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Regular version of the site
2024/2025

English Proficiency Exams Practice

Type: Optional course
When: 1-3 module
Open to: students of all HSE University campuses
Instructors: Пинчукова Анна Евгеньевна, Шендерович Мария Филипповна, Тейбаш Виктория Анатольевна, Жарова Кира Дмитриевна, Шендерович Мария Филипповна, Мищук Анастасия Михайловна, Пинчукова Анна Евгеньевна, Говорина Елена Ивановна, Наумова Екатерина Михайловна, Завалина Анастасия Владимировна, Кузина Екатерина Андреевна, Воронцова-Менало Анна Сергеевна, Джахангирова Вефа Сабухи кызы, Санникова Ольга Александровна, Говорина Елена Ивановна, Yuliya Antonova, Natalya Bagrintseva, Tatyana Baranova, Tatyana Baranovskaya, Nadezhda Aleksandrovna Borzova, Olga V. Burenkova, Diana Burimskaya, Yulia Mikhailovna Chanturidze, Daria Chikhacheva, Alla A. Efimova, Inna Sergeevna Egorova, Irena Fadeeva, Arina I. Galeyeva, Natalia Vasilyevna Gridina, Nataliya Valentinovna Guskova, Maria Ivanchenko, Alexander Vladimirovich Kalashnikov, Olga Kamenskaya, Victoria Kosheleva, Galina Levitskaya, Sofia Lozovaia, Viktor Makarenko, Elena Yurievna Mostacheva, Elena Vasilyevna Nagornaya, Tatyana Nurgaleeva, Tatiana Pitra, Tatiana Borisovna Pospelova, Maria Pronina, Ekaterina Vladimirovna Razbaeva, Maria Rodina, Lyudmila Yuryevna Rokotyanskaya, Alexandra Semenova, Elena Shustova, Marina Sildimirova, Alexandra Smorodinova, Inna V. Solovyeva, Evgenia Vasilyeva, Marina Anatolievna Volkova, Ekaterina Ilinichna Yudina, Maria Zamkovaya, Liliya Vasilevna Zhilina, Anna Zhuravleva, Ражев Валерий Васильевич, Шапиро Элина Диаматовна, Афанасьева Арина Павловна, Шапиро Элина Диаматовна, Гайдаренко Вадим Анатольевич, Загорулько Яна Сергеевна, Афанасьева Арина Павловна, Жаркова Марина Геннадьевна, Кочухова Анастасия Андреевна, Степанова Анна Борисовна, Кирилишина Дарья Валерьевна, Цыкунова Екатерина Михайловна, Демидова Ксения Владиславовна
Language: English
ECTS credits: 3

Course Syllabus

Abstract

“English Language Certification Exams Course” (ELCEC) is a specialised highly intensive programme designed to give students insight into the most common exam tasks (Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking), their aims and requirements. Classes are scheduled for 25 consecutive weeks. There are 18 practice lessons accompanied by seven assessment lessons (exams). Being an exam prep course, ELCEC is quite different from a General English Language course. The programme is designed to help students familiarise themselves with the standard exam tasks and common techniques that ensure exam success. A flipped classroom model is used to motivate students to study the content of the course regularly and independently. The students study the new material at home and come to the next class fully informed about its topic and therefore able to contribute effectively to a group discussion. Three parts of homework are designed to suit any group of students. The “Compulsory” section focuses on exam tasks, a “Preparation for the next lesson” section is for students to get knowledge on a topic scheduled for a particular lesson, "Helpdesk" invites students to think about three questions they would like to clarify for themselves. There is a section called “Shadow reading” which imitates a language laboratory in a language school. The additional part of homework is a “Revision grammar” section designed predominantly for practicing grammar and vocabulary exercises (including training of listening skills). An "Extra exercises" section is a collection of topics that students could be faced with on the exam. Throughout the course various methods of assessment are used: written assessment (reading, listening, grammar and vocabulary tests, and written papers), oral assessment, independent work assessment (activities that students do at home and in class), and Final Assessment. No blocking assessment elements are included.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • to give an overview of English Language Certification Exams;
  • to provide students with the language, grammar and test-taking strategies;
  • to improve all four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) as required for english language certification exams.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • Listening - understand academic and professional discourse; - identify the main ideas and distinguish relevant supporting details of a formal or academic passage;
  • Reading - understand a variety of different academic text types; - use different reading strategies and focus on target material in all types of reading passages;
  • Speaking - demonstrate enhanced speaking in different task formats; - formulate, express and defend opinions using appropriate vocabulary and grammatical structures.
  • Writing - produce different types of IELTS written tasks; - demonstrate enhanced vocabulary and grammatical structures;
  • Writing: produce different types of written tasks for exams; demonstrate enhanced vocabulary and grammatical structures.
  • Reading: understand a variety of different academic text types; use different reading strategies and focus on target material in all types of reading passages.
  • Listening: understand academic and professional discourse; identify the main ideas and distinguish relevant supporting details of a formal or academic passage.
  • Speaking: demonstrate enhanced speaking in different task formats; formulate, express and defend opinions using appropriate vocabulary and grammatical structures.
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • Lesson 1
  • Lesson 2
  • Lesson 3
  • Lesson 4
  • Lesson 5
  • Lesson 6
  • Lesson 7
  • Lesson 8
  • Lesson 9
  • Lesson 10
  • Lesson 11
  • Lesson 12
  • Lesson 13
  • Lesson 14
  • Lesson 15
  • Lesson 16
  • Lesson 17
  • Lesson 18
  • Lesson 19
  • Lesson 20
  • Lesson 21
  • Lesson 22
  • Lesson 23
  • Lesson 24
  • Lesson 25
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Written assessment
    Written assessment includes various types of graph descriptions and essays.
  • non-blocking Oral assessment
    Oral assessment is conducted in the form of an IELTS Speaking exam and includes all three parts of it.
  • non-blocking Independent work
    Independent work includes activities that students do at home, in the classroom and online.
  • non-blocking Final assessment
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • 2024/2025 3rd module
    0.3 * Final assessment + 0.25 * Independent work + 0.2 * Oral assessment + 0.25 * Written assessment
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • Mindset for IELTS : student's book 3: an official Cambridge IELTS course, , 2018

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Cambridge grammar for IELTS : grammar reference and practice, Hopkins, D., 2012
  • Cambridge grammar for IELTS : grammar reference and practice, Hopkins, D., 2013

Authors

  • VINOGRADOVA EKATERINA ALEKSANDROVNA
  • SOLDATOVA ELENA IGOREVNA
  • POPOVA DIANA ANDREEVNA