1.1.
Sultan Qaboos University
Language Centre
Curriculum Unit
Foundation Programme
English Language
Curriculum Document
Also available online at: http://www.squ.edu.om/tabid/5682/language/en-US/Default.aspx
2012 - 2013
Table of Contents
List of abbreviations ................................................................................................................. v
Foreword ............................................................................................................................... iv
List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................... v
1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1
1.1
Purpose of the document ........................................................................................ 1
1.2
Programme structure .............................................................................................. 1
2. General information ........................................................................................................ 2
2.1
Mission Statement ................................................................................................... 2
2.2
Approach to teaching.............................................................................................. 2
2.2.1
Writing ........................................................................................................... 2
2.2.2
Grammar ......................................................................................................... 3
2.2.3
Study and research skills ................................................................................ 4
2.2.4
Portfolios......................................................................................................... 5
2.2.5
Dictionary Skills ............................................................................................. 6
2.2.6
Reading and Vocabulary ................................................................................ 6
2.2.7
Listening and Speaking .................................................................................. 8
2.2.8
Phonology ....................................................................................................... 9
2.3
Testing and Assessment ........................................................................................ 10
2.3.1
Testing Matrix .............................................................................................. 10
2.4
Test Policies ........................................................................................................... 12
2.4.1
Misplaced Students Policy in the FPEL ...................................................... 12
2.4.2
Late Arrival for Test ..................................................................................... 12
2.4.3
Student Absence from Tests and Supplementary Testing .......................... 12
2.4.4
Transferring Answers to Answer Sheets ..................................................... 13
2.5
Challenge Test for the FPEL................................................................................. 13
2.6
Revealing Continuous Assessment Marks ........................................................... 13
2.7
Appeal of Continuous Assessment Marks ............................................................ 14
2.8
Appeal of Final Grade ........................................................................................... 14
2.9
Proficiency Level Descriptors .............................................................................. 15
2.10
Language Centre Resources .................................................................................. 16
3. Learning Outcomes and Syllabi .................................................................................... 17
3.1
Introduction .......................................................................................................... 17
3.2
Learning Outcomes and Syllabi ........................................................................... 18
3.2.1
Reading ......................................................................................................... 18
3.2.2
Listening ....................................................................................................... 19
3.2.3
Speaking ........................................................................................................ 20
3.2.4
Pronunciation ............................................................................................... 21
3.2.5
Writing ......................................................................................................... 21
3.2.6
Study Skills...................................................................................................23
3.2.7
Language and Grammar ............................................................................... 23
4. Course descriptions ............................................................................................................ 27
4.1
FPEL 0120 ..................................................................................................... 27
ii
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
4.9
4.10
4.11
FPEL 0230 ..................................................................................................... 30
FPEL 0340 ..................................................................................................... 33
FPEL 0400 ..................................................................................................... 37
FPEL 0450 ..................................................................................................... 39
FPEL 0500 ..................................................................................................... 44
FPEL 0560 ..................................................................................................... 48
FPEL 0603 ..................................................................................................... 53
FPEL 0604 ..................................................................................................... 53
LANC1025 English for Humanities I .......................................................... 61
LANC1026 English for Humanities II ......................................................... 65
5. Appendices………………………………………………..……………………………68
5.1
Glossary of terms................................................................................................... 68
5.2
Best Practice .......................................................................................................... 74
5.3
Procedures and Policies ........................................................................................ 78
5.4
Pedagogic Information and Guidelines................................................................ 82
5.5
Extracts from the OAAA Document....................................................................84
5.6
Guidelines for Materials Development and Use.................................................. 85
5.7
Function Words and Word Sub-Lists .................................................................. 97
5.8
CALL Programmes.............................................................................................108
5.9
Pronunciation Syllabus .....................................................................................113
iii
Foreword
The Foundation Programme English Language (FPEL) curriculum is part of a larger
foundation programme curriculum which was implemented at SQU in fall 2010. The
foundation programme curriculum consists of four main components: the English language,
mathematics, computer skills, and study skills. The present document provides information
about the English language and study skills curriculum that has been developed for the
FPEL. The FPEL curriculum is based on learning goals which state the skills and strategies
that learners are expected to acquire upon completing the programme. It reflects what
students need to learn in order to succeed at the university. The FPEL consists of six
proficiency levels. Each level has its own set of learning outcomes and materials. There is a
gradual increase in difficulty from one FPEL level to the next. However, the six levels
should be seen as a continuum rather than discrete levels. We believe in the developmental
nature of language learning. We expect there to be a lot of recycling and reinforcement
throughout the learning process.
The CU and AU work closely with teachers and programmes to plan and realize the
curriculum and assessments. We rely heavily on the teachers' expertise and creativity to
deliver the curriculum in the best way possible. There is a weekly pacing schedule for
each course to help teachers deliver the curriculum within the time limit. Certain core
materials have been prescribed for each course. However, we fully understand that the
materials are not a perfect match for the curriculum. Teachers will invariably find
themselves in need of supplementation. That is accepted as long as the target objectives
are met.
In the Language Centre, we have always stressed the importance of collaboration between
testing and curriculum on the one hand and testing, curriculum and teaching on the
other. We firmly believe that the three parties together with students constitute the
teaching and learning process. We try to ensure that there is continued communication
among them for the sake of effective delivery of the curriculum and assessments. We also
believe in teamwork. In the FPEL, two or more teachers usually share the same course.
We encourage teachers to collaborate with each other in teaching and sharing materials.
In the Language Centre, there are more than 200 teachers from more than 25
nationalities. We encourage teachers to take advantage of this wealth of knowledge and
expertise to enrich their own and to best serve the students' needs.
To conclude, this curriculum document is an important document in describing and
disseminating information about curriculum and assessment in the FPEL. It is essential
that teachers read it and use it in their teaching.
Saleh Al-Busaidi, PhD
Director
iv
List of abbreviations
SQU
Sultan Qaboos University
LC
Language Centre
FPEL
Foundation Programme English Language. The programme
primarily focuses on teaching general English language skills. In
the upper levels of the programme, subject specific content is
used to introduce students to the topics and skills relevant to
their studies.
CELP
Credit English Language Programme. Students enrol in these
courses either by passing a challenge or exit test or after
successfully completing the FPEL.
CU
Curriculum Unit
AU
Assessment Unit
SSU
Student Support Unit
FASU
Faculty Academic Support Unit
QAC
Quality Assurance Committee
CC
Course Coordinator in the FPEL
DD
Deputy Director
PT
Placement Test
ET
Exit Test
LO
Learning Outcome
v
1. Introduction
1.1 Purpose of the document
As noted earlier in the foreword, this document provides information to teachers and
researchers on the Foundation Programme English Language offered by the Language Centre
at Sultan Qaboos University. The document provides information about different aspects on
the curriculum e.g. learning outcomes, materials and assessment.
1.2 Programme structure
When students first come to the university, they are given a Placement Test (PT) which
determines their proficiency level. If they are required to take the Foundation Programme,
they have to complete it in no more than two academic years. FPEL students are placed in
15-week courses which combine two proficiency levels each. Progression from one course to
another is determined by a combination of continuous assessment throughout the semester,
midterm tests and final exams at the end of a semester.
The following table illustrates the possible courses and routes that students may take
assuming progression takes place without repeating any given course.
Proficiency level
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
Fall
FPEL 0120
FPEL 0230
FPEL 0340
FPEL 0450
FPEL 0560
FPEL 603 / FPEL
604
Spring
FPEL 0340
FPEL 0450
FPEL 0560
FPEL 600
Credit Courses
Credit Courses
Courses FPEL 0400 and 0500 may be offered in summer as well.
1
Summer1
FPEL 0600
Credit Courses
Fall
FPEL 0560
Credit Courses
Credit Courses
2. General information
2.1 Mission Statement
The Language Centre exists to provide high quality language services to meet the
requirements of academic study, the challenges of a changing work environment and the
needs of the wider community.
2.2 Approach to teaching
2.2.1
Writing
The FPEL implements a combination of approaches to teaching writing. A model-based
approach is used to teach various writing skills and forms of writing including the topic
sentence and the rhetorical modes such as comparison/contrast and cause/effect in short
paragraphs. The reason for focusing on short paragraphs and specific writing modes is to help
the students to acquire the skills they need to meet the requirements of different academic
writing tasks. These tasks and rhetorical modes are the context for teaching and learning the
underlying principles of writing.
The FPEL writing courses aim at teaching students the skills of drafting, revising and editing
their own writing. Students are shown the importance of the drafting approach to writing so
that they are aware of mental processes that take place during the production of texts and
become more responsible for improving their own writing skills. The writing courses also
focus on familiarising students with grammar structures relevant to their writing tasks and
help them activate their passive grammar knowledge to fulfil the prescribed tasks.
In the past, students were required to learn three and sometimes four rhetorical functions per
level. In the current FPEL curriculum, the number of rhetorical functions has been reduced
to two per level for more practice and consolidation.
In 2009, the Language Centre embarked on a major materials development project to produce
teaching materials for the writing and grammar courses for lower level students. A group of
six teachers were selected to serve as materials writers. The group went through a period of
discussion, training, background reading and consultation in order to arrive at a certain
approach to materials production for the course. In-house writing textbooks have been also
written and successfully used with students at the higher levels in the FPEL. All in-house
texts undergo revision on a regular basis.
2
2.2.2 Grammar
It is difficult to make any generalization about the way/s of teaching grammar in the FPEL
since the approaches that teachers use may vary greatly. However, there is a grammar and
linguistic syllabus that lists the items covered in the FPEL. Teachers are expected to use
effective approaches to teach the items based on the following guidelines:









