English language tuition. Preparation for the FCE, CAE, CPE, ILEC Cambridge certificates. Prep course for TOEFL iBT and SAT.

Intensive FCE course

This course is intended to boost the general linguistic competence of the Upper-Intermediate-level student across the four skills-reading, writing, listening, speaking. The classes and the tutorials are tailored to respond to the format of the FCE Cambridge exam. Hence, focus is given on developing strategies for the five parts of the exam.

The method of teaching is the communicative approach. The teacher is never the sage on the stage. We always try to develop self-confidence, critical thinking, and cultural awareness in our students. Thus, the aim of the course is not just to equip learners with linguistic weaponry for the Cambridge test, but also to enculturate and uplift learners. An independent educator guarantees that standards are never compromised.

By the end of the course the student will have mastered the following skills relevant to the examination content :

PART I:

READING

1h and 15 min.

multiple matching, multiple choice, gapped text

I can read articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems in which the writers adopt particular attitudes or viewpoints. I can understand contemporary literary prose.

I can understand gist, main points, detail, text structure. I can extract specific information and deduce meaning.

PART II:

WRITING

1 hour and 30 min.

I can write clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects related to my interests. I can write an essay or report, passing on information or giving reasons in support of or against a particular point of view. I can write letters highlighting the personal significance of events and experiences.

PART III: USE OF ENGLISH

1hour and 15 min.

I can actively control the grammar and vocabulary of the language and demonstrate competence in a variety of tasks: multiple choice cloze, open cloze, word transformation, error correction, word formation.

PART IV:

LISTENING:

40 min.

multiple choice, note taking, blank filling, multiple matching, selection from two or three possible answers

I can understand extended speech and lectures and follow even complex lines of argument provided the topic is reasonably familiar. I can understand most TV news and current affairs programs. I can understand the majority of films in standard dialect.

I can understand gist, main points, detail or specific information, or the deduction of meaning.

PART V:

SPEAKING

14 min.

I can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible. I can take an active part in discussion in familiar contexts, accounting for and sustaining my views.

I can present clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects related to my field of interest. I can explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. I can produce spoken English in a variety of tasks.