English Language: Crystal Clear Comprehension

This course gives the learner the advanced comprehension skills needed to be able to interact effortlessly with native speakers.  The tutor guides the learner through listening, reading and editing exercises which develop accuracy in understanding and processing information.

Course content

Module 1- Vocabulary

Reading tasks to explore a wide vocabulary

Critical analysis of a literary text and journalistic text

Mini Creative Writing workshop to build vocabulary

Module 2 - Precis

Students listen to a talk or a podcast and write a short summary of it

Students read a literary text and write a short summary of it

Module 3 - Collaboration

Tasks which practise comprehension under timed conditions to replicate fast-paced environments such as meetings or group discussions

How to interject and participate and bring a point of view to the discussion

Module 4 - Rhetorial devices

Read an unfamiliar text aloud to practise understanding and the use of stress

Listen to a speech from politics or history to understand the rhetorical devices used by the speaker

Module 5 - Intonation and meaning

Formal listening exercises to develop an understanding of intonation and how it affects meaning.

Recommended reading

Before the start of the course, the student is sent a reading assignment to be completed before the course and a short reading list.

Certification

All students who successfully complete this course are eligible for a Course Certificate.  Certificates are sent by email to those who qualify after the course finishes.

Course aims

This course aims to provide students with strong comprehension skills to enable them to interact fully in professional or academic situations.

Teaching methods

Description of required reading and recommended reading.

Daily homework assignments

Tutor feedback to homework

Assessment and feedback

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students are expected to be able to:

 - listen to a talk and write a precis of it

 - read a long text and summarise it into a shorter text

 - demonstrate an understanding of how intonation and stress influence meaning

 - identify words in a speech stream

 - lead a critical analysis discussion of a literary text

 - understand and extract information from a written document

Assessment methods

Students are set two pieces of work.  The first, set half way through the course, does not count towards the final outcome but it helps students to prepare for the assessed piece of work at the end of the course.

Useful information

Each lesson is live and taught by a tutor via Zoom

Each lesson is of 60 minutes duration

Lessons can be taken at any time from Monday to Saturday 09.00 to 18.00 GMT

IT requirements

This course is delivered online, to participate students must be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the internet.  The student will need regular access to the internet and a computer meeting the recommended minimum computer specification.