2022/2023
English for General Communication Purposes. Advanced Course - 1
Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'
Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'
Type:
Optional course
Delivered by:
School of Foreign Languages
When:
1, 2 module
Open to:
students of one campus
Instructors:
Букина Анна Викторовна,
Леонов Тимофей Витальевич,
Кузина Екатерина Андреевна,
Букина Анна Викторовна,
Кульков Даниил Андреевич,
Пинчукова Анна Евгеньевна,
Кульков Даниил Андреевич,
Леонов Тимофей Витальевич,
Сенникова Ксения Георгиевна,
Кузина Екатерина Андреевна,
Elena Bystrova,
Natalia Vasilyevna Gridina,
Ekaterina Gridneva,
Olga Ilyashenko,
Maria Ivanchenko,
Olga Kamenskaya,
Natalia V. Katasonova,
Victoria Kosheleva,
Alla Vladimirovna Loseva,
Tatyana Vassilievna Luchkina,
Anna Popova,
Yana Postnikova,
Pavel Rakitin,
Alexandra Semenova,
Elena Shustova,
Marina Sildimirova,
Dzhuna Dzhumberievna Tsurtsumia,
Maria Zamkovaya,
Anna Zhuravleva
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
3
Contact hours:
48
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The discipline refers to the variable educational tracks offered to students of the curricula for Bachelor's and Specialist's degrees of choice while mastering the optional course of English in accordance with the Concept of the Development of English-language Communicative Competence of HSE Students. “English for General Communication Purposes. Advanced Course-1” is a course that is aimed (1) at building students’ confidence in using English in different life situations and contexts, i.e. home, university, work, tourism, and (2) at developing students’ language skills and communicative competences up to the B2+ level (HSE Scale 70-79). The course is designed to assist students in achieving the level of independent users through developing reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills, attaining excellence in vocabulary management and grammatical accuracy. The course offers a variety of authentic materials that familiarize students with real-life English expressions and scenarios, provides an array of contemporary topics for discussion and develops 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, text analysis, and digital literacy. The course develops a solid general English base for further success in learning English for academic or special purposes, taking international examinations, as well as future academic studies and research.
Learning Objectives
- The complex development of skills and competences for general communication of the C1 level (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), HSE Scale 80-89 points); 2. The improvement of students’ command of English for interpersonal and intercultural communication; 3. The enhancement of receptive and productive skills related to general purposes; 4. The expansion of vocabulary on a variety of topics; 5. The expansion of grammar structures in use
Expected Learning Outcomes
- To develop skills of using basic listening techniques (predicting, understanding main ideas and details)
- To develop skills of using basic reading techniques skimming and scanning (predicting, understanding main ideas, understanding details)
- To develop understanding of articles, reports, straightforward and specialised texts concerned with contemporary problems at the threshold/vantage/effective operational proficiency level
- To form skills of note-taking
- To form understanding of text structure
- To improve understanding of dialogues and polylogues on both familiar and unfamiliar topics
- To develop understanding of lectures and learning context
- To develop writing skills (email / summary)
- To participate in dialogues on general, academic and professional topics (active listening, questioning, responding to questions, emphasizing, discussion strategies).
- To produce monologues ( descriptive/informative/argumentative/persuasive speech)
Course Contents
- Education and employment
- Tourism and conservation
- International relations
- Health and care
Assessment Elements
- Written Assessment (WA)Written assessment includes: 1 reading test, 1 listening test, 2 vocabulary and grammar tests, 2 written works (email and summary). Criteria: see the files attached. Task Response (max 3 points) 3 points – the student fully addresses all parts of the task: writes a summary which covers all the key points, clearly focuses on the main idea/problem of the text, includes crucial supporting information, all the main points are summarised; the main points are effectively paraphrased; the reader has been fully informed about the content and the purpose of the original source; 2 points – the student addresses all parts of the task although some parts may be more fully covered than others: the student writes a summary which covers most of the key points; little supporting information is provided; all the main points are summarised; the student presents relevant main ideas but some may be inadequately developed/unclear (the author’s ideas are partially reflected); sufficiently paraphrases the main points; 1 point – the student responds to the task only in a minimal way or the answer is tangential; the format may be inappropriate: the student writes a summary which covers very few key points; the supporting information is incomplete; a personal opinion is included; the main points are inadequately paraphrased; the student uses some words from the text to