General English B2+ parte 2

General English B2+.2 is an evening course of 56 hours in general English, bridging the gap between Upper Intermediate (B2) and Advanced (C1) levels. It is the second of two 56-hour courses (see also General English B2+.1).

The course has been designed with flexibility in mind, to meet the needs and abilities of each semester’s unique group of students.  New language points are practiced with a mix of Cambridge style tasks, thus benefiting both students who are preparing for the B2+ exam as well as those who simply wish to improve their English across all four language skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking).

Pair and group work is an integral part of this course, reinforcing topics learned and promoting confidence in speaking.

Scheduled grammar topics include:

·       Past and present narrative tenses
·       Phrasal verbs
·       Subject-verb agreement
·       Quantifiers
·       Future perfect and future continuous
·       Conditionals
·       Reported speech and verb patterns

This broadly framed course has three student groups in mind:

1.     COM students who would like additional support as they prepare for the USI B2+ exam
2.     ECO students who want to improve their English skills within a general English context
3.     Students of other faculties and from the ERASMUS program who would like to refresh and improve their upper-intermediate English

The B2+ course is an important stepping stone on the way to C1. According to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and various language learning organizations, advancing within a sublevel (e.g., from B2 to B2+ or B2+ to C1) typically requires 100–150 hours of guided study.

In presenza

This course is taught in person over the course of the autumn semester for a total of 56 hours (4 hours/week). Homework will be assigned weekly, and students are expected to complete it.

In addition, students are expected to build up their own body of notes and vocabulary, spending time outside the classroom committing new language to memory, practicing using the e-learning tools included among the course materials, and building strong personal reading and listening routines.

Note:  Students are subject to an entry test for General English B2+.2, which will be given on the first day of class.

Students with a minimum of 80% attendance will be invited to sit an exit test in the last week of the semester.  Those who score at least 60% on the test will receive a course completion certificate.

An attendance record of 80% also enables students to sit USI's Cambridge-style exam in June and August.  This exam is accepted by faculties internally and by a number of USI’s partner universities. Contact your faculty to verify its acceptance of this exam to fulfill English-language requirements. 

Alternatively, students may wish to complement their studies with a public certification (accepted by universities, visa authorities, large employers, etc.) They are directed to the Cambridge CAE examination or IELTS. Please contact LLM before registering for external exams. Contact [email protected] in the first instance.

References

This course is based on the last five chapters of Walsh, C. & Warwick, L. (2022) GOLD experience B2+. 2nd Edition. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited.