English for General Communication Purposes. Upper-Intermediate Course - 1 – HSE University Course Catalogue – Higher School of Economics National Research University

2023/2024

Type: Optional course

Delivered by: School of Foreign Languages

When: 1, 2 module

Open to: students of one campus

Instructors: Подлужная Алина Георгиевна, Джахангирова Вефа Сабухи кызы, Былова Полина Дмитриевна, Джахангирова Вефа Сабухи кызы, Рустамова Юлия Фазилевна, Данилова Елизавета Андреевна, Рустамова Юлия Фазилевна, Говорина Елена Ивановна, Пинчукова Анна Евгеньевна, Говорина Елена Ивановна, Леонов Тимофей Витальевич, Кульков Даниил Андреевич, Суворова Ольга Николаевна, Кульков Даниил Андреевич, Elena Borodkina, Yulia Mikhailovna Chanturidze, Arina I. Galeyeva, Nataliya Valentinovna Guskova, Alexander Vladimirovich Kalashnikov, Irina Alexandrovna Konovalova, Irina Igorevna Kovalyova, Galina Levitskaya, Alla Vladimirovna Loseva, Evgeniya Lubennikova, Viktor Makarenko, Yana Makarova, Elena Yurievna Mostacheva, Daria Oleinik, Tatiana Pitra, Ekaterina Vladimirovna Razbaeva, Ani Stepanyan, Olga Stognieva, Yuliya Suvorova, Dzhuna Dzhumberievna Tsurtsumia, Alisa Vikenteva, Sofia Vinogradova, Marina Anatolievna Volkova, Ekaterina Ilinichna Yudina, Dinara Yusipova, Maria Zamkovaya, Liliya Vasilevna Zhilina, Anastasia Zizina, Егорова Ирина Сергеевна, Степанова Анна Борисовна, Мищук Анастасия Михайловна, Степанова Анна Борисовна, Калашникова Анастасия Андреевна, Егорова Ирина Сергеевна

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Contact hours: 48

Full 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. Upper-Intermediate Course-1» is a course that is aimed at building students’ confidence in using English in different life situations and contexts, i.e. home, university, work, tourism and developing students’ language skills and communicative competences to the B2 level (HSE Scale 50-59). 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

This course helps students advance to the level of independent users of English for general communicative purposes and boost their language skills to B2 level (HSE Scale 50-59) via enhancing reading and listening comprehension, increasing effectiveness in spoken and written production, improving spoken interaction, promoting communicative language competences (vocabulary range and grammatical accuracy), and raising sociocultural awareness.

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 develop understanding of lectures and learning context
To improve understanding of dialogues and polylogues on both familiar and unfamiliar topics
To form understanding of text structure
to produce monologues (informative/descriptive/argumentative/persuasive speech)
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)

Course Contents

Communication
Sport
Medicine
Transport

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.
Oral Assessment
Oral assessment includes a monologue on a given topic and a 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 score for Listening is equal to the number of correctly given answers (out of 10 points). 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

2023/2024 2nd module
0.3 * Final Assessment (FA) + 0.2 * Oral Assessment + 0.25 * Student Independent Work Assessment (IWA) + 0.25 * Written Assessment (WA)

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

New language leader: upper intermediate : coursebook, Cotton, D., 2019

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Downing, A. (2015). English Grammar : A University Course (Vol. Third edition). London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=929043
Wyatt, R. (2012). Check Your English Vocabulary for IELTS : Essential Words and Phrases to Help You Maximise Your IELTS Score (Vol. 3rd 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=435132

Course Syllabus

English for General Communication Purposes. Upper-Intermediate Course - 1