The Arch School of English

Edinburgh, Scotland
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FINDING THE BEST COURSE FOR YOU AT THE ARCH

 

This page tells you more about the sort of courses you can do at the Arch School. The entry requirements are a rough guide and when we are deciding on the best class for you the things we will think about include:

 

Ÿ         How you have learnt English (or other foreign languages) in the past

Ÿ         Your strengths and weaknesses in speaking, listening, reading and writing

Ÿ         Your reasons for learning English

Ÿ         How we think you will fit in with the students already in the class

Ÿ         How you like to learn

 

Students applying for a student visa will be tested online before coming to study. Our Director has many years of experience in helping students to find the right class for them so we ask you to respect her decision and try the class she suggests. If you are not happy at any time, she will be happy to talk to you.

 

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During the spring term 2011 we will be running activity classes on Thursdays and Fridays at two levels – pre-intermediate/intermediate and upper-intermediate/advanced.

 

Our small classes can be tailored to students’ needs and students may be asked to vote on their choice for the next block of classes and a decision made for the benefit of the whole group.

 

The focus in the pre-intermediate/intermediate level on Thursdays will be on developing students’ vocabulary and use of everyday English through listening/speaking/reading and writing activities linked to a class reader/audio tape. On Fridays there will be a chance to use newly- learnt vocabulary; to focus on pronunciation; to develop speaking skills to help you in everyday life through games, pair and group work and practical activities e g. using public transport and the telephone, going to the doctor’s/dentist’s, asking for help in a hotel etc. Students will also be introduced to Scottish cultural annual celebrations including Burns Night, Valentines Day,& Pancake Day/Lent.        

 

Students at upper-intermediate level onwards are often starting to think about moving on to college, work etc and to equip them for this they need to.sit exams, learn some language for work/business and have an understanding of the culture they are living in. The upper intermediate/advanced activity classes on Thursday and Friday will cater for these three needs by

Ÿ         providing IELTS-linked activities using the Focus on IELTS course book (Longman),

Ÿ          giving a basic introduction to some business English using some activities from the New International Business English Course (C.U.P.),

Ÿ         and providing some practical activities to increase awareness of Scottish/British annual cultural events e.g. Burns Night, Valentines Day and Pancake Day/Lent.

 

 

 BEGINNER

 

 ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: A beginner level student has no English or very little English so there are no requirements for those studying at BEGINNER level

 

 

 

 

In the Beginner’s class students will use one of the following course-books: (New) Headway Beginner Student Book & workbook (Oxford); Cutting Edge Starter (Longman). The school has a number of other books and resources to help with grammar, pronunciation, speaking and listening practice.

 

 

 

The Beginners’ class will help students to:

 

Ÿ         listen and respond to spoken English, including simple statements, questions and basic instructions.

Ÿ         speak with the “survival English” they  will need outside class

Ÿ         give basic information about their feelings and opinions on topics.

Ÿ         read and get information from common signs and symbols.

Ÿ         write to communicate very basic information.

 

 

 

 

 

ELEMENTARY

 

 

      ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

 

 

An Elementary level student may have studied English before but cannot use the language and communicate easily at a basic level of English.   

 

 

 

Students studying at ELEMENTARY level should be able to:

 

  1. understand and use familiar everyday expressions and basic phrases needed to meet very basic needs. 
  2.  
    ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives,  people he/she knows and things he/she has.
  3. interact in a simple way if the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

 

 

In the Elementary class students will use one of the following course-books:

 

(New) Cutting Edge Elementary Student Book and workbook (Longman); New English File Elementary (Oxford); New Headway English Course Elementary (Oxford).

 

The school has a number of other books and resources to help with grammar, pronunciation, speaking, listening and writing practice. We use graded class readers with audio tapes and linked activities in Thursday activity classes.

 

 

The main focus is on speaking and listening and on Fridays students will work on their pronunciation and learn the international phonemic symbols to help them use dictionaries to pronounce new words themselves.

 

Learning should be fun and students will take part in games, quizzes and group or pair activities. They will also be introduced to the school library through enjoyable activities.

 

 

 

The Elementary class will help students to:

 

Ÿ         listen and respond to spoken English, including simple stories, statements, questions and basic instructions.

