterclass” or “Proficiency Gold”. “Advanced Grammar in Use” is also available for revision purposes and reference. Newspapers, magazines, internet resources and other authentic materials are also used.

 

The course is aimed to equip students to

  • understand with ease virtually everything they hear and read

  • make accurate and complete notes during a presentation

  • understand colloquial asides

  • talk about complex and sensitive issues without awkwardness
  • express themselves precisely and fluently.