Learning outcomes

Listening comprehension :          
 
Understand standard spoken language on live TV or radio programmes on familiar and unfamiliar topics regularly encountered in personal, social, academic or professional life.
Understand the main ideas of fairly long lectures and speeches and even follow a complex argument if the subject is relatively familiar and the outline of the presentation is indicated by explicit markers.
 
Reading comprehension:
 
Have a sufficiently large vocabulary to read and understand a variety of texts with a degree of independence, for a variety of purposes: summarising information, comparing information, etc.
be able to identify the structure and main ideas of any text with a view to summarising it or giving a detailed reasoned opinion.
 
General oral production :
 
be able to express him/herself fluently on any everyday subject, or on a more complex subject with a little preparation.
eliminate recurrent pronunciation errors (move towards a more typically native pronunciation)
present a subject in some detail, developing and justifying ideas using arguments, examples, etc.
Oral interaction :
 
be able to initiate, sustain and end a conversation with ease without using overly complex turns of phrase, on any familiar subject.
 
General written production:
 
produce a clear, structured summary of a variety of texts
summarise the main points of a discussion or presentation in a report

 

Goals

 

- develop your written comprehension and production skills, paying particular attention to summarising texts, with the aim of reaching level B1+ - or even B2 - of the European framework

- to perfect your spoken English and enable you to express yourself in a structured, clear and precise way on a variety of subjects related to society or to your academic life.
 
Additional objectives
- Maintain listening comprehension in order to gradually reach B1+ level and work towards B2
- extend vocabulary by focusing on certain aspects (phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs, etc.) and on basic vocabulary related to the field of study

Content

WRITING SUMMARIES
 
Through various tasks in Q1 - online and face-to-face - students will gradually develop the ability to process factual/journalistic information in order to understand and synthesise it in a structured and coherent way. The various tasks will enable students to prepare for their reading/writing exam, which is scheduled out of term in December and is worth 40% of the final mark for the course.
 
Among other things, students will be asked to write a summary of a press article during the quadri course and will be given feedback on it to assess their progress.
 
STUDENT CORNER
 
The aim is to help students develop their ability to process information with a view to presenting it to other people and to develop their oral expression by expressing themselves in a structured, clear and concise way on a pre-selected subject.
 
Ø Each student prepares a topic of his/her choice once in the quadrennium with a view to presenting it to a small group of fellow students.
 
Ø The student uses at least two reliable and relevant sources of information in English that are clearly referenced for his/her preparation.
 
Ø The topic is subject to the teacher's prior approval and must be capable of generating debate and discussion!
 
  STUDENT PORTFOLIO
 
The student's portfolio is a record of the various pieces of work required in preparation for the oral examination. This portfolio is the key to the oral examination.
All the tasks in the portfolio are compulsory and are, of course, written in English.

 

Teaching methods

 Interactive course requiring student involvement and investment
- Students will be required to prepare in autonomy some tasks linked to the course activities .
- Students will also compile a personal portfolio based on the various tasks assigned during the four-month term. This is the key to the final oral examination. The precise content of the portfolio and the practical arrangements for the various tasks are detailed on webcampus.
- All skills will be worked on, but particular attention will be paid to developing oral and written expression in order to prepare you for the integrated teaching units in block 2 and block 3 of your bachelor's degree.
 
 

Assessment method

 FIRST SESSION

In January, students receive a final mark based on four distinct aspects:
 
1. Formative assessment - Portfolio in preparation for the oral exam  
 
Without a complete portfolio, handed in on time and complying with the instructions given on webcampus, the student cannot sit the oral examination. As the portfolio is based on the student's regular work and effective participation in the proposed activities, it is automatically carried over to the second session with no possibility of improvement.
 
2. Continuous assessment - Vocabulary test  20%
o 1 compulsory vocabulary test is organised during the out-of-session written exam. This test is based on the language focus section of the syllabus, the vocabulary of the texts in the syllabus and the online module.
In preparation for this test, two formative tests will be offered online with time constraints during the term (see timetable for practical details)
 
  3. A written examination organised outside the session (December) and comprising the reading of a press article in English and a summary of this article in English,  40%
 
4. An oral exam (40%)
 
is based on the portfolio prepared during the term.
 
An incomplete portfolio or one submitted after the deadline will result in an oral mark of 0/20.
 
No prior preparation on the day of the exam
 
Conversation/interaction between teacher and student on one aspect of the year's work and on the 3 articles selected by the student (see detailed course programme).
 
The student's average can only be calculated if all parts of the assessment have been presented.  In addition, the course can only be validated if the student obtains an average of 10 or more, with at least one of the two parts of the examination passed and no exclusion mark. If a student fails both the oral and written exams or obtains an exclusion mark (<8/20) in one of the exams, an absorbing failure is applied and the student will be awarded a mark of 9/20.
 
Second session
 
However, for the August session, if the overall course average does not reach 10/20, each student will only represent those parts of the course for which he/she has not obtained 10/20 (vocabulary test and/or written exam and/or oral exam).
The distribution of points and the instructions remain the same as in the first session. If the portfolio is not submitted in the first session, students will be asked to prepare a compensatory portfolio for the second session.

Warning : please note that the success of this teaching unit does not lead to certification.

 

Sources, references and any support material

 
- ENGLISH II Syllabus (available on WebCampus)
- Recommended reference book: a good translation dictionary such as Robert and Collins
- Writing a Summary and Language focus online modules (WebCampus)

Language of instruction

English