 

Ÿ         speak with the “survival English” they will need outside class

 

Ÿ         give basic information about their feelings and opinions on topics.

 

Ÿ         read and understand short texts on familiar topics and read English books at the right level for them for pleasure.

 

Ÿ         read and understand information from common signs and symbols.

 

Ÿ         write to communicate basic information.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

PRE-INTERMEDIATE

 

   ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: A pre-     intermediate level student has a basic level of English and is beginning to feel more comfortable when communicating with English-speaking people.

 

Students studying at PRE-INTERMEDIATE level should be able to:

 

  1. understand sentences and frequently used expressions used in everyday conversation (e.g. very basic personal and family   information, shopping, local geography, employment).
  2. communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.
  3. describe in simple tems aspects of his/her background and immediate environment.

 

 

 

In the pre-intermediate class students will use one of the following course-books: (New) Cutting Edge Pre-intermediate student book and workbook (Longman). The school has a number of other books and resources to help with grammar, pronunciation, speaking, listening and writing practice, which teachers use regularly to provide a good mix of activities. We use graded class readers with audio-tapes and linked activities in Thursday activity classes. The main focus is on speaking and listening and on Fridays students will work on their pronunciation. They will continue to learn the international phonemic symbols to help them use dictionaries to pronounce new words themselves. Learning should be fun and students will take part in games, be in simple terms aspects of his/her background and immediate environment.

quizzes and group or pair activities. We will encourage students to use the school library through enjoyable activities.

 

    The pre-intermediate class will help students to:

Ÿ         listen and respond to spoken English, including straightforward information, short narratives, explanations and instructions.

Ÿ         speak to communicate information, their feelings and opinions on familiar topics and to engage in discussion with one or more people to share understanding about familiar topics.

Ÿ         read and understand short, simple texts on familiar topics.

Ÿ         read and get information from short documents, signs and symbols.

Ÿ         write to communicate information with some awareness of the person reading.

Ÿ         read English books at their level for pleasure.

 

INTERMEDIATE

 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: An intermediate level student has a good basic level of English and is beginning to communicate comfortably on a variety of topics. Students studying at INTERMEDIATE level should be able to:

  1. understand and respond to the main points of conversation on topics they meet regularly in work, school, leisure, etc.

  2. deal with most situations likely to happen while travelling in an English-speaking country.

  3. produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest.

  4. describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

 

In the Intermediate class students will use  (New) Cutting Edge Intermediate (Longman) or Headway Intermediate course-books. On Thursdays students will have lots of opportunities to put their English into practice through fun activities - individually, in pairs, groups or as a class together.

 

These classes are all about building confidence to use English in everyday life. Students will be introduced to or encouraged to continue personal reading by a variety of pair/group activities using school library books and at this level will be encouraged to keep a journal of their personal reading. We sometimes use graded class readers with audio-tapes and interesting linked activities and we keep working on pronunciation problems during Friday activity classes. We also introduce students in practical ways to British and Scottish annual customs and traditions.

 

The Intermediate class will help students to:

  •  Listen and respond to spoken language, including straightforward information and narrative.
  • Follow straightforward explanations and instructions, both face-to-face and on the telephone.
  • Speak to communicate information, feelings and opinions on familiar topics, using appropriate formality, both face-to-face and on the telephone.
  • Take part in discussions with one or more people, making relevant points and responding to what others say, to reach an understanding about familiar topics,
  • Read and understand short, straightforward texts on familiar topics accurately without help.  
  • Read and obtain information from a variety of everyday sources.
  • Write to communicate information and opinions with some adaptation to the intended reader.
  • Read English Books at their level for pleasure.
  • Understand better the culture they are living in while studying.

 

 UPPER INTERMEDIATE

 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: An upper intermediate level student has a very good basic level of English and can communicate comfortably on a variety of topics. This student is able to talk to native English speakers easily but may make some mistakes when using more complicated vocabulary and grammar. 

 

Some students entering an upper intermediate level class may want to prepare for the Cambridge ESOL “First Certificate in English” examination and if there is not a separate FCE activity class running, additional support and activities to help these students will be included as part of the upper intermediate course, if required.  

 

Students studying at UPPER-INTERMEDIATE level should be able to:

 1. understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation.                           

