Course Details for A.Y. 2017/2018

Course Objectives

Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. (Level B2, CEFR)

Course Content

• Functions • asking and answering questions about personal possessions • asking and giving/refusing permission to do something • asking and telling people the time, day and/or date • asking for and giving information about routines and habits • asking for and giving personal details: (full) name, age, address, names of relatives and friends occupation etc • asking for and giving simple information about places • asking for and giving the spelling and meaning of words • asking for and giving travel information • asking for repetition and clarification • asking the way and giving directions • buying and selling things (costs, measurements and amounts) • changing the topic • checking on meaning and intention • counting and using numbers • criticising and complaining • describing people (personal appearance, qualities) • describing simple processes • describing, education qualifications and skills • drawing simple conclusions and making recommendations • expressing ability/inability in the present and in the past • expressing agreement and disagreement and contradicting people • expressing and responding to thanks • expressing degrees of certainty and doubt • expressing needs and wants • expressing obligation and lack of obligation • expressing opinions and making choices • expressing preferences, like and dislikes (especially about hobbies and leisure activities) • expressing purpose, cause and result and giving reasons • following and giving simple instructions • giving advice • giving and responding to invitations • giving warnings and prohibitions • greeting people and responding to greetings (in person and on the phone) • helping others to express ideas • identifying and describing accommodation (houses, flats, rooms, furniture etc.) • identifying and describing simple objects (shapes, size, weight, colour purpose or use etc.) • interrupting • introducing oneself and other people • making and granting/refusing simple requests • making and responding to apologies and excuses • making and responding to offers and suggestions • making appointments and arranging to meet • making comparisons and expressing degrees of difference • making predictions • paying compliments • persuading and asking/telling people to do something • reporting what people say • re-stating what has been said • resuming the topic • starting a new topic • sympathising • talking about food and ordering meals • talking about how to operate things • talking about one’s health • talking about physical and emotional feelings • talking about probability/improbability and possibility/impossibility • talking about the weather • talking and writing about future or imaginary situations • talking and writing about future plans or intentions • talking and writing about past events and states in the past, recent activities and completed actions • talking and writing about what people are doing at the moment • understanding and completing forms giving personal details • understanding and producing simple narratives • understanding and writing diaries and letters giving information about everyday activities • understanding and writing letters giving personal details • understanding simple signs and notices
• Skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing and interaction) • understanding signs, notices,and texts of a factual nature • understanding and writing diaries, faxes and letters (job applications, apologies, complaints, advice……) • skimming and scanning (newspapers, brochures, magazines, biographies, narrative…..) • understanding and writing imaginative or emotional texts • talking and writing about emotions, reactions, events, hopes, regrets etc. • talking and writing about objects, people, places etc • reporting events (film/book review, current affairs…..) • writing notes • giving information • asking and understanding questions and responding to them • understanding and expressing opinions (advantages, disadvantages) • understanding interaction (dialogues, conversation, anecdotes….) • understanding short turns (phone, announcements, ….) • understanding professional long turns (speeches, talks, stories, radio programmes…..) • interacting in social and professional situations
• Vocabulary groups • current affairs • daily life • education • entertainment • environment • feelings • food and drink • free time • health and body • house and home • language • personal information • places • relations with other people • services • shopping • travel • weather
• Pronunciation • stress patterns, rhythm and prominence; reduced speech, intonation patterns, vowel reduction, vowel length, final consonants and consonant clusters for the listening skill • appropriate stress patterns and linking in everyday speech (interactional) • intonation patterns (questions, echo questions, statements, agreeing and disagreeing, checking and confirming….) • stress patterns, reduced speech, linking and intonation in longer turns
• Structures • abstract nouns • adjectives (predicative and attributive) • adjectives (colour, shape, size, quality, nationality) • adverbs of definite time • adverbs of degree • adverbs of direction • adverbs of frequency • adverbs of indefinite time • adverbs of manner • adverbs of place • adverbs of sequence • article a/an • article the • both, either, neither • comparative and superlative forms of adjectives • comparative and superlative forms of adverbs • compound adjectives • compound nouns • conditional sentences type 0 • conditional sentences type 1 • conditional sentences type 2 • conditional sentences type 3 • connectors (although, while) • connectors (and, or, but, either…or) • connectors (because, since, so, for..) • connectors (if, unless) • connectors (so that, to) • connectors (so…that, so, such …that) • connectors (when, while, until, before, after, as soon as..) • connectors (where) • could ( polite requests) • countable and uncountable (some, any) • demonstrative adjectives (this, that, those, these) • double genitive (a friend of theirs) • future with going to • future with present continuous and present simple • future with will and shall (offers, promises predictions etc) • genitive 's and s' • gerunds (-ing form) after verbs and prepositions • gerunds as subjects and objects • have to (obligation) • how, how much, how many, how often, how long etc. • imperatives • in case • indirect / embedded questions (know wonder) • infinitives after verbs and prepositions (with or without to) • may (possibility) • might (possibility) • must (obligation) • mustn't (obligation) • need (necessity) • needn't (lack of necessity) • not… any more/longer • numbers (cardinal and ordinal) • order of adjectives • ought to (obligation) • participles as adjectives • passive forms (present and past simple) • past continuous ( parallel actions, continuous action interrupted by past simple) • past perfect simple (narrative, reported speech) • past simple (past events) • phrasal verbs / verbs with prepositions • position of adverbs • possessive adjectives • possibility, ability (can, be able to) • prepositional phrases (at the beginning of, by means of…) • prepositions (like, as, due to, owing to …) • prepositions after nouns (afraid of…) • prepositions after verbs (ask for laugh at…) • prepositions before nouns and adjectives (by car, for sale, at last) • prepositions of direction • prepositions of instrument • prepositions of place • prepositions of time • present continuous (future plans, future activities, present actions) • present perfect continuous (unfinished actions, continuous action recently finished) • present perfect simple (recent past, indefinite past, unfinished past, just, yet, already, never, ever, for, since) • present simple (states, habits, systems and processes) • pronouns (demonstrative) • pronouns (impersonal) • pronouns (indefinite) • pronouns (personal - subject, object, possessive) • pronouns (quantitative) • pronouns (reflexive and emphatic) • pronouns (relative) • quantitative adjectives (some, any, much, many, a few, a lot of, all, other, every etc.) • question tags • regular and irregular forms of adverbs • relative clauses (defining and non-defining) • reported commands/requests (say, ask, tell) • reported questions (say, ask, tell) • reported statements (say, ask, tell) • shall (suggestion, offer) • short answers • should (advice) • singular and plural • so/nor with auxiliaries • used to + infinitive (past habits) • verb + object + infinitive with or without to (make, let, allow) • verb + object + infinitive + direct/indirect object (give, take, send, bring, show) • what, what + noun • when • where • who, whose, which • why • will (offer) • would (polite requests)

Prerequisites and Learning Activities

Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. (Level B1, CEFR)

Assessment Methods and Criteria

Reading Comprehension, Writing, Listening Comprehension, Speaking

Textbooks

• Guy Brook-Hart, Complete First, Student's book with answers , Cambridge University Press. (vol. Unico) 2017. ISBN 978-1-107-69835-2    

Course page updates

• A.Y. 2016/2017
• A.Y. 2017/2018
• A.Y. 2018/2019