Our Courses

Classes are for two hours once a week and aim to help everyone progress in the four key language skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing.

A suitable amount of time is also given to help students with their grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation.

A variety of homework is set weekly, but students are also encouraged to practise their English in other ways as well, such as watching English films, reading a variety of short texts, and mixing with local people as much as possible. There is an end of year test according to your level, and we were happy to achieve an encouraging pass rate last year.

A good variety of topics will be covered in the listening and speaking part of the course such as house and home, work and study, sports and leisure, travel and transport, and many others. Lower-level learners are expected to develop dialogues as much as they are able. Higher level learners discuss topics on more abstract themes and give a talk or presentation at the end of the course. Learners will study texts whose length and difficulty varies according to their level. These cover a range of genres such as stories, newspaper and magazine articles, website texts and others. Higher level learners need to be able to compare and contrast different texts on the same theme. Although there is no formal grammar examination for the Functional Skills course, being able to express oneself with good grammatical accuracy and range of vocabulary is an important part of the ESOL course. Special attention is paid to tense structures, aspect, correct use of verb forms and other key grammatical features. Students learn how to tackle a range of writing tasks according to their level. For lower-level learners these might include a description of the place where they live or various types of communication to family and friends. Higher level students learn how to write letters covering three or four bullet points as well as articles, reviews and discursive essays

Students will learn;

• Listening and speaking unit
• Reading unit
• Grammar and vocabulary unit
• Writing unit

Entry 1 Functional Skills English certificate

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A typical ESOL lesson focuses on the Communicative Method of study which is mainly student centred with a strong emphasis on group and pair work to maximise opportunities to practice the target language. This is assisted by teacher input consisting of explanations, examples and error correction.

End of year examination with progress assignments and homework. Individual counselling is given around two or three times a year and at other times when necessary.

• Learners complete an initial placement test when registering which includes a speaking interview, a grammar test and a short piece of writing.
• No previous knowledge is expected as there are courses for all levels from Complete Beginner to Upper Intermediate Level.
• Please note that entry requirements and course offer can be subject to change at any time.

Entry 1 Certificate in ESOL Skills for Life

Other Details:

A firm commitment to attend all classes and complete all necessary work is expected. The learners who have made the best progress in these courses are those who have attended regularly and followed their teacher’s advice.