Our communication-focused English course consists of lessons taught on our platform that are primarily based around practising speaking and listening skills. They are supplemented by learning resources posted in the pupils’ area on our website to help you focus on specific areas. Pupils will reach the target level by the end of the course, having greatly improved their capacity to interact in English.

Teachers will use a variety of digital materials that help students to perfect their communication skills in a fun and direct way, developing fluency, pronunciation, general understanding and knowledge of vocabulary.

	Oral expression: students will participate in discussions and debates on a number of culturally significant topics in class, prepare presentations and do speaking activities that challenge them to improve their self-expression in English and become more confident communicators.
	Listening comprehension: we use both formal and informal recordings and videos on current affairs and appealing topics that are appropriate to each level in order to increase pupils’ exposure to all types of spoken English and practise the grammar and vocabulary suitable for their ability.
	Grammar and vocabulary: our teachers will separate grammar into manageable points that students can understand without difficulty or monotony, saving most practice exercises for homework. Vocabulary will be seen in readings and heard in listenings, aided by lists for each topic, and is always explained using definitions and examples. Students will then put this vocabulary into practice by doing energetic and entertaining activities or playing interactive games.
	Reading comprehension: pupils will work on reading for gist in class and for homework, as well as their ability to comprehend written texts completely and discuss the themes they have read about. Readings will be on interesting cultural subjects and contemporary issues that widen their general knowledge and expose them to key vocabulary and grammar.
	Written expression: We demonstrate in class how to write different kinds of functional texts that students may need to write in everyday life using a clear and consistent style that native English speakers can understand. We provide a selection of writing models for pupils to structure their work around, and will set these tasks for homework.

Students will take a level test at the beginning of the course to put them into the correct group, plus at the end of the course to assess their progress.

VOCABULARY:

• House & home
• Free time
• Phrasal verbs
• Hobbies
• Holiday activities
• Buildings and places
• Personal feelings, opinions & experiences
• Relations with others
• Adjectives with -ed and -ing
• Adjectives of emotion & their opposites
• Entertainment
• Going out
• Been/gone, meet, get to know, know, find out
• Weather
• Transport
• Adverbs of degree
• Compound words
• Prefixes and suffixes
• Health & exercise
• Illnesses & accidents
• Food & drink
• Shops & services
• The natural world
• The environment

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:

• Communicate in English for simple, practical tasks and situations with ease.
• Successfully express basic opinions, thoughts, feelings, experiences and wishes in spoken and written English.
• Express opinions on abstract or cultural issues in a limited way.
• Participate in a class or conversation using simple language.
• Ask for information about things like accommodation and travel.
• Show understanding of basic opinions, thoughts, feelings, experiences and wishes in spoken and written English.
• Understand factual information, instructions and public announcements in spoken and written English.
• Follow a straightforward demonstration or presentation.
• Read and comprehend simple fictional and non-fictional texts in English, including articles, letters and short stories.
• Write clear, uncomplicated letters and emails on day-to-day subjects or topics you are interested in.
• Make reasonably accurate notes in a lecture or meeting on a familiar and predictable subject.

VOCABULARY:

• Leisure
• Holidays
• Food
• Education
• The environment
• Jobs
• Sport
• Entertainment
• Happiness
• Money
• Health
• The animal world
• Housing
• Festivals
• Technology
• Phrasal verbs
• Collocations

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:

• Maintain a conversation on a reasonably wide range of subjects.
• Interact with enough fluency and spontaneity to be able to communicate with native speakers without a problem.
• Express opinions and give reasons without difficulty.
• Express arguments to a limited extent.
• Answer predictable or factual questions about studies or work.
• Ask for factual information in a social or professional context and understand the response given.
• Ask for clarification and extra information, being likely to understand the response given.
• Easily follow a speech on a familiar subject.
• Scan texts for significant information.
• Read news items in the media to find information quickly and interpret it correctly.
• Understand the key points of complex text on both specific and abstract subjects, including technical information about their particular area of specialisation.
• Understand the overall meaning of atypical letters in a professional context and the majority of their content.
• Produce clear, thorough text on a number of topics and explain your point of view on a matter by giving pros and cons.
• Write a straightforward, factual report in a professional or academic context, showing signs of evaluation and giving advice.
• Write a professional letter to make or answer requests that are out of the ordinary.
• Make notes while someone is talking, as well as simple notes for writing an essay or for revision that summarise the main ideas of the matter at hand.

VOCABULARY:

• Cities
• Personal history
• The arts
• Migrations
• Extreme sports / risk-taking
• Gender issues
• Education
• Health
• Transport & journeys
• Moods & attitudes
• Fame & fortune
• Relationships
• Holidays
• Exercise
• Media
• The world of work
• Economics & business
• The living world
• Personal contact
• The environment
• Science & technology
• Phrasal verbs
• Collocations
• Fixed phrases & idioms

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:

• Maintain a casual conversation for an extended period of time and engage in discussion about abstract or cultural subjects with fluency and ease, using a number of different expressions.
• Cope with unpredictable questions.
• Respond to questions by asking for more details.
• Show disagreement or make criticism without causing offence.
• Detect slight variations in meanings or opinions in both spoken and written English.
• Follow discussions and debates with little need for explanation, with good ability to overcome any communication problems.
• Participate in meetings in their own professional field and maintain a casual conversation in this context with good fluency, remaining unphased by complex expressions.
• Scan texts for important information and recognise the key points.
• Understand complex opinions or ideas found in serious journalism.
• Understand the gist of complicated articles without majorly misinterpreting their content.
• Write a written piece with a point that can be understood from start to finish.
• Write most different types of letters without errors that affect the reader’s understanding.
• Write a report in a professional context that gets across the intended message.
• Take fairly accurate notes in classes or meetings.

VOCABULARY:

• Means of communication
• Education
• The media
• Advertising
• Culture
• Means of transport
• Travel
• Technology
• Health & medicine
• Exercise
• The art of entertainment
• Social issues
• Historical events
• Work & business
• The environment
• Safety & danger
• Phrasal verbs
• Collocations
• Fixed phrases & idioms
• British & American spelling
• Connotations & metaphors
• Prefixes & suffixes
• Compounds
• Nouns from phrasal verbs
• Reference words

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:

• Talk about and give advice on sensitive or complicated subjects without awkwardness, understanding colloquial terms and coping with hostile questions assertively.
• Understand informal remarks and cultural references.
• Deal with and give advice on delicate subjects in a professional context within the limits of their knowledge of these areas.
• Understand documents, letters and reports, including all the detailed parts of difficult texts.
• Understand reports and articles that may be found in your work, including complicated notions expressed in a complex way.
• Understand social documents in detail, such as a tenancy agreement.
• Make accurate and extensive notes on a meeting, class or lecture.
• Write accurate and well-expressed letters on any subject.