General English

Teacher(s)

François Dominique (coordinator); Starrs Colleen;

Language

English

Prerequisites

Students should have completed a language course of at least B1 level in the 'Common European framework for Languages.' The LANGL 1330 course in BAC1 is a good basis for the BAC2 English course.

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Main themes

This course covers a wide range of topics of general interest linked to their field of studies.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	The aim of this course is to broaden students' knowledge of semantic and lexical fields and to encourage spoken production. Students should be able to express themselves without too much conspicuous searching for words, on familiar and less familiar topics related to their interests and professional life. Students should be able to understand a normal conversation (live or broadcast)  dealing with everyday topics or issues related to their personal, social, university or professional life. Students should be able to understand articles and reports on contemporary issues in which the author adopts  particular attitudes or viewpoints. They should be able to quickly scan a long and difficult text and understand the main points. Level B2 of the 'Common European Framework for Languages.'

Content

This course aims to develop listening comprehension skills and reading skills (B2 level) as well as oral production including presentation techniques (B1 level) .
Reading comprehension
At home - extensive reading using reading strategies
In class and at home - detailed analysis, commentary and comprehension exercises
Listening comprehension
In class and at home - extensive and intensive listening                                                                                                                           
Students listen to passages (extracts from documentaries, interviews, etc.) at their own pace and complete activities
Oral production
Conversation activities on the themes covered by the texts and videos
Vocabulary and grammar
Basic vocabulary and structures are practised, consolidated and expanded using speaking activities ( role-plays, group discussions, etc.) and written exercises in class and at home as well as self-tuition material  (Usage Notes).
The themes of the texts and videos in this course are related to journalism, communication, marketing, new technologies, etc.

Teaching methods

The course is built on a hybrid approach, combining face-to-face sessions and a series of online activities on Moodle. Students have to complete the Moodle activites by themselves either before or after class (depending on the instructions given).

Evaluation methods

The assessment includes various compulsory elements:

• A series of continuous assessment activities (25%), including the following:
  • Taking the test on the files from Le Répétiteur - self-tuition material (Week 12, Term 1):
  • Taking part in the Warm-up discussions 
  • Completing all assignments in accordance with the criteria provided (reading and listening comprehension activities, lexical and grammatical exercises, some of which are on Moodle). Completion criteria for the Moodle quizzes:
    -2 attempts, the pass grade is 60 % unless indicated otherwise
    -should be completed before the following class
  • Attendance and active participation in all class activities (max. 2 unjustified absences per term)
• Written exam (partial exemption) in January (term one material; cf. January session in course notes for details, 25%)
• Written exam in June (term two material; cf. June session in course notes for details; 25 %)
• Students who do not obtain 10/20 or more in the January exam (partial exemption) are also tested on the material from the first term in June (Term 1 + Term 2 material = 50%)
• Oral exam: group discussion in term 2 (W 12 or W13). The discussion is based on a topic related to the students' field of study (25%)

IMPORTANT:
Both the oral exam (group discussion) and the written exams are compulsory. Students who are absent for one part of the exam (oral or written) will be considered as absent for the June session.
SEPTEMBER SESSION
The exam consists of the following parts:

1.     Written exam (60 %)           
   • Term one material (cf. January session for details; 25 %)   
   • Term two material (cf. June session for details; 25 %)    
   • Le Répétiteur test (10 %)
2. Group discussion (25 %)

Students who sit the exam in the September session can choose either to only repeat the parts where they got below 10 in June OR they can repeat all of the parts if they want to improve their grades for each section (see September session for the various parts).
Students who failed the course in June and who are absent (in the September session) for any part of the assessment for which they got less than 10/20 in June are considered absent for the September session and will receive an overall absence mark.
The mark for continuous assessment (15 %) is not taken into account in September, unless it is in the student’s benefit (except the Répétiteur files which are part of the September exam for all students). 
 

Other information

Students can choose a group and enrol for the course on Moodle.
The groups are the same in the second term.

Online resources

http://moodle.uclouvain.be/

Bibliography

Syllabus du cours LANGL 1333 (General English) // LANGL 1333 Coursenotes (General English)
Espace du cours LANGL 1333 sur Moodle // LANGL 1333 course on Moodle

Teaching materials

• Syllabus du cours LANGL 1333 (General English)

Faculty or entity

ILV