Exam Preparation

Course Start Dates: any Monday

Overview

  • Maximum 15 students per class / Average 12
  • Dynamic lessons develop effective communication  in a professional & academic  context
  • CEFR-based curriculum develops communication & interaction strategies
  • Clear, structured syllabus
  • Syllabus covers the linguistic and academic skills needed in further or higher education, or in the professional world.
  • Focused lessons help learner develop ideas comprehensively and communicate with precision of meaning
  • Develop ability to use appropriate structure, style, and register for various types of extended writing types
  • Develop ability to give an extended spoken presentation of idea and respond clearly to follow-up questions.
  • Full preparation of all IELTS exam tasks with aim to achieve a score of 7.5 and higher
  • Online lesson sharing platform ensures active and direct communication with teacher & learning materials
  • Continuous classroom assessment and feedback from highly qualified Academic English teacher

Entry Requirements:
B2 (Upper Intermediate) to C2 (Advanced+)

Academic English & Exam Preparation (IELTS)

20 LESSONS/ WEEK

Available in Dublin

This course is relevant for any learner who intends to work or study through English in a formal context and is working to achieve a score of 6.5 to 8 in the IELTS exam (CEFR levels B2+ to C1).

Intended for non-native speakers who are looking to study or work in an English-speaking environment, IELTS and Cambridge training is an internationally recognised system for testing English language ability.

We will help you book the exam once you have started your course. The fee is not included in our prices and has to be paid at the school. The Essential IELTS / Cambridge Exam Preparation consists of 20 core Exam Preparation lessons.

Timetable

Monday -Friday AM 09:00- 12:15

Sample Weekly Timetable- IELTS preparation

Upper-Intermediate B2 level

 

Core IELTS Exam Preparation

09:00- 12:15

MondayVocabulary for your describing home town/ Speaking part 2: International Tourism/ Reading about international Tourism/ Interpreting data
TuesdayDiscussing job satisfaction/ Job related vocabulary/ Writing Part2 : Writing about Multi-national companies/ analysing and brainstorming:
-paragraph plans
-Reading about Globalisation
-skimming and scanning
WednesdaySpeaking- comparing and contrasting diets/ Reading about food chains/ Skimming and Scanning/ Looking for rephrasing language/ Adjectives for describing food/ Writing Part 2: Introductions and conclusions/ Developing a thesis statement
ThursdayDiscussion about popular activities in their country/ Questionnaire to discover most and least popular/ Reading/ Table completion/ Inferring meaning/ Vocabulary for leisure activities
FridayListening part 1:Completing a table/ Reading- Travel tips/ Skimming for general idea/ Scanning for detail/ Speaking part 1:Talking about holidays/ Language for comparing

Skills Modules & Electives

This is a menu of options which allows you to maximise your learning while on our English Courses in Dublin. Choose an area to focus on in which you need more support. If you’re not sure which module to choose, a teacher can help you to identify what you need when you arrive at City Language School. These Skills Modules can be booked at any time during your course and for as long as you wish. To make the most of your time at City Language School we recommend that you book one of the following, or to have them included in your course, choose the Standard English course.

Exam Preparation Skills Module/ Elective

Learn the format of your chosen exam, with tricks and tips to give you the best chance of achieving your required result. Each day, you will look at a different test aspect and identify the areas which will help you achieve your ideal score. Delivered by specialist exam teachers and drawing from past exam papers.

Conversation Module Skills Module/ Elective

Improve your conversational English by practising speaking, listening, pronunciation and vocabulary. You will become more fluent and confident when speaking English.

 

What is the CEFR? (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)

The CEFR describes what language learners have to learn to do in order to use a language for communication and what knowledge and skills they have to develop so as to be able to act effectively.

The Framework also defines levels of proficiency which allow learners’ progress to be measured at each stage of learning and on a life-long basis.

A1- Beginner

In an A1 class, you are working towards achieving CEFR level A1 in English. You can interact in a simple way, ask and answer simple questions about yourself, where you live, people you know, and things you have. You can make and respond to simple statements on very familiar topics. At this level, your teacher will help you develop fluency- the ability to speak and make sounds in English. Communication is the most important activity to practice.

A2- Elementary

In an A2 class, you are working towards achieving CEFR level A2 in English. At this level, you will be able to use simple everyday polite forms of greeting and address, and react to responses and news. You can have short social exchanges as well as simple transactions involved with getting out and about. At this level, your teacher will help you develop fluency- the ability to speak easily in English. Your teacher will help you structure sentences so that your communication is clear and simple.

A2+ / PreB1- Pre-Intermediate

In an A2+/PreB1 class, you are working towards achieving CEFR level A2+/ PreB1 in English. You are becoming more active in conversation but still need some help. You can understand simple, routine interactions without much effort, and can make yourself understood. You can generally share ideas and information on familiar topics in predictable situations. In conversation, you can express how you feel in simple terms and are able to give an extended description of everyday aspects of your life. At this level, your teacher helps you learn lots of new vocabulary and new grammatical structures.

B1- Intermediate

You are working towards achieving CEFR level B1 in English. This is the level where you are able to maintain interaction and express what you want to say comprehensibly, even though you probably have to pause to think of a word or a structure. At this level, you can expect to be able to cope flexibly with problems in everyday life, and can enter unprepared into conversations. In class, your teacher will help you develop your fluency and broaden the range of language you use. You are able to use basic structures correctly and without hesitation and now you can concentrate on expanding the range of grammatical structures and vocabulary that you use in communication.

B2- Upper Intermediate

You are working towards achieving CEFR level B2 in English. This is the level at which you are able to account for and sustain opinions in discussion by providing relevant explanations, arguments and comments. You can explain a viewpoint on a topical issue, giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. There are two new focuses at this level- being able to more than hold your own in social discourse, initiating, turn taking, sustaining and closing discussion, and, at this level, you should be more aware of language. You are able to correct mistakes if they have led to misunderstanding and are beginning to monitor your speech and writing in order to correct mistakes. In class, your teacher plans tasks and activities that practice all skills and help you develop strong communication strategies.

B2+ – Upper Intermediate+

You are working towards achieving CEFR level B2+ in English. B2+ is the level at which we expect learners to interact using a wide range of linguistic and strategic skills which demonstrate their ability to explain a viewpoint on a topical issue, giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options, hold their own in social discourse by initiating, turn taking, sustaining and closing discussion. At this level, you are aware of language and are able to monitor your speech and writing in order to correct mistakes. There is a greater emphasis on how you organize your speech at this level and you are expected to be able to use a wide range language accurately. There is also a greater emphasis on how you express yourself in writing at this level.

C1- Advanced

You are working towards achieving CEFR level C1 in English. At this level. You have good access to a broad range of language, which allows fluent, spontaneous communication. There is little obvious searching for expressions or avoidance strategies; only a conceptually difficult subject can hinder a natural, smooth flow of language. The discourse skills characterised at B2+ continue to be evident with an emphasis on more fluency with clear, smoothly-flowing, speech showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors, and cohesive devices. In class, your teacher pushes you to actively take control of your learning and will use material from C2 level if appropriate.