Grammar items may be covered using an inductive or deductive approach, but
teachers should avoid lengthy grammar lessons.
Grammar is best learned through practice in meaningful contexts.
Students do not go from ‘not knowing’ to ‘knowing’ grammatical structures – learning
is a long and gradual process from ignorance to mastery.
After ‘teaching’ a grammar point, teachers should not expect all their students to have
mastered that point; students are expected to learn the indicated grammar items to a
degree suitable to their proficiency level.
Grammar should be addressed frequently, on an ad hoc (as needed) basis whenever a
problem or new point arises in a reading text or in the course of students’ writing.
Teachers should carry out quick checks/drills/mini dialogues on aspects of grammar as
frequently as possible, rather than spending whole lessons on one point.
Teachers should help students compile their own grammar reference material –
handouts from grammar books can help in this, but students need to be more
personally involved.
CALL (computer-assisted language learning) materials can be used in all levels to
reinforce grammar. All FPEL students have access to Clarity grammar software via a
link on Moodle.
On exiting the FPEL, students should be familiar with basic the grammar
metalanguage, e.g., ‘noun’, 'adjective', etc. They should also be able to use
appropriately the grammatical items listed in the grammar syllabus and be able to
apply their grammatical knowledge in both written and oral tasks.
Grammar should be learned and developed explicitly and implicitly, but the driving force for
grammar practice is a text – either the text the students are reading or one they are
attempting to produce. Unfortunately, there are few grammar materials, and it is often left to
the teacher to decide when and how to teach a particular grammar point and also to design
the materials which should not focus mainly on grammar rules. Teachers need to be aware of
the need to refer to grammar books whenever problems arise and to give further practice as
needed. Beginner and elementary level students focus on the language structures they have
learned in schools and use them to accomplish specific writing tasks. Pre-intermediate and
intermediate students aim at acquiring ‘new’ and more advanced grammar structures together
with two key rhetorical functions. The main areas of difficulty tend to be the use of tenses,
(correct choice of form and appropriate usage), subject/verb agreement, word forms (parts of
speech), word order, (both single words and phrases in the wrong place), and articles.
Difficulties increase when students attempt to write complex sentences with subordination.
3
The Language Centre is in constant search for new approaches and materials that will better
meet the students’ needs and be better aligned with the curricular guidelines. Hence, in the
fall of 2010, the CU initiated a large-scale project Studying the Approaches to Grammar in the
FPEL which aimed at investigating the approaches teachers use in their classrooms,
identifying which approaches would be more useful within the context of the FPEL, and
exploring the students’ needs and expectations in terms of grammar teaching. The findings
helped identify gaps between students’ and teachers’ perceptions with regard to the grammar
component in the FPEL, and led to the revision and development of the current grammar
materials in most FPEL courses, with a new focus on contextualised and more accurate
language production.
2.2.3 Study and research skills
Many students come to the university with limited study skills, and with over-dependence on
the teacher for their learning. Therefore, they need to be equipped with the skills and
strategies that will enable them to develop more autonomy and thus become better learners.
Such training needs to start at a very basic level. Students start by learning to organise their
work on A4 paper. They then organize learning materials in a ring-binder and engage in the
process of learning by editing drafts and learning from corrections. They also need to record
and learn vocabulary in a systematic way. Students also develop a range of reading skills and
other important skills, such as using a dictionary effectively. At the higher levels, more
advanced study and research skills are practiced and developed, including skills such as using
resources in the library, taking notes from written or aural texts, summarizing, making
presentations and report writing. These academic skills are vital to their success in their
current and future studies.
Students need a lot of guidance on how to explore new ways of learning and build up their
confidence. They also need to learn how to assume responsibility for their own learning and
how to work with others in pairs and groups. One way to do this is by engaging them in
study projects. FPEL students carry out a variety of project types, ranging from creating a
basic portfolio of their course work, making reports based on interviews and surveys, and
doing individual research projects on a topic of their choice, to oral presentations and
library/internet-based work. One of the main aims of the Language Centre is to gradually
modify the students’ mental framework so that they view learning as an ongoing process over
which they have a great deal of control. In other words, we encourage the students to develop
an attitude of learner autonomy. Despite the great obstacles to achieving these aims, students
usually respond well when given a chance to work on their own.
The study skills component/course is a very important one at every level. The teacher’s
attitude plays a large part in the rate of students’ development, and therefore it is the
responsibility of teachers, in conjunction with their course coordinators, to ensure that the
students’ study skills develop and continue to improve throughout their time with us.
4
2.2.4 Portfolios
A portfolio is characterised as follows:

