2025/2026
English for General Communication Purposes. Intermediate Course - 2
Type:
Optional course
Delivered by:
School of Foreign Languages
Where:
School of Foreign Languages
When:
3, 4 module
Open to:
students of all HSE University campuses
Instructors:
Славинская Наталья Васильевна,
Леонов Тимофей Витальевич,
Филина Анна Борисовна,
Тейбаш Виктория Анатольевна,
Вержбицкая Елизавета Дмитриевна,
Кузина Екатерина Андреевна,
Гордиенко Татьяна Александровна,
Плясунова Елизавета Денисовна,
Балакирева Юлия Александровна,
Лесниченко Михаил Михайлович,
Бобок Ирина Викторовна,
Леонов Тимофей Витальевич,
Пинчукова Анна Евгеньевна,
Шендерович Мария Филипповна,
Антонова Евгения Борисовна,
Филина Анна Борисовна,
Yulia Andrushkina,
Tatyana Baranova,
Ekaterina Belyakova,
Elena Borodkina,
Arina I. Galeyeva,
Natalia Vasilyevna Gridina,
Liliya Vasilevna Zhilina,
Щепина Наталья Андреевна,
Малинина Ирина Александровна,
Щепина Наталья Андреевна,
Малинина Ирина Александровна
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
5
Contact hours:
80
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The discipline refers to the variable educational tracks offered to students of the curricula for bachelor's and master's degree at choice while mastering the optional course of English in accordance with the Concept of Development of Foreign-language Communicative Competence of HSE Students. This course aims to enhance language skills for everyday communication. Throughout the course, students practise their listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills, along with vocabulary and grammar, through both in-person interactions and online activities. By the end of the course, students will gain the skills and confidence to communicate effectively in English at the B1 level (HSE Scale 40-49). They will be able to write essays, participate in discussions, answer questions confidently, read both adapted and authentic texts, and listen to lectures, podcasts, and everyday conversations. In the course, students are assigned homework and tests of various formats to assess their reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills, as well as vocabulary and grammar usage.
Learning Objectives
- This course helps students improve their command of English for interpersonal and intercultural communication and develop their listening, reading, writing and speaking skills consistent with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), B1 level (HSE Scale 40-49). Students will practise various listening and reading strategies and gain the skills needed to effectively create written and spoken texts for everyday communication.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- To develop skills of using basic listening techniques (predicting, understanding main ideas and details)
- To improve understanding of dialogues and polylogues on both familiar and unfamiliar topics
- To develop understanding of lectures and learning context
- To form understanding of text structure
- To develop understanding of articles and other texts
- To develop writing skills (essay)
- To expand lexical and grammatical repertoire
- To develop skills of using basic reading techniques of skimming and scanning (predicting, understanding main ideas, understanding details)
- To be able to produce monologues (descriptive/argumentative)
- To be able to participate in dialogues/discussions
Assessment Elements
- Classroom Written AssessmentClassroom written assessment includes: • min 1 reading test, • min 1 listening test, • min 1 vocabulary and grammar test • min 1 essay. The Classroom Written Assessment (CWA) comprises 6 to 8 tasks. The final grade is the arithmetic mean of all but two tasks (meaning 4, 5, or 6 tasks depending on the total number of all tasks) for which the student has received the lowest scores. The final grade is not rounded up.
- Classroom Oral AssessmentOral assessment includes 1 monologue on a given topic and 1 discussion.
- Home Assignment
- Final AssessmentFinal assessment equals to the interim exam which is held in the form of a written test. The exam aims to check whether the student demonstrates the acquisition of the set learning objectives. It includes: Reading (R) and Writing (W). Grading formula: R* 0.4 + W*0.6.
Interim Assessment
- 2025/2026 4th module0.3 * Final Assessment + 0.2 * Classroom Oral Assessment + 0.25 * Classroom Written Assessment + 0.25 * Home Assignment
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- New language leader: intermediate : coursebook, Cotton, D., 2015
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- A GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN ENGLISH: Учебное пособие / Вертоградова Л.А., Манжелеевская Е.В., Милькевич Е.С. - Ростов-на-Дону:Издательство ЮФУ, 2016. - 160 с.: ISBN 978-5-9275-2004-6 - Режим доступа: http://znanium.com/catalog/product/990026
- Booth, T. (2018). English for Everyone : English Vocabulary Builder (Vol. First American edition). New York, New York: DK. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1636939
- English grammar : a resource book for students, Berry, R., 2012