Course Outlines

Course Outlines

 

Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

 

  • Summarize and paraphrase written passages
  • Comprehend the structure of the timed essay
  • Practice the structure of the timed essay
  • Practice and use sentence structure while becoming familiar with typical grammatical errors.

 

Schedule

Lesson 1: Introduction to summary writing

                The components of the timed essay for LET

                 Understanding the essay question

                 Language use: Parallelism

                

Lesson 2: Summary writing: Finding the main idea and the key points in the original text

                 Identifying parts of an essay

                 Writing an outline

                 Writing a strong thesis statement that answers the essay question

 

Lesson 3: Summary writing: Making margin notes and using your own words

                                                Paraphrasing vs. summarizing

                 Body paragraphs: Topic sentence, supporting ideas, specific details

                 Language Use: Importance of word choice

 

Lesson 4: Summary writing: Leaving out minor details

                 Improving body paragraphs: Writing adequate details

                 Punctuation: comma, semi colon, colon

                 Sentence structure: Dangling phrases, run-on sentences

               

Lesson 5: Summary writing: Improving a summary

                 Personal essay vs. academic writing: Importance of understanding style, voice, and tone

                 Sentence variety: Coordination and Subordination

                 Language Use: Subject-Verb Agreement

 

Lesson 6: Timed summary writing in class

                 Techniques to write an effective introduction paragraph

                 Language Use: Hedging in essay writing

Lesson 7: Summary writing: Improving a summary

                 Writing a strong conclusion paragraph

                 Timed essay writing in class

 

Lesson 8: LET Scoring: Analyzing sample essays

                 Coherence in body paragraphs

                 Language Use: Review and Error correction

                 Additional resources for self-study

 

 

 

Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • develop familiarity with the question types in all four components of the test (academic version)

  • develop IELTS test taking strategies for listening, reading, writing and speaking

  • improve their reading skills through skimming, scanning, using key words/ phrases and

    grammar from the reading passages to answer reading questions

  • improve their listening skills by using different listening strategies for comprehension and details

  • improve their range of academic vocabulary

  • increase their grammar knowledge

  • describe a graph, chart, table, map or a process by comparing data and summarizing the main features

  • write a well-structured essay in response to the different types of essay questions in writing task 2

  • have a better understanding of the band descriptors in writing and speaking parts of the test and their true level in these areas.

    Schedule Lesson 1

Introduction to the components of the test Understanding band descriptors Speaking: Part 1- Getting ready to speak

Talking about familiar topics- common speaking topics in part 1 Reading: Finding important key words in short answer questions

Skimming and scanning Listening: Understanding the context

Writing names and numbers- dealing with distractors, importance of correct spelling in IELTS

Academic Writing Task 1: Describing trends in a line graph- writing an overview, selecting key features, using accurate data

Writing Task 2: Task Achievement- understanding the task Preparing to write: making an outline

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Lesson 6

Speaking: Part 2 Improving coherence
Improving fluency: Pronunciation, intonation, and chunking

Reading: True/False/Not given- Identifying the writer’s views/ claims Listening: Summary Completion and table completion
Academic Writing Task 1: Describing a process- interpreting diagrams

Language use: Active/ Passive Voice Writing Task 2: Coherence in body paragraphs- linking ideas

Speaking: Part 1- Extending your response: providing details, talking about events, pronunciation

Reading: Sentence completion- paraphrasing
Listening: Understanding completion and matching tasks – word limits Academic Writing Task 1: Describing trends in a bar chart

Comparing and contrasting data Writing Task 2: Writing an introduction

Writing a strong thesis statement Parallelism

Speaking: Preparing for speaking Part 2
Making timed notes /Sequencing words

Dealing with follow-up questions
Reading: Introduction to matching headings task – more skimming and

paraphrasing Listening: Matching questions

Academic Writing Task 1: Describing trends in a pie chart
Writing Task 2: Body paragraphs-Topic sentence, supporting ideas, examples