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



It is a learner-centred tool for learning and assessment. It enables students to have
some control over their learning.
It helps learners set their own goals and take more responsibility for their learning,
which increases motivation.
It contains work that exhibits selections of a student’s efforts, progress and
achievements over a period of time. The assessment of this work is, therefore, both
formative and summative.
It is linked to a range of clearly defined learning outcomes.
A portfolio contains a student’s reflections and evaluations of their work and their
learning.
There are well-defined criteria for assessment of the portfolio elements.
The implementation and utilization of portfolios in the Foundation Programme at Sultan
Qaboos University is twofold. First, portfolios will help students improve their study skills,
develop learner autonomy and gain a stronger sense of ownership of their work. Second, the
implementation of portfolios has been done to comply with the Academic Standards for a
General Foundation Programme set by Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA).
In the spring of 2010 the Language Centre assigned a team of four teachers who had direct
experience of using portfolios within a foundation programme context to draft a proposal for
the introduction of portfolios to comply with the OAAA standards for General Foundation
Programmes. The team reviewed the current literature on student portfolios and looked into
possibilities of the design, implementation and assessment of portfolios as part of the new
General Foundation Programme at SQU. The proposal was approved in the summer of 2010
and the piloting of portfolios started in the fall of 2010. It was carried on for one and a half
semesters. Based on the feedback received from the piloting teachers and students, the CU
portfolio team produced a manual describing portfolios and providing guidelines on their
implementation, which started in the fall of 2011.
The FPEL portfolio consists of four major elements which serve specific aims:
1. The academic planner aims at developing students’ time management skills in order to
meet deadlines and manage their time and studies more effectively.
2. The “can-do” checklist makes students aware of their current strengths and weaknesses
regarding course-specific learning outcomes. The checklist helps students to set goals
and work toward attaining them.
3. The learning reflections help students to improve their critical thinking skills and
become more autonomous learners by examining and reflecting on what they have
learned, and by assessing the progress they have made toward their goals.
5
4. The fourth element, the vocabulary log, helps students to broaden their vocabulary by
using effective word acquisition strategies and recording new words in systematic ways.
The elements increase in complexity and students exercise more autonomy as they advance in
the Foundation Programme. After the four components of the portfolio are introduced to
students, portfolio advisors monitor their students’ portfolio activities and give them ongoing
feedback. In addition, they assess the students’ portfolios through teacher-student
conferences. Two such conferences are held per semester.
The General Portfolio Manual including detailed information, teaching suggestions and
selected samples is available on the Virtual Language Centre website.
2.2.5 Dictionary Skills
There are numerous reasons for including a dictionary skills component in the curriculum. In
general, students who arrive at the Language Centre lack basic study skills, which causes a
number of problems. These include the misuse of dictionaries and over-dependency on edictionaries, which are often problematic or inadequate. Also, experience shows that many of
our students spell poorly, which often obscures or distorts meaning in their written work.
Using a paper dictionary in class will highlight its value in education. Combined with other
learning strategies, using a paper dictionary effectively will enable Language Centre students
to become more independent and proficient language learners in an academic environment.
The dictionary skills component is not intended to replace other components of the
curriculum but will facilitate what is currently practised. Dictionaries should be used in a
practical way to complement reading and writing tasks. Class sets of Oxford Wordpower and
Macmillan English dictionaries are available for students in most classrooms. Although
dictionary skills are not formally covered in the FPEL curriculum, teachers are encouraged to
make use of the dictionaries along with the worksheets provided by their CC. The intended
learning outcomes for using dictionaries are:





