• A
  • A
  • A
  • ABC
  • ABC
  • ABC
  • А
  • А
  • А
  • А
  • А
Regular version of the site
For visually-impairedFor visually-impairedUser profile (HSE staff only)Search
Advanced search
Menu
HSE University
User profile (HSE staff only)Search
Advanced search

Course Syllabus

2022/2023

English for General Communication Purposes. Upper-Intermediate Course - 1

Type: Optional course
Delivered by: School of Foreign Languages
When: 1, 2 module
Open to: students of one campus
Instructors: Русакова-Могильницкая Софья Радиславовна, Мищук Анастасия Михайловна, Ладина Дарья Александровна, Кузина Екатерина Андреевна, Былова Полина Дмитриевна, Сенникова Ксения Георгиевна, Данилова Елизавета Андреевна, Савицкая Наталия Александровна, Русакова-Могильницкая Софья Радиславовна, Жаркова Марина Геннадьевна, Павлова Ксения Валерьевна, Кирьянова Евгения Александровна, Кульков Даниил Андреевич, Греченко Анастасия Александровна, Yulia Andrushkina, Tatyana Baranova, Elena Borodkina, Irena Fadeeva, Arina I. Galeyeva, NUSHI GAVASHELASHVILI, Alexander Vladimirovich Kalashnikov, Natalia V. Katasonova, Nella Viktorovna Kirillova, Irina Alexandrovna Konovalova, Galina Levitskaya, Yana Makarova, Alexandra Semenova, Olga Stognieva, Larisa Stanislavovna Stupakova, Darya Vahrusheva, Marina Anatolievna Volkova, Ekaterina Ilinichna Yudina, Dinara Yusipova, Elizaveta Zanozina, Liliya Vasilevna Zhilina, Егорова Ирина Сергеевна
Language: English
ECTS credits: 3
Contact hours: 48

Course Syllabus

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The discipline refers to the variable educational tracks offered to students of the curricula for Bachelor's and Specialist's degrees of choice while mastering the optional course of English in accordance with the Concept of the Development of English-language Communicative Competence of HSE Students. «English for General Communication Purposes. Upper-Intermediate Course-1» is a course that is aimed at building students’ confidence in using English in different life situations and contexts, i.e. home, university, work, tourism and developing students’ language skills and communicative competences to the B2 level (HSE Scale 50-59). The course is designed to assist students in achieving the level of independent users through developing reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills, attaining excellence in vocabulary management and grammatical accuracy. The course offers a variety of authentic materials that familiarize students with real-life English expressions and scenarios, provides an array of contemporary topics for discussion and develops 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, text analysis, and digital literacy. The course develops a solid general English base for further success in learning English for academic or special purposes, taking international examinations, as well as future academic studies and research.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • This course helps students advance to the level of independent users of English for general communicative purposes and boost their language skills to B2 level (HSE Scale 50-59) via enhancing reading and listening comprehension, increasing effectiveness in spoken and written production, improving spoken interaction, promoting communicative language competences (vocabulary range and grammatical accuracy), and raising sociocultural awareness.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • To develop skills of using basic listening techniques (predicting, understanding main ideas and details)
  • To develop skills of using basic reading techniques skimming and scanning (predicting, understanding main ideas, understanding details)
  • To develop understanding of articles, reports, straightforward and specialised texts concerned with contemporary problems at the threshold/vantage/effective operational proficiency level
  • To form skills of note-taking
  • To develop understanding of lectures and learning context
  • To improve understanding of dialogues and polylogues on both familiar and unfamiliar topics
  • To form understanding of text structure
  • to produce monologues (informative/descriptive/argumentative/persuasive speech)
  • to develop writing skills (email&summary)
  • to participate in dialogues on general, academic and professional topics. (active listening, questioning, responding to questions, emphasizing, discussion strategies)
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • Communication
  • Sport
  • Medicine
  • Transport
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Written Assessment (WA)
    Written assessment includes: 1 reading test, 1 listening test, 2 vocabulary and grammar tests, 2 written works (email and summary). Criteria: see the files attached.
  • non-blocking Oral Assessment (OA)
    Oral assessment includes a monologue on a given topic and a discussion.
  • non-blocking Student Independent Work Assessment (IWA)
    Independent work includes activities that students do at home, activities that students do in the classroom and online work. The elements of independent work cannot be retaken.
  • non-blocking Final Assessment (FA)
    The interim exam lasts 70 minutes. The exam is a written paper-and-pen test and is aimed at checking whether the student can demonstrate the acquisition of the learning objectives set. The exam consists of two parts, i.e. Listening (L) and Writing (W) that weigh 50% and 50% respectively in the total mark for the exam: Listening (L): Listen to the text ONCE and complete the tasks. Max. 10 points. Writing (W): Read the text. Write a summary on the text you have read. A student should write a 150-word summary. Students have no more than 20 minutes to complete the Listening (L) part and 50 minutes to complete the Writing (W) part. Grading formula: L*0,5 + W*0,5 = 10 The actual scores for Listening are turned into percentages which are tuned into a final mark out of 10 points. Grading scale: 10 =100 - 96%, 9=95 - 91%, 8=90 - 86%, 7 = 85 - 78%, 6 =77 - 71%, 5= 70 - 61%, 4 = 60 - 51%, 3 = 50 - 36%, 2 = 35 - 21%, 1 = 20 - 1 %, 0 = 0%. Writing is assessed against the criteria. Period of FA: 10 days prior to the 2nd module’s session. The release of examination papers: during the session. Retaking exams: till the 15th of February 2023. Time limit: 70 minutes online/offline. The structure of the exam: 1. Listening (L): Listen to the text ONCE and complete the tasks. Max. 10 points. Students have no more than 20 minutes to complete the Listening (L) part. 2. Writing (W) Read the text. Write a summary on the text you have read. A student should write a 150-word summary. Students have 50 minutes to complete the Writing (W) part. Grading formula: L*0,5 + W*0,5 = 10.
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • 2022/2023 2nd module
    0.3 * Final Assessment (FA) + 0.25 * Student Independent Work Assessment (IWA) + 0.2 * Oral Assessment (OA) + 0.25 * Written Assessment (WA)
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • New language leader: upper intermediate : coursebook, Cotton, D., 2019

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Downing, A. (2015). English Grammar : A University Course (Vol. Third edition). London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=929043
  • Wyatt, R. (2012). Check Your English Vocabulary for IELTS : Essential Words and Phrases to Help You Maximise Your IELTS Score (Vol. 3rd ed). London: A&C Black Business Information and Development. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=435132