Aims

This course aims at developing the vocabulary, improving the grammatical knowledge, helping the students to talk with a certain degree of fluency about targeted and specific topics, interacting with ease, and being able to make oneself understood in specific situations, reading, writing and using a dictionary.

Main themes

Speaking:

The student will be able to speak with relative fluency, acquire a well-developed vocabulary command and learn the most commonly used synonyms. They will begin to understand certain nuances. They will be able to intervene in a conversation and give their opinion, objectives and proposals.

Understanding:

The student will be able to understand messages related to familiar situations much better than previously.

Writing:

Having mastered the rules of writing, this skill will become more and more fluent. The assimilation of ideograms will be done much faster. The ability to write down an ideogram directly and in one go will be mastered as well. The baggage of 500 to 600 ideograms will have to be practised regularly. The student will, however, continue to study new ideograms every week, do writing exercises and weekly homework assignments. They will be able to read entire texts. They will be able to read texts in cursive writing. They will learn the complex handling of a dictionary with the aim of increasing their autonomy.

Audio-visual method:
Each lesson includes a mini-scenario including a theme. At the same time, each class develops one or two grammar points: the various complements, the notions of complex verb tenses, etc. The four classroom hours are divided as follows: 60 % oral and 40 % written production.

Supporting material:
Two sets of course notes accompany this course. Volume one of the ideograms as well as the course notes proper. The intermediate-level course also includes three audio-tapes or -CDs with exercises on the entire study material.

Assessment:
Revision exercises; regular revision; general revision at the end of the year;
Final exam: 50 % oral and 50 % written
The student should get a 12/20 mark to be able to go to the advanced-level class.

Workload:
120 classroom hours
96 self-study hours

Content and teaching methods

120-hour course, 4 hours per week during the whole year
more advanced vocabulary
listening comprehension
conversation
grammar
oral and written exercises
using the dictionary
translating
reading
dictations

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Classroom hours over the period of the entire academic year.
Non-UCL students who have sat the end-of-year exam will receive an ILV certificate.

A2 (+) level of the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages"

This course is for all intermediate-level learners who have either followed the ILV beginners-level course (CHIN 1100) or a course of the same level in another language school: UCL students, staff members, non-UCL students.

Other credits in programs