General English Courses – For the over 30s

Over 30s General English – Standard Course (15 hours per week)

Over 30s General English Plus – Intensive Course (23 hours per week)

Standard English Course – 15 hours of class taken during the mornings

Intensive English Course – 23 hours of class per week. Mornings and afternoons

Morning classes:

During the mornings you will be allocated a class according to your level of English. We will always send you the entrance test prior to your arrival unless otherwise instructed. Our teachers will use a course book that follows a sequential approach to grammar and vocabulary learning. They will also use a number of other resources and materials either in text form or from a selection of media including the internet, radio and television. You will be given the opportunity to:

• Improve your knowledge of grammar
• Learn new vocabulary through speaking, listening and reading
• Be exposed to and take part in conversation to improve your fluency
• Focus on your writing skills, looking at different types of written text and register
• Practice your pronunciation including individual sounds, stress and intonation
• Consolidate what you have learned through regular review activities

Approximately 1 hour of homework will be given to you every day. If you are a long term student, you will be given a test on a regular basis so that you can track your progress.

Courses start every Monday throughout the year and the maximum class size is 10.

Afternoon classes:

You will be given the option to study in a different class during the afternoons and depending on the number of students attending we have different course options available.

Courses are either of one- or two-week duration and can be tailored to meet the requirements of participants.

While studying on our courses, you can expect to:

• Become familiar with modern English usage
• Gain practical ideas which can be adapted to different teaching environments
• Brush up on existing teaching techniques and skills
• Learn about modern British culture and current affairs
• Socialise and exchange ideas with other teachers.

Intensive Course – Afternoon Options

“Life in Britain”

The Life in Britain course is designed around the students we have at a certain time and also the length of their stay. This course is very popular and the focus is mainly on practicing your speaking skills and expanding your knowledge of “natural” vocabulary. The topics are related to your experience of living in the UK and to the language needed in “real life”. For students with lower levels, the focus of the class is to give you plenty of practice and experience in real and authentic situations that you might have to participate in while staying in the UK. The course also looks at aspects of British life and culture through video, written text and discussion. For higher levels we offer the opportunity for you to take part in debates, role plays and presentations.

IELTS Preparation

This is the most popular option outside the summer as many of our students during the academic year are planning to take the IELTS exam at some point.

You will study for 8 hours per week and during this time you will focus on the following:

• Essential exam strategies and techniques for each component in the IELTS exam
• Learning to develop autonomy
• Structured exam practice
• Formal and academic writing skills
• Listening comprehension and note-taking with spelling practice
• Speed reading, skimming and scanning for information, leading to effective comprehension
• Speaking skills in both general and academic contexts

Courses start every Monday throughout the summer and the maximum class size is 10

Please note that if you would like to stay for longer than 4 weeks, you could always combine your General English course with one of our 4 week Cambridge exam courses.

Courses are either of one- or two-week duration and can be tailored to meet the requirements of participants.

While studying on our courses, you can expect to:

• Become familiar with modern English usage
• Gain practical ideas which can be adapted to different teaching environments
• Brush up on existing teaching techniques and skills
• Learn about modern British culture and current affairs
• Socialise and exchange ideas with other teachers.