Familiarization with various uses of a paper dictionary
Working with the alphabet
Checking spelling
Understanding & using dictionary entries
Finding and exploring meanings
2.2.6 Reading and Vocabulary
The Language Centre realises the crucial role that reading and vocabulary play in the learning
of English. Reading a text should always have a purpose that students are aware of. The
teacher should try and relate the context of the text to the students’ own world/conceptual
framework to stimulate interest. Teachers should encourage students to see ‘reading texts’ in
the world around them - in newspapers, adverts, pamphlets, etc. - to develop a sense of
curiosity and interest in reading.
6
In 2005 the Curriculum Unit launched an unprecedented project to establish a
comprehensive vocabulary list for the Language Centre courses. It started by building a
corpus of words that could be used to produce vocabulary sub-lists for the FPEL proficiency
levels. The project team then produced a sub-list of the most frequent and useful English
language words for each FPEL proficiency levels. The purpose of this project was twofold.
First, it aimed to improve the students’ acquisition of vocabulary by identifying high
frequency words with the highest relevance to their needs. Second, it attempted to guide
testing and materials writing projects by providing them with information about the most
important vocabulary for students. Appendix 5.8 includes the vocabulary sub-lists for all of
the six proficiency levels. Teachers, testers and materials writers are advised to refer to and
make use of these lists.
In the spring of 2012, the CU undertook a large-scale needs analysis project which aimed at
identifying FPEL students’ needs, challenges and expectations with regards to reading and
word acquisition skills. It also examined LC teachers’ and SQU college faculty members’
perceptions of useful teaching strategies, students’ motivation to read and their most common
challenges. The project provided a large amount of data which will be used to develop a
framework for new reading & vocabulary in-house materials for FPEL courses 0120, 0230 and
0340. The project findings will also provide valuable input in future curricular revisions of
the reading component in Levels 1-4.
Extensive Reading
Extensive reading is defined in the context of the FPEL as “activities that involve learners in
reading texts for enjoyment and for developing general reading skills”2. It is different from
intensive reading that aims to teach specific strategies and reading skills from material that is
usually selected by the curriculum or the teacher. Learners that engage in extensive reading
improve their reading rates and become more fluent readers, which results in improved
motivation and a more positive attitude toward reading. In general, texts chosen for
extensive reading should be easy as the aim is to build confidence and enjoyment.
The extensive reading component of the FPEL curriculum addresses the following aims:



To build students’ intrinsic motivation to read and thus enhance their future
academic success;
To help students develop greater fluency in reading;
To promote learner autonomy.
Students are expected to select their own readers from the LC Library, regardless of their
level (minimum 4 per semester). In addition, they are required to pass a minimum of 4
Moodle Reader quizzes from the www.moodlereader.com online database, or other teacher
approved reading activities (pass or fail options only).
2
Tuzlukova, V., Al Abri, F., Al Mahrooqi, R., Al Busaidi, S., Al Seyabi, F., (2011). Language Learning Pedagogy Terminology:
English-Arabic Glossary. Oman: Sultan Qaboos University Printing Press.
7
The table below is a guide to the levels of readers that students can cope with at each
proficiency level. The numbers in parentheses indicate the number of headwords.
Moodle
Reader
Level
Cambridge
1
Oxford
Bookworms
& Factfiles
Heinemann
Starter (250)
Beginning
(600)
Starter
2
3
Oxford
Dominoes
Starter
(250)
Level 1
(400)
Level 2
(800)
Level 3
(1300)
Level 4
(1900)
Level 5
(2800)
9
Moodle
Reader
Level
Starter
TOEIC
200
TOEFLPaper
based
300
TOEFLComputer
based
0-30
0-8
Level 1
250
350
63
Level 2
280
365
73
Level 3
320
380
Level 4
380
Level 5
Level 6
5
6
7
8
Macmillan
Foundations
Starter (300)
Beginner (600)
Starter (250)
Level 1
(400)
Level 2
(700)
Level 3
(1000)
Level 4
(1400)
Level 5
(1800)
Level 6
(2500)
4
Cengage
Level 1 (400)
Level 2 (700)
Penguin
Easy Start
(200)
Level 1
(300)
Level 2
(600)
Penguin Active
Readers
Level 1
(300)
FP 800
Elementary
(1100)
FP 1000
Elementary
(1100)
Level 3
(1200)
Intermediate
(1600)
Level 4
(1700)
Level 5
(2300)
Level 6
( 3000)
Level 3
(200)
Level 3 (1000)
Intermediate
(1600)
TOEFLInternet
based
Moodle
Reader
FPEL
Proficiency
Levels
0-4
1
1&2
19-20
0-4
2
1&2
23
0-4
3
3
83
26-27
0-4
4
3&4
400
97
32
4.5
5
3&4&5
450
430
117
39
5
6
4&5&6
500
450
133
45-46
5-5.5
7&8
5&6
IELTS
Bands
Placement Tests Available
Penguin
Type of Test
paper & pen
Suitable for Moodle Reader Levels
4 to 9
Cambridge
online
3 to 8
Macmillan
online
1 to 9
Oxford Bookworms
online
1 to 9
2.2.7 Listening and Speaking
In general, a communicative approach is recommended for teaching listening and speaking
skills for all FPEL levels. Teaching styles should accentuate ‘learning by doing’ rather than
only ‘learning by listening’, and ensure maximum student participation in listening and
