Delivered at:: Big Data and Information Retrieval School

Course type:: Compulsory course

When:: 1 year, 1-4 module

Instructors

Нечина Елена Николаевна

Овчинникова Анна Васильевна

Переходцева Ольга Всеволодовна

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The course is compulsory and aimed at helping students majoring in Data Science and Business Analytics develop English language competence. That involves improving students’ reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills, expanding their grammar and vocabulary range as well as preparing them for further studies and research. Students’ progress through the course is monitored by means of progress tests, written assignments, interim exam in module 2 and a mock exam in module 3.

Learning Objectives

to hone students’ reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills in English.
to enrich students’ vocabulary.
to advance students’ knowledge of English grammar and their ability to use it.
to improve students’ pronunciation.
to enhance students’ communication skills.
to advance students’ critical and independent thinking skills.
to familiarize students with the IELTS exam format.
to equip students with effective IELTS exam strategies.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Produces an overview, describes the main trends, comments on the data in a description of line graphs with a trend, uses prepositions of time, numbers and amounts accurately in IELTS Writing Task 1.
Revises describing line graphs with a trend. Uses approximation when describing numbers and amounts, compares and contrasts information , describing comparative line graphs and bar charts
Revises how to use numbers, percentages and amounts, produces a description of a table.
Uses lexis related crime and the law in IELTS Speaking Parts 1, 2, 3 and essays. Discusses crime, crime prevention, implementing laws, rehabilitation of criminals. Completes questions, practises True/False/Not Given tasks in IELTS Reading. Describes percentages, fractions, numbers and amounts in a pie-chart description. Produces well-organised main body paragraphs with topic sentences, reasons and arguments to support them in essays. Writes a discursive essay.
Uses lexis related to academic study and research in IELTS Speaking Parts 1, 2, 3. Discusses study habits and skills. Answers True/False/Not Given and multiple-choice questions in IELTS Reading. Completes notes, tables, summaries in IELTS Listening tasks. Understands different types of diagrams. Writes introductions in IELTS essays. Knows how to structure an essay and a report and organise paragraphs. Understands the IELTS band descriptors.
Uses lexis related to character, relationships, sports in IELTS Speaking Parts 1, 2, 3 and essays. Discusses family, friends, community, sports. Completes objective summary tasks. Revises all IELTS Reading task types. Completes tables, revises all IELTS Listening task types. Distinguishes between different types of essays and reports. Produces a report and an essay of any type.
Uses lexis related to culture in IELTS Speaking Parts 1, 2, 3 and essays. Discusses languages, globalisation, history. Answers Yes/No/Not Given question, matches headings in IELTS Reading. Does multiple-choice tasks in IELTS Listening. Produces an overview, describes the main trends, comments on the data in a description of line graphs, uses prepositions of time, numbers and amounts accurately in IELTS Writing Task 1. Plans, writes and checks an opinion essay.
Uses lexis related to health and medicine in IELTS Speaking Parts 1, 2, 3 and essays. Discusses illnesses, pandemics, innovations in medicine, food, diet and mental health. Completes notes, matches information in IELTS Reading tasks. Revises how to approach matching tasks in IELTS Listening. Paraphrases using synonyms in writing. Produces a description of a table. Uses words that show cause and effect relationships in a cause and effect essay.
Uses lexis related to money, finance, business and industry in IELTS Speaking Parts 1, 2, 3 and essays. Discusses personal finance, government spending, international aid, career, equality. Matches sentence endings, completes summaries, answers Yes/No/Not Given questions in IELTS Reading tasks. Completes notes in IELTS Listening Section 4. Practises describing multiple diagrams, revises the key features of all types of diagrams. Produces an essay.
Uses lexis related to scientific discovery and progress in IELTS Speaking Parts 1, 2, 3 and essays. Discusses famous scientists, inventions, innovation and progress. Completes summaries, matches information in IELTS Reading tasks. Does multiple-choice and gap-fill tasks in IELTS Listening. Expresses certainty, possibility, probability, necessity using modal verbs and lexical modality in speech and writing. Describes a pie-chart. Produces a positive/ negative development essay.
Uses lexis related to the environment in IELTS Speaking Parts 1, 2, 3 and essays. Discusses global problems and solutions to them. Completes flow charts, diagrams, sentences in IELTS Reading. Labels maps, plans in IELTS Listening tasks, does gap-fill tasks. Uses the active and the passive voice, the articles, sequencing phrases and verb forms accurately to describe diagrams with a process or a life cycle. Describes problems and solutions to them in an essay.
Uses lexis related to the media and fame in IELTS Speaking Parts 1, 2, 3 and essays. Discusses traditional and new media, social networks, celebrities, advertising. Revises tasks types in IELTS Reading. Completes forms in IELTS LIstening Section 1. Analyses information from several charts, chooses features to describe and data to support the description with, produces a report. Knows all the differences between reports and essays of all types, produces a report and an essay.
Uses lexis related to town and the country, transport in IELTS Speaking Parts 1, 2, 3 and essays. Discusses city/county life, innovations in transport. Practises matching tasks in IELTS Reading. Labels maps, plans, completes notes in IELTS Listening. Uses tenses and prepositions of place, lexis related to location and directions accurately when describing maps and plans in IELTS Writing Task 1. Expresses common opinions and beliefs, avoids generalizations, shows one’s opinion in an essay.
Uses the active and the passive voice, the articles, sequencing phrases and verb forms accurately to describe diagrams with a process, evolution or a life cycle of an animal.

Course Contents

Education
The Environment
Culture
Crime and the Law
Science and Technology
Urbanisation
Health
Mass Media
Money and Finance
Society and the individual
IELTS intensive preparation.

Assessment Elements

1st semester Homework
2nd semester Homework
2nd semester Attendance and Classwork
1st semester Attendance and Classwork
Exam 2nd module
1st semester Tests
2nd semester Tests
Exam 4th module

Interim Assessment

2024/2025 2nd module
G 1-2 modules= G cumulative 1-2 modules* 0.6 + G exam 2 module* 0.4. Where G cumulative 1-2 modules = G attendance, classwork * 0.4 + G homework * 0.3+ G tests * 0.3
2024/2025 4th module
G 3-4 modules = G cumulative 3-4 modules * 0.6 + G exam 4 module * 0.4. Where G cumulative 3-4 modules = G attendance, classwork * 0.4 + G homework * 0.3+ G tests * 0.3

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Cambridge academic English: advanced: student's book : an integrated skills course for EAP, Hewings, M., 2012
Cambridge grammar for IELTS : grammar reference and practice, Hopkins, D., 2013
Complete IELTS (bands 6.5 - 7.5) : student's book without answers, Brook-Hart, G., 2013
IELTS. Cambridge vocabulary for IELTS advanced. With answers : Self-study vocabulary practice, Cullen P., 2013
New English file : advanced student's book, Oxenden, C., 2010
Reading for IELTS with answer key : 6.0-7.5, Short, J., 2014

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Cambridge vocabulary for IELTS advanced with answers : self-study vocabulary practice, Cullen, P., 2012
Writing for IELTS with answer key : 6.0-7.5, Dimond-Bayir, S., 2014
Writing for IELTS, Williams, A., 2011

Authors

Абдулхакимов Мухиддин Мураджанович
OVCHINNIKOVA ANNA VASILEVNA
SILDIMIROVA MARINA ALEKSANDROVNA

Bachelor’s Programme 'Data Science and Business Analytics'

English Language