Language use: Verb tense errors

Speaking: Part 3 Talking about abstract topics Agreeing and disagreeing

Reading: Completing flow charts
Listening: Describing a place – following directions and labelling a map Academic Writing Task 1: Describing a map

Language use: Present Perfect vs Past Tense Writing Task 2: Writing a strong conclusion paragraph

Speaking: Part 3 Talking about abstract topics Giving reasons: Cause and effect

Reading: Multiple Choice questions – looking for words with similar meanings, identifying the main idea

Listening: Short answer questions – using key words from the question Academic Writing Task 1: Dealing with multiple charts

Lesson 7

Lesson 8

Speaking: Part 3 Talking about abstract topics Making suggestions using modal verbs

Reading: Completing notes – understanding main ideas and specific details Listening: Multiple Choice questions – understanding longer pieces of text Academic Writing Task 1: Word choice – avoiding repetition
Writing Task 2: Using hedging language

Writing Task 2: Importance of appropriate word choice

Speaking: Part 3 Talking about abstract topics-Discussing similarities and differences/ Comparing past and present

Reading: Matching tasks – Identifying theories and opinions of different people/ experts

Listening: Following a lecture or talk -understanding main ideas, explanations Academic Writing Task 1: Editing a sample task
Writing Task 2: Improving a sample essay

Business Writbg:

Lesson 1   Formal vs. Informal Language, Email etiquette

 

Grammar Point: Frequently Confused/Misused Words    

Writing Practice: Email Follow-up

 

 Lesson 2   Writing and Responding to Complaints

Grammar Point: Articles/Using Adverbs         

Writing Practice: Complaint Letters

 

Lesson 3   Writing and Responding to Requests

Grammar Point: Incomplete sentences/Run-on sentences/Comma splices   

Writing Practice: Request Letters

 

Lesson 4   Writing Cover letters/Resumes

Grammar Point: Incorrect use of verb forms/ Incorrect subject-verb agreement  

Writing Practice: Cover Letter

 

Lesson 5   Comparing options and Writing a recommendation

Grammar Point: Linking words

Writing Practice: Recommendation using for and against arguments

 

Lesson 6   Reporting an Incident

Grammar Point: Relative clauses    

Writing Practice: Incident Report

Lesson 7   Business Memos

Grammar Point: Tenses Review     

Writing Practice: Memo

 

Lesson 8 Making Arrangements

Grammar Point: Questions

Writing Practice: Inviting/Declining/Accepting emails

 

Course Outline – Speaking Professionally 

 

Lesson 1  

Business discussions/Expressions to agree or politely disagree/Changing the focus/Interrupting

 Lesson 2 

Developing Effective Argument/Expression to persuade/Apologizing for being late

Lesson 3

Giving negative feedback/Telling your boss you disagree/Making a Complaint/Dealing with a Complaint

Lesson 4

Working from home/business video chat/teleconference

Lesson 5

Telephoning skills/Leaving professional voicemail messages

Lesson 6

Starting engaging conversations/Changing the Subject/Establishing Shared interests/Ending conversations diplomatically 

Lesson 7

Making and giving an effective presentation

Lesson 8

Quitting your job/Negotiating your leave

Course Outline

 

Lesson 1

Topic: Introduction/ Getting to know each other/ Small Talk/ Changing the topic and ending the conversation politely/Social Responses

Listening: Dialogues (Listening for Main Idea, Details & Inference)

Pronunciation: Using Intonation to show interest; -s ending

Grammar: Present simple and Present continuous

 

Lesson 2

Topic: Predictions/ Future Plans/Promises/Planning a Vacation/ Making reservations

Listening: Chef talk about his future plans (Listening for specific information in order to answer the questions)

Pronunciation: Sentence Stress in questions/Pronouncing contractions/ /a/ and /ou/