speaking class activities.
8
Listening
The primary model for listening is the teacher, but recordings from CDs and videos are used
to provide input for students. They give students some authentic practice in listening to
lectures and note taking. The students also learn vocabulary they will need to comprehend
academic lectures and many useful academic skills. The topics are, for the most part,
interesting and appropriate, and they can generate a lot of interaction and discussion among
students. Every opportunity is taken to provide both adapted and authentic listening
materials. Listening tasks need not be only those elements of a course book titled ‘Listening’;
teachers can carry out many kinds of spontaneous, unprepared mini-listening activities.
Students are encouraged to use library, CALL and Moodle materials for extra practice in
listening outside the classroom.
Speaking
For speaking, the emphasis is mostly on building confidence and oral production, especially
among students who may not have articulated a lot of ideas in their school classrooms.
Students are given plenty of opportunities for group/pair speaking tasks to develop confidence
and fluency, with accuracy considered as a follow-up activity. Although oral fluency is the
primary goal, accuracy in speaking should be recognised and rewarded. In addition, teachers
are encouraged to seize every opportunity to engage students in speaking, through either the
textbook materials or additional speaking activities, in order to optimize the chances of
improving the students’ speaking and listening skills and to achieve the required learning
outcomes. Attention should be paid to pronunciation at all stages, and on a regular basis
(perhaps incidentally as a result of class activities), with suitable models and appropriate
practice. Presentations, from informal, spontaneous 1-minute talks to longer, prepared
academic talks, are encouraged, but memorization and ‘recitation’ should be discouraged.
2.2.8 Phonology/Pronunciation
Pronunciation should be addressed in the Listening/Speaking, Reading and Writing courses
on a regular basis through brief and focused pronunciation drills and exercises. Gradual
acquisition of the items in the pronunciation syllabus is expected, not mastery. Students
should be encouraged to identify their individual pronunciation problems and focus on these.
Items introduced in previous levels should be reinforced in subsequent levels. Students are
not expected to learn the phonetic symbols, but they may use them as tools for recognising
and practising difficult and problematic sounds. They should be encouraged to use library,
CALL and Moodle materials for extra practice in listening and pronunciation outside the
classroom. (See also Appendix 5.9, Pronunciation Syllabus, page 113.)
9
2.3 Testing and Assessment
The Language Centre uses a combination of continuous assessment and formal tests to assess
students’ progress in an FPEL course. The Assessment Unit (AU) is responsible for all matters
relating to tests, from test design and item writing to item analysis and test administration.
The objective tests, which assess the students’ achievement of learning outcomes in reading
and listening, are uniform for all courses at the same level. The writing tests are prepared by
the individual courses/programmes. Continuous assessment is course specific and coordinated
by the CCs.
The system of testing to be followed for the academic year 2012-2013 is detailed in the testing
matrix below. Questions about the testing matrix should be addressed to the CC or the AU.
2.3.1
Testing matrix
Final Assessment
Course
Code
Reading
Listening
Marks
FPEL 0120
Number
of tests
3
Marks
20
Number
of tests
2
FPEL 0230
3
15
FPEL 0340
3
FPEL 0450
Writing
Total
Marks
10
Number
of tests
1
10
40
2
10
1
10
35
20
2
10
1
10
40
3
20
3
10
1
10
40
FPEL 0560
3
15
3
10
1
10
35
FPEL 0560 S
3
15
3
10
0
0
25
FPEL 0400
3
30
2
20
1
10
60
FPEL 0500
3
25
3
15
2
20
60
FPEL 0600
3
25
3
15
1
15
55
FPEL 0603
3
15
3
10
1
10
35
FPEL 0603S
3
15
3
10
0
0
25
FPEL 0604
3
15
3
10
1
10
35
FPEL 0604S
3
20
3
15
0
0
35
10
Mid-Semester Assessment
Course
Code
Reading
Listening
Marks
FPEL 0120
Number
of tests
2
FPEL 0230
FPEL 0340
Writing
Marks
10
Number
of tests
1
2
8
2
8
Total
Marks
5
Number
of tests
1
10
25
1
7
1
10
25
2
7
1
10
25
Mid-Semester Assessment
FPEL 0450
2
10
2
5
1
10
25
FPEL 0560
2
5
2
5
1
10
20
FPEL 0560 S
2
10
2
10
1
10
30
FPEL 0400
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
FPEL 0500
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
FPEL 0600
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
FPEL 0603 S
2
5
1
5
1
10
20
FPEL 0603S
2
10
1
10
1
10
30
FPEL 0604
2
10
1
10
0
0
20
FPEL 0604S
2
10
1
10
0
0
30
Total
Continuous Assessment
Reading
Writing
Speaking
Portfolio
FPEL 0120
15
5
5
10
Study
Project
0
FPEL 0230
15
5
5
10
5
40
FPEL 0340
10
0
5
10
10
35
FPEL 0450
10
0
5
10
10
35
FPEL 0560/0560S
10
0
5
5
25
45
FPEL 0400
15
0
5
10
10
40
FPEL 0500/0500 S
15
0
5
10
10
40
FPEL 0603 / 0604 /
0600 (all courses)
10
0
5
5
25
45
Course Code
Grand Total
100
11
35
2.4 Test Policies
2.4.1
Misplaced Students Policy in the FPEL
In the event of students being misplaced at a higher level after the Placement Test:
a. either students report they have been misplaced, or
b. teachers identify such cases
The following procedure is to be followed to move misplaced students:






