Independent English Language Test

2020/2021

Учебный год

ENG

Обучение ведется на английском языке

Кто читает:

Управление организации учебного процесса

Статус:

Курс обязательный

Когда читается:

3-й курс, 4 модуль

Course Syllabus

Abstract

In the second year, students of all HSE bachelor's degree programs (except some English-speaking ones) take an Independent exam in English. The exam is the closest to the procedure of passing exams for international certificates, which allows students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills of English and get a useful experience of passing an external exam. The grade is included in the Diploma Supplement of bachelors' and is taken into account in the summer current second-year ranking with a credit weight of 4.

Learning Objectives

• Check the readiness of students to study professional subjects in English at senior courses, read professional literature and communicate with colleagues on academic topics

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Quickly reading mid-length thematic texts on the English language
• Writing essays and process/graph descriptions in English
• Perceiving different types of speech (different accents, official and unofficial texts) by ear
• Answering questions about what you read or listened to
• Competently and meaningfully answering the questions of the interviewer

Course Contents

• Reading
  In the "Reading " module of the written part of the exam, students are asked to complete tasks for three texts of academic content within 60 minutes (multiple-choice, understanding the requested information, understanding the position or intention of the author, filling out a table/form, completing a sentence, substitution, etc.).
• Speaking
  The "Interview" (Speaking) module of the oral part of the exam lasts about 15 minutes. And is conducted in the format of audio recordings of students' oral answers to questions asked in a video file shown on the screen. This part of the exam can be conducted in a computer lab in the LMS.
• Listening
  The module "Listening" of the written part of the exam is divided into four sections and lasts about 40 minutes, includes listening to information and performing various tasks (answers to questions; multiple-choice, filling/substitution, filling in a table/form, a short answer to a question, signatures on a figure/graph, etc.) on the text listened.
• Writing
  The "Writing" module of the written part of the Exam includes writing two types of essays: a description of the graphic information (20 minutes) and a reasoned essay (40 minutes). This part of the exam can be conducted in a computer lab using LMS.

Assessment Elements

• Listening
  The module comprises four sections, with ten questions in each section. It takes 40 minutes: 30 - for testing, plus 10 for transferring the answers to an answer sheet.
• Reading
  The Reading paper has three sections and texts totaling 2,150-2,750 words. There will be a variety of question types, such as multiple choice, short-answer questions, identifying information, identifying writer's views, labeling diagrams, completing a summary using words taken from the text and matching information/headings/features in the text/sentence endings. Test takers should be careful when writing down their answers as they will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.
• Writing
  The Writing paper has two tasks which must both be completed. In task 1 test takers write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. In task 2 test takers write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. Test takers will be penalised if their answer is too short or does not relate to the topic. Answers should be written in full sentences (test takers must not use notes or bullet points).
• Speaking
  The student is shown a video on the computer, which contains questions recorded at certain intervals necessary for the answer.

Interim Assessment

• Interim assessment (3 module)
  0.25 * Listening + 0.25 * Reading + 0.25 * Speaking + 0.25 * Writing
• Interim assessment (4 module)
  0.25 * Listening + 0.25 * Reading + 0.25 * Speaking + 0.25 * Writing

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Gaitan, A. (2018). English Exam : Speaking Tips for IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge.
• Woods, G. (2018). English Grammar Workbook For Dummies, with Online Practice: Vol. 3rd edition with online practice. For Dummies.

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Wyatt, R. (2004). Check Your English Vocabulary for FCE + : All You Need to Pass Your Exams (Vol. 2nd ed). London: A&C Black Business Information and Development. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=217359