Grammar:  Future tenses (Future Simple and Present Continuous)

 

Lesson 3

Topic: In the restaurant/Food Pyramid/Different diets

Listening: Three conversations at the restaurant (Listening for main ideas); Video “What’s in the salad”

Pronunciation: /a /, /u /, /ai/, /e/; linking

Grammar:  Countable/Uncountable nouns

 

Lesson 4

Topic: Shopping/Money/Buying/Giving/Receiving a Present

 

Listening: Dialogue talking about shopping (listening for specific information)

Pronunciation: Large numbers

Grammar:  First and Second Conditionals

 

Lesson 5

Topic: Relationships/Friends/ Feelings 

Listening: Fred and Edna talking about when they just met (listening for specific information)

Pronunciation: ‘ed’ ending /t /, /d /, /id/

Grammar:  Past Simple/Past Continuous

 

Lesson 6

Topic: Families/Personalities/Describing People

Listening: Richard talking about what happened when he met Claire and Rosa (listening for specific information)

Pronunciation: A rising and falling intonation in choice questions; 

Grammar: The comparatives

 

Lesson 7

Topic: Trip to the Doctor /Illnesses/Keeping Healthy

Listening: Phone calls to make a doctor appointment (Listen and fill-in the information) 

Pronunciation: the schwa sound

Grammar:  Giving advice: Should or Shouldn’t

 

Lesson 8

Topic: Job Interview/Careers/The working environment

Listening: A podcast about working in an open-plan office (Listening for specific information and completing the notes)

Pronunciation: Word Stress (e.g. interviewer vs interviewee)

Course Outline – Speaking with Confidence Upper-Intermediate

 

Lesson 1  

Introductions/ National stereotypes: Truth or Myth?

Grammar point: Adjectives as nouns/So and Such

Lesson 2 

Life’s ups and downs/dealing with stress/remarkable achievements

Grammar point: Past tenses/ Use verbs with – ing and inf

Lesson 3

Taking Risks/Dangerous Sport/Out of your comfort zone

Grammar point: Conditionals/I wish you wouldn’t!

Lesson 4

Internet Crime, Computer Addiction and Computer-phobia.

Grammar point: quantifiers/relative clauses

Lesson 5

Best ways to invest your time/ Talking about future/Invest in your future

Grammar point: Future tenses/Collocations with time and money

Lesson 6

News around the world/ Famous people/Fame and fortune

Grammar point: Reporting people’s words

Lesson 7

Inventions/Inventive Ideas/Creative Environment

Grammar point: Passive form/Use causative have and get

Lesson 8

Truth and Lies/Advertisement/To Believe or not? 

Grammar point: Use verbs with – ing and inf/ clauses with in spite of, even though, although

 

Lesson 1    Advantages and Disadvantages - A Magazine Article

 

Grammar Point: Tenses Review/Linking words    

Writing Practice: Writing an article in four paragraphs

 

 

Lesson 2   Informal Emails

Grammar Point: Articles/Using Adverbs         

Writing Practice: Writing an email to say thank you

 

Lesson 3   Your dreadful experience

Grammar Point: Incomplete sentences/Run-on sentences/Comma splices   

Writing Practice: Writing about a trip 

 

Lesson 4   Writing a Movie Review

Grammar Point: Adjectives/Adverbs

Writing Practice: Writing about a movie you would recommend

 

Lesson 5   Describing a House or Apartment

Grammar Point: Passive forms/Descriptive vocabulary

Writing Practice: Writing a description of your house/apartment

 

Lesson 6   A letter of Complaint

Grammar Point: Relative clauses    

Writing Practice: Writing a complaint letter about an online purchase

Lesson 7   A bibliography

Grammar Point: Tenses Review     

Writing Practice: Writing a short bio of an interesting person

 

Lesson 8 A narrative

Grammar Point: Reported speech

Writing Practice: Writing a scary/amusing/funny story