The concerned teacher observes the student’s performance and administers a writing
test in order to obtain evidence/data regarding the student’s competency and
proficiency.
The teacher then submits a written report to the CC.
The CC interviews the student.
The CC writes a report and requests the Deputy Director responsible for assessment to
move the student.
The CC liaises with the DD who in turn looks at the PT score in order to validate the
need to move the student.
The DD takes the final decision.
Please note:


All this should be done latest by Monday of the second week of teaching.
Students can be moved down one level only.
2.4.2
Late Arrival for Test
A student is allowed to enter the test room during the first half an hour (30 minutes) from the
start of the test. However, no extra time will be given for its completion. Students arriving
later than 30 minutes will not be allowed to sit the test. Invigilators must make a note of the
above cases and report to their Course Coordinators, who in turn must inform the Deputy
Director responsible for assessment.
2.4.3
Student Absence from Tests and Supplementary Testing
Students are required to attend scheduled final tests. Absence is excused and eligibility for
supplementary tests is ensured only under the following circumstances:

Hospitalization or other evidence of extreme ill health (presentation of a sick note
from a clinic is not accepted as a reason for absence from a test.)
12

Bereavement relating to immediate relatives i.e. parents, brothers, sisters, spouse or
child before the final test. This is subject to verification by official documents and
provided such bereavement took place not more than 4 days before the test.
Excuses such as lack of transportation, oversleeping or not knowing the test venue are NOT
acceptable and the student will be awarded a zero for that particular test. Missing a test with
no valid reason will mean repeating the course if the student’s other marks do not qualify
him/her to pass the course. Supplementary/make-up tests are normally held on the Sunday of
the first week of the following semester.
2.4.4
Transferring Answers to Answer Sheets
Students must ensure that they have transferred their answers to the answer sheet during the
last 5 minutes (given specifically for this purpose) of the test. No extra time will be given after
the end of the test to transfer the answers. Answers that are not transferred to the answer
sheet will be transferred (if found, and if legible) from the question paper and marked, but
half of the marks obtained from the transferred answers will be deducted.
2.5 Challenge Test for the FPEL
The LC makes provision for students to take a Challenge Test and skip one proficiency level
in the FPEL in order to motivate students to perform better and provide an opportunity for
exceptional students who may have been misplaced at a lower level to move up. The
challenge test is comprised of listening, reading and writing tests and is offered to those
students who get an overall grade of A or A- in the final exam. The test is usually
administered on the first Sunday of the following semester. An FPEL student who scores at
least ‘C’ on the Challenge Test qualifies for a course at a higher level of English proficiency.
Please note that students need to complete FPEL 0560 or FPEL 0600/603/604 before
proceeding to the CELP.
2.6 Revealing Continuous Assessment Marks
Continuous Assessment (CA), or Formative Assessment, is carried out in the following
components: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Study Project (SP) and Portfolio. (See pages 10-11.)
Policy: all continuous assessment marks must be revealed to students orally, in writing, or on
Moodle. It is recommended that marks be revealed not later than three days after completion
of the assessment.
13
2.7 Appeal of Continuous Assessment Marks
Policy: Instructors often have an exclusive role in the evaluation of academic work in
accordance with the programme marking criteria. Should a student believe grounds exist for
appealing a formative grade, he/she must meet first with the instructor before pursuing the
matter further with the Course Coordinator. The following instances illustrate possible
grounds for appealing a formative grade.
 An evident error in grade calculation.
 The assignment of a grade to a student that reflects a possible application of more
exacting requirements than were applied to other students in the course.
 The assignment of a grade to a particular student on some basis other than
performance in the course.
 The assignment of a grade by a substantial departure from previously announced
standards.
2.8 Appeal of Final Grade
Policy: Students have the right to appeal grades that they obtain within 3 working days from
the official announcement of the end-of-semester results. The appeal process shall proceed
strictly as follows:
1. Students must discuss the grade appeal case with the Course Coordinator. The CC may
share information about areas of weakness and give suggestions for improvement.
2. The next level of appeal is with the Quality Assurance Committee (QAC).
3. In the event that a student decides to appeal his/her grade to the QAC, he/she must fill in
a Final Grade Appeal Form available with the CC. The CC must forward the written
appeal to the QAC with comments.
4. The QAC must form an ad hoc committee of three members (DD responsible for
assessment, concerned CC and one AU member) to review the test papers.
5. The outcome must be recorded on the form and communicated to the student.
6. If there is a change of grade, the QAC must take necessary action to revise the grade with
the Records Officer and inform the CC.
7. Students must accept the findings of the committee as final.
8. All Grade Appeal Forms/records must be kept with the QAC for one year.
14
2.9 Proficiency Level Descriptors
L6
L5
L4
L3
L2
Can understand texts of at least 900 words with an FK 10-12 level of difficulty. Can
respond to questions requiring analytical skills including prediction, deduction and
inference. Can understand different text structures and the content of texts, including
arguments, subtle ideas and/or plot. Can produce a text of 500 words showing evidence
of research, note-taking, revision, paraphrasing, summarizing, quotations and use of
references. Can actively participate in conversations relevant to their studies, and is
able to defend opinions and persuade others of one’s point of view. Can follow the
signposts of a lecture and take detailed notes using symbols and abbreviations. Can
distinguish fact from opinion and draw conclusions using implicit information.
Can understand texts of FK 8-9 level of difficulty by predicting the gist of a text using
textual and visual clues, making use of knowledge of word formation, recognising ideas,
making inferences, and identifying specific information. Can produce organized,
coherent texts of at least 250 words on a variety of guided topics showing evidence of
paraphrasing, note-taking and control of layout. Can express ideas, opinions in a
conversation on a topic relating to their studies, using appropriate interaction strategies
and topic specific vocabulary. Can produce organized notes from lectures using
abbreviations and symbols effectively. Can understand the main points of clear standard
input on matters related to their studies.
Can respond to texts of FK 6-7 level of difficulty, by predicting content, finding general
and specific information, and guessing the meaning of words from context. Can
produce a revised, connected text of at least 150 words on familiar or guided topics,
stating reasons or providing examples where appropriate. Can maintain a general
conversation, use appropriate communicative strategies and language functions in both
formal and informal contexts. Can produce notes from listening texts using some
symbols and abbreviations.
Can understand longer texts of FK 4-5 level of difficulty and distinguish between main
and supporting details. Can predict the content/purpose of a text by using textual and
graphical information. Can use an outline to produce an ordered and unified text of at
least 120 words. Can edit a text, paying attention to basic grammatical structures and
core vocabulary. Can initiate and maintain an informal conversation on familiar or
personal topics. Can take guided notes from a monologue or dialogue and respond to
basic questions about the opinions, topic or main idea presented.
Can understand main ideas and specific information in longer, simple texts of FK 3-4
level of difficulty on familiar topics and interpret meaning by using background
knowledge. Can deduce the meaning of unknown words. Can brainstorm ideas, and
create simple notes from a text. Can produce a revised text of at least 100 words using
basic punctuation, spelling rules and grammatical structures. Can follow and participate
in basic classroom dialogues on familiar topics, describing simple personal tasks/details
such as daily routine. Can follow spoken instructions to carry out a simple task with a
number of stages.
15
L1
Can understand simple instructions and short texts and deduce meanings of words from
context. Can produce a short paragraph of at least 60 words on a familiar topic using
clear hand-writing and basic punctuation and spelling rules. Can use appropriate basic
social and classroom language, e.g. greetings and introductions, and participate in
simple dialogues.
2.10
Language Centre Resources
In the process of becoming autonomous learners of English, Language Centre students are
strongly encouraged to make effective use of their time outside the classroom and seek
further opportunities to improve their language skills. The LC offers numerous opportunities
for effective self-study. The Student Support Unit (SSU) manages a library, a Writing Centre,
a Tutorial Centre, and computer labs open for daily access and equipped with computerassisted language learning (CALL) programmes. Students have a variety of supplementary
language activities such as graded readers, listening materials and SRA reading kits at their
disposal in the LC library, along with a range of extra-curricular activities such as reading
contests or discussion club meetings. In addition, programme-specific online materials and
Moodle exercises are available to improve a variety of language skills. Students use them
along with CALL programmes in their free time. Since effective use of all available LC
resources is one of the main Study Skills objectives in the FPEL, it is highly recommended
that CCs and teachers incorporate e-learning and self-study components into their courses.
This could be done in a number of ways: on-line projects, scheduled computer lab sessions
with the use of CALL programmes, additional reading assignments, and so forth. Students
can also receive additional support in the practice of different language skills at the Writing
Centre and the Tutorial Centre.
The Supplementary Materials Repository (available online at: http://Omeka.squ.edu.om)
The vital need to develop, share and coordinate supplementary materials among LC teachers
led to the creation of the Supplementary Materials Repository in Spring 2012. The repository
is an online bank of teacher-produced materials that can be easily accessed and used. It can
help teachers find materials that can effectively supplement the curriculum and match a
variety of proficiency levels, skills and learning outcomes. The chosen platform is Omeka,
which is a free open source system. There are links to the repository from the LC website as
well as the Virtual Language Centre. LC teachers are able to access and download or upload
materials both on and off campus. They can also comment on the materials as well as edit
them and upload alternative versions.
CALL Programmes
Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is a powerful self-access facility which helps to
encourage autonomous learners. Increased motivation, student achievement, authentic materials
for study, greater interaction and individualization of a learning process are only some of the
advantages of using CALL programmes in addition to classroom practice. Computers should not
be seen as a replacement for teachers’ work but as a supplement to it, which will contribute to
16
students’ progress and autonomy in learning. The CALL programmes currently available
include:








