Business English 2.1

Business English 2.1 is a daytime course of 56 hours for students aiming at students preparing for upper intermediate (B2) level or honing their specialist English before moving to B2+. It is the first of two 56-hour courses (see also Business English 2.2), as part of the English pathway for students on the Italian track of the Bachelor in Economics (although if places are available, other members of the USI community are welcome). 

The course gives students the bankable language skills required by any employer operating in the English-speaking world. It will strengthen learners’ language skills in preparation for working in business or advanced study in a business-related field. 

In lively and thought-provoking sessions, we will be talking about four main themes:

Workplace culture                                                                    
Training & development
Finance                                                                       
Digital business

We will observe and consolidate a wide range of important upper intermediate grammar, including:

Future forms                                                                     
Modals in the passive voice
Linking words for reason & purpose                                 
Expressing certainty & probability
Position of adverbs & adverbial phrases                           
Articles
Zero, first & second conditionals                                       
Noun phrases to replace verb phrases

Other grammar points will be reviewed as necessary.

Practical activities will include: 

Presenting ourselves                                                                
Structuring a blog
Analysing data from a survey                                             
Report- and email-writing
Describing & analysing graphs                                                                  
Clarifying & paraphrasing
Writing a proposal                                                          
Demonstrating an app
Analysing feedback statistics 
Discussing future change, positives & negatives

To build students’ proficiency in English, especially with a view to eventually working in an English-speaking context in a wide range of fields, e.g. international banking, marketing, sales, communication, advertising, etc.

Having completed both Business English 2.1 and 2.2 students should be ready to sit an English examination at the B2 benchmark level, and have a strong base from which to tackle a variety of work or study goals. In particular, Economics students on the Italian track will be expected to study a significant number of courses in English in the latter part of their degree, and this is an important step on the learning pathway to that end. Enrolment on English for Economists (a 6 ECTS academic course offered in semester 4 of the Italian-track Bachelor in Economics) is subject to attainment of a B2 certificate or two Business English attendance certificates (see Assessment, below).

In presence

This course is taught in person in the autumn semester for a total of 56 hours (4 hours/week). We will be using a range of material including video, articles and audio. A wide range of online material is also available through MyEnglish Lab (see Bibliography) offering students a wealth of self-study opportunities. Learning is founded, as always, on the four language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking), and there is a strong emphasis on active participation through discussion, practical business-related tasks, etc.

Students who have attended 80% of classes or more will be invited to sit a final test in the last week of the semester, and on successful completion will receive a Business English certificate, which is a valuable addition to any job candidate’s CV. In addition, BECOI students who have earned two Business English certificates (level 2 and above) are eligible to take English for Economists in the BECOI programme.

Further information about language examinations at USI can be found on the LLM website.