2. interact fluently and spontaneously enough to make interaction with native speakers quite possible without too much strain for either party.

3. produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

 

 

In the Upper-Intermediate class students will use one of the following course-books: the (New) Cutting Edge Upper-intermediate Course (Longman) or Headway Upper Intermediate (Oxford).

 

If there are students wishing to take the First Certificate Exam, a specialist course book may be used instead e.g. New First Certificate Masterclass or Focus on First Certificate.  

 

Teachers have a wide range of other enjoyable grammar and activity resources to make sure classes are varied and interesting to meet the needs of different learners. Activities on Thursdays and Fridays will depend on the needs of the particular students in the class and students will be involved in the planning of the syllabus where possible. See the top of this page for the planned classes for the Spring Term 2011.

 

 

The Upper-Intermediate class will help students to develop their ability to:

  • Listen and respond to spoken language, including information and narratives, and follow explanations and instructions of varying lengths,
  •  Adapt their responses to speakers, and to context.
  • Communicate information, ideas and opinions, adapting their speech and content for the listener(s) and medium.
  • Engage in discussion with one or more people in familiar and unfamiliar situations, making clear and relevant contributions that respond to what others say and produce a shared understanding about different topics.
  • Read and understand straight-forward texts of varying length on a variety of topics accurately and independently.
  • Read and obtain information from a wide variety of different sources, including reading English books at a level appropriate to them for pleasure.
  • Write to communicate information, ideas and opinions clearly using appropriate length, format and style for the purpose and audience.

 

 

 

ADVANCED

 

 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Students studying at ADVANCED level should be able to:

  1. understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning.

  2. express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions.

  3. use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.
  4. produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

 

 

In the Advanced class you will use one of the following course-books: Inside Out Advanced, New Cutting Edge Advanced.

 

Teachers have a number of other resources they use, with interesting group, pair and individual activities to help students with grammar, speaking, listening, reading and writing practice etc.

 

 

The ADVANCED class will aim to help you to :

  • Read and understand a range of texts of varying complexity accurately and independently.
  • Read and obtain information of varying length and detail from different sources
  • Write to communicate information, ideas and opinions clearly and effectively, using length, format, register and style appropriate to purpose, content and audience.
  • Listen and respond to spoken language, including extended information and narratives, and follow detailed explanations and multi-step instructions of varying length, adapting response to speaker, medium and context.
  • Speak to communicate straightforward and detailed information, ideas and opinions clearly, adapting speech and content to take account of the listener(s), medium, purpose and situation.
  • Engage in discussion with one or more people in a variety of different situations, making clear and effective contributions that produce outcomes appropriate to purpose and topic.

 

  

 

PROFICIENCY

 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: A proficiency level student already has a thorough grounding in English grammar and can communicate well on a variety of topics using a wide range of vocabulary and grammar accurately and fluently.

     Students studying at PROFICIENCY level should be able to: 

                                      

1.      understand with ease most things heard or read.

2.      summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation

3.      express themselves precisely and fluently.

 

Course-books are selected according to the needs of the enrolled students and may include Objective Proficiency (Cambridge), Proficiency Masterclass (Oxford), Focus on Proficiency (Nelson), or Proficiency Gold (Longman). Communication activities in pairs and groups are used to supplement the course books and provide an enjoyable way to put theory into practice. With classes usually quite small, activities on Thursdays and Fridays tend to be tailored to the needs of the students enrolled at any time and students contribute to course planning wherever possible. They may include exam practice, skills to help students starting university courses e.g. note-taking during lectures, individual or group presentations and project work, communicative activities based on English literature, job-seeking skills etc.

 

Students at proficiency level will work on perfecting their English further. They will expand their vocabulary, often using authentic material; they will analyse complex areas of English grammar and improve their overall command of the language, with the aim of raising it to an academic level, so that they are ready to cope with the challenges of university studies.

 

The course will help students to be able to

  • understand with ease virtually everything they hear and read.

  • make accurate and complete notes during a presentation or lecture.

  •  understand colloquial asides

  •  talk about complex and sensitive issues without awkwardness

  •  express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations

(We also offer separate exam preparation classes on Thursdays or Fridays for Cambridge Certificate in Proficient English and for IELTS at this level when there is enough demand.)