Ultimate Speed Reader
Clarity Tense Buster (5 levels)
Clarity Active Reading (6 levels)
Clear Pronunciation 1 and 2
Clarity Study Skills
Clarity Recorder
Course-specific activities/practice (all skills)
Sample midterm and end-of-semester tests
3. Learning Outcomes and Syllabi
3.1 Introduction
The FPEL learning outcomes are clear and concise statements that specify what learners are
expected to know, understand and/or be able to demonstrate by the time they exit the FPEL.
They are concerned with the achievements of the learner rather than the intentions of the
teacher, and, therefore, should be distinguished from objectives, which tend to describe
specific, discrete units of knowledge and skills and are often synonymous with tasks to be
completed. Learning outcomes can be observed and measured. They convey to learners
exactly what is to be accomplished in terms of providing evidence for knowledge,
comprehension, application, analysis, evaluation and creativity. They should serve as
guidelines for content, instruction and evaluation and be general enough to encompass a
variety of important skills, but specific enough to allow for fair assessment. Learning
outcomes are developmental in nature and are defined according to the following broad
categories:





Knowledge (e.g. subject content)
Skills (e.g. critical thinking, problem solving)
Attitudes (e.g. students' openness to new ideas, acceptance of diversity, or
commitment to life-long learning)
Social action (e.g. group-work type activities requiring discussion)
Individual behaviour (e.g. everyday situations, actions, etc.)
This part of the document is a complete list of all the learning outcomes expected of students
at each proficiency level, including the grammar and pronunciation syllabi which have been
put in one section for the purpose of easy reference and convenience.
Course-specific learning outcomes (LOs) will appear in the course outlines for students and
pacing schedules. However, students are also expected to acquire and demonstrate certain key
skills from the previous courses. Therefore, it is crucial that teachers are familiar with the
17
outcomes not only for the course they currently teach, but also for the adjacent courses. Some
outcomes listed under one language skill (e.g. speaking) may also be addressed in other skills
(e.g. reading). Tasks increase in difficulty, from simple to more complex, through the levels.
Students should be encouraged to use CALL programmes and materials on Moodle for extra
practice outside the classroom. Teachers may use materials from current course books,
supplementary materials available in the Language Centre, and their own resources as long as
they are relevant to the curricular requirements.
All courses are assessed by a combination of measures including mid- and end-of-semester
tests in writing, listening and reading, as well as formative/continuous assessment. The matrix
in the General Information section gives details about the mid and end-of-semester tests as
well as the classroom-based continuous assessment activities. The objective tests address the
learning outcomes rather than the materials themselves.
3.2 Learning Outcomes and Syllabi
3.2.1
#
Reading
Learning Outcomes
1
Read and respond to a 1-2 page text in a given period of time
2
Develop reading fluency and speed by regularly reading
extensively outside the classroom (e.g. graded readers)
Demonstrate acquisition of both general and level specific
vocabulary through a range of strategies
Predict the content of a text using the title and given visual
prompts
Show understanding of instructions
Skim a text for the main idea
Scan a text and demonstrate comprehension of specific
information
Interpret texts using background knowledge
Make inferences based on information in a text
Deduce the meaning of words from context
Identify parts of speech and their functions in a text
Identify target grammatical structures specified in the syllabus
Identify the character, plot and setting in fiction
Predict the purpose of a text using topic sentences and
introductory paragraphs
Distinguish between main ideas and supporting details
Identify pronouns and their reference
Interpret graphically presented data (maps, charts, graphs,
tables)
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Level
1 2 3 4 5 6
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
   

   
  
  
  
 














   
   
   
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
Identify the relationship between textual and graphical
information
Transfer relevant information from a text to a table
Identify the writer’s point of view
Analyse relationships within and between sentences to
understand different text structures
Identify ideas expressed in compound and complex sentences
Identify the meaning of unknown words using knowledge of
word formation
Distinguish between facts and opinions
Summarize short texts
Create notes from a text
Identify arguments for and against a certain issue in a text
Identify attitude and point of view in fiction
Read texts broadly relevant to the student’s area of study
(minimum 3 pages; minimum 900 words per text) and respond
to questions that require analytical skills, e.g. prediction,
deduction, inference
3.2.2
#
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
   
   
  
  
  
  
 











Listening
Learning Outcomes
Level
1 2 3 4
   
   
specific    
5



6



Predict content using visual and textual information
Identify main ideas in a dialogue or monologue
Extract
and demonstrate comprehension of
information in a dialogue or monologue
Demonstrate the ability to take dictation of language which is      
level-specific
    
Respond to questions about a conversation between two to
more speakers in relation to context, relationship between
speakers, register (e.g. formal or informal)
    
Identify speakers and topics in a conversation
    
Follow spoken instructions in order to carry out a task
with a number of stages
   
Recognize signpost phrases to follow the speaker’s sequence of
ideas
   
Use background knowledge to predict content
   
Identify the speaker’s purpose from the introduction to a
lecture
   
Transfer specific information from a listening text into a
table/diagram
19
12
13
14
15
16
17
Take notes and respond to questions about the topic, main
ideas, details and opinions or arguments from an extended
listening text (e.g. lecture, news broadcast)
Produce organized notes using symbols and abbreviations
Use contextual clues to make inferences using explicit and
implicit information
Identify the opinion / attitude of the speaker(s)
Distinguish facts from opinions
Distinguish main ideas from supporting details
3.2.3
#
   
  
  
  
  
  
Speaking
Learning Outcomes
1
Level
1 2 3 4 5 6
     
Use appropriate language functions in formal/informal
contexts3
     
2
Follow and participate in dialogues
    
3
Initiate, maintain and close a conversation of a general nature
    
4
Speak comprehensibly using an adequate range of grammatical
structures and vocabulary
   
5
Paraphrase information from a spoken text
 
6
Summarise short listening passages
 
7
Actively participate in a discussion on a topic relevant to one’s
studies by asking questions, agreeing/disagreeing, asking for
clarification, sharing information, expressing and asking for
opinions
 
8
Persuade someone to take a certain course of action
4
 
9 9Prepare and deliver a talk of at least five-minutes .Use library
resources in preparing the talk.
 