express the main idea; 0 points – the student does not adequately address any part of the task: there is no supporting information, and/or the author’s ideas are not reflected; the student repeats the word combinations from the text to express the ideas; a personal opinion is included; not all the main points are summarised. Coherence and Cohesion (max 2 points) 2 points – the student writes a clearly structured summary (an author, title, date, purpose and main points are mentioned) on a given text, uses a variety of linking devices which connect the ideas appropriately, uses paragraphing sufficiently; the ideas are logically organised; the student relays the information; 1 point – the student writes a poorly structured summary (one of the features is missing: an author, title, date, purpose), uses a limited number of linking devices, does not use paragraphing sufficiently; the ideas are not always logically organised; cohesive devices are inadequate and/or repetitive; the student analyses the information; 0 points – the student does not organise information and ideas logically (more than one of the features is missing / incorrectly used: an author, title, date, purpose and main points), fails to use linking devices appropriately or repeats them; cohesive devices do not indicate a logical relationship between the ideas. Lexical Resource and Register (max 2 points) 2 points – the student uses a wide range of vocabulary (the original expressions are paraphrased 80 - 100%) including some advanced lexical items, uses synonyms, changes the word class and the word order; there may be one inaccuracy in spelling, word formation or word choice; 1 point – the student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary (the original expressions are paraphrased 50 – 80 %), but may make 1 mistake in spelling, word formation or word choice; 0 points - the student only uses basic vocabulary, with very limited control of spelling, word formation or word choice, errors are numerous and impede understanding, and the original expressions are copied from the text (< 50%). Grammatical Range and Accuracy (max 2 points) 2 points – the student uses a wide range of grammar structures without mistakes; 1 point – the student uses a variety of grammar structures but may make 1 mistake; 0 points – the student uses basic grammar structures or a limited range of structures and/or makes more than 2 grammar mistakes, some of which impede understanding. Level/track specific criteria (max 1 point) 1 point – the student uses the active vocabulary specific to the topic;
- Oral AssessmentOral assessment includes 1 monologue on a given topic and 1 discussion.
- Student Independent Work Assessment (IWA)Independent work includes activities that students do at home, activities that students do in the classroom and online work. The elements of independent work cannot be retaken.
- Final Assessment (FA)The interim exam lasts 70 minutes. The exam is a written paper-and-pen test and is aimed at checking whether the student can demonstrate the acquisition of the learning objectives set. The exam consists of two parts, i.e. Listening (L) and Writing (W) that weigh 50% and 50% respectively in the total mark for the exam: Listening (L): Listen to the text ONCE and complete the tasks. Max. 10 points. Writing (W): Read the text. Write a summary on the text you have read. A student should write a 150-word summary. Students have no more than 20 minutes to complete the Listening (L) part and 50 minutes to complete the Writing (W) part. Grading formula: L*0,5 + W*0,5 = 10 The actual scores for Listening are turned into percentages which are tuned into a final mark out of 10 points. Grading scale: 10 =100 - 96%, 9=95 - 91%, 8=90 - 86%, 7 = 85 - 78%, 6 =77 - 71%, 5= 70 - 61%, 4 = 60 - 51%, 3 = 50 - 36%, 2 = 35 - 21%, 1 = 20 - 1 %, 0 = 0%. Writing is assessed against the criteria. Period of FA: 10 days prior to the 2nd module’s session. The release of examination papers: during the session. Retaking exams: till the 15th of February 2023. Time limit: 70 minutes online/offline. The structure of the exam: 1. Listening (L): Listen to the text ONCE and complete the tasks. Max. 10 points. Students have no more than 20 minutes to complete the Listening (L) part. 2. Writing (W) Read the text. Write a summary on the text you have read. A student should write a 150-word summary. Students have 50 minutes to complete the Writing (W) part. Grading formula: L*0,5 + W*0,5 = 10.
Interim Assessment
- 2022/2023 2nd module0.3 * Final Assessment (FA) + 0.25 * Written Assessment (WA) + 0.25 * Student Independent Work Assessment (IWA) + 0.2 * Oral Assessment
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Berry, R. (2018). English Grammar : A Resource Book for Students (Vol. 2nd edition). [Place of publication not identified]: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1753147
- New language leader: advanced : coursebook, , 2015
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Advanced grammar and vocabulary : student's book, Skipper, M., 2007
- Качалова, К. Н. Практическая грамматика английского языка с упражнениями и ключами : учебник / К. Н. Качалова, Е. Е. Израилевич. — Санкт-Петербург : КАРО, 2018. — 608 с. — ISBN 978-5-9925-0716-4. — Текст : электронный // Лань : электронно-библиотечная система. — URL: https://e.lanbook.com/book/114337 (дата обращения: 00.00.0000). — Режим доступа: для авториз. пользователей.