10 Interpret and explain information presented in a variety of
forms (e.g. tables, pictures, notes, maps, graphs)
3
4
Examples of functions: asking questions, explaining, describing, comparing, interrupting, etc.
The criteria are outlined in 6.2.4 in the OAAA document (Appendix 5.5).
20
3.2.4
Pronunciation
#
Learning Outcomes
1
Recognise and practice consonant/vowel sounds and sound
patterns specified in the pronunciation syllabus
Recognise stressed and unstressed syllables in multi-syllable
words
Identify intonation stress and in questions and statements
Practise stress in multi-syllabic words
Distinguish between short and long vowels specified in the
syllabus
Practise consonant clusters at the beginning and end of words
Recognise and practise 2-sound clusters (versus diagraphs)
Recognise and practise 3-sound clusters (versus diagraphs)
Identify stressed words in an utterance
Recognise and practised final sound clusters and clusters across
words
Use word stress to convey meaning in an utterance
Produce appropriate intonation patterns contributing to
effective communication
Identify silent letters in words and utterances
Recognise and practise homographs and homophones
Recognise different pronunciations of the same word
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Level
1 2 3 4 5 6
     
     
     
     
     
  
  
 
 

(See also the detailed Pronunciation Syllabus in Appendix 5.9, page 113)
21

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
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

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


   
  
  
  
  
3.2.5 Writing
#
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Learning Outcomes
Level
1 2 3 4 5 6
Use clear handwriting, well-formed alphabet, on the line,      
following margins
     
Use general and level-specific vocabulary correctly
     
Use level-specific grammatical structures correctly
     
Use spelling rules correctly
     
Use punctuation correctly
     
Brainstorm/generate ideas based on stimulus material
Order and link ideas using appropriate linking and transition      
words
     
Produce a first and second draft
     
Use editing skills to improve text
   
Select and order appropriate ideas
   
Establish unity within a paragraph
   
Develop a topic sentence for a text
   
Produce a revised, coherent text incorporating own, peer and
teacher corrections and suggestions
  
Paraphrase information in writing from a written text or
graphical data
  
Produce paragraphs with topic sentences and supporting points
  
State reasons and provide examples to support each idea
  
Use language appropriate for particular rhetorical functions
  
Create an outline with notes for a text
 
Select and utilize relevant information from stimulus material
Produce a short paragraph on a familiar writing subject, 60 
words, with guidance from the teacher where appropriate

Produce a text of a minimum of 100 words

Produce a text of a minimum 120 words

Produce a text of a minimum 150 words
 
Write texts of a minimum of 250 words, showing control of
layout, organization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure,
grammar and vocabulary

Produce a written report of a minimum of 500 words showing
evidence of research, note-taking, review and revision of work,
paraphrasing, summarizing, use of quotation and use of
references
22
3.2.6 Study Skills
#
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
General Study Skills Learning Outcomes (L1-6)
Follow university policies on attendance and punctuality.
Bring all required materials (e.g. folder, notepad, dictionary, etc.).
Work to deadlines (e.g. homework, etc.)
Show respect for teachers and others and their right to have differences of opinion
Demonstrate ability to work in pairs and groups and participate accordingly
Use a variety of study techniques
Revise one’s work on an ongoing basis
Use all available LC resources (library, computer labs, internet, etc.) for language
learning
Use a dictionary as a learning resource (e.g. Oxford Wordpower)
9
#
Specific Study Skills Learning Outcomes
Level
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
5
2
3
4
5
6
     
Develop brainstorming skills
Organize and maintain a system of recording vocabulary, e.g.      
keep a vocabulary log
    
Organize and maintain a portfolio
    
Organize a feasible study schedule and a term planner that
accommodate other responsibilities
    
Reflect on learning experiences, challenges and insights
  
Identify preferred study strategies based on learning styles
  
Use an English-English dictionary for language learning
  
Take notes using a systematic note-taking strategy 5
  
Find specific information using internet search engines and
electronic resources
  
Select or reject a source based on difficulty level, relevancy and
currency
  
Cite a source in accordance with academic conventions
  
Summarize and paraphrase information in one’s own words
 
Assess the reliability, objectivity and authenticity of a source
 
Use the on-line catalogue to locate a book/journal or find topicrelated information
 
Use a contents page and index to locate information in a book
 
Use skimming and scanning skills to locate information in a
certain chapter/section
The specific criteria are outlined in 6.2.3 in the OAAA document (Appendix 5.5)
23
17
18
19
20

Prepare and give a presentation
Prepare and give a presentation with an outline and visual aids
Invite constructive feedback and self-evaluate the presentation
Produce a written report of a minimum of 500 words showing
evidence of research, note-taking, review and revision of work,
paraphrasing, summarizing, use of quotations and use of
references (this can be covered in the writing component)
  
 

3.2.7 Language and Grammar Syllabus
A grammatical syllabus is an aid for a teacher or a curriculum designer, but it does not
reflect a learner’s own internal syllabus. The acquisition of more complex items requires
more time, and therefore, students are asked to recognise and understand a structure in a
context before attempting to use it correctly. The level of accuracy expected in production
depends on a student’s level of proficiency. Teachers are not restricted to the items
indicated in the Grammar & Language Syllabus. Other grammar items (e.g. perfect tense)
may be introduced to fulfill certain tasks.
The following symbols indicate if students are expected to produce an item (√), or recognise it (√).
Item
Level
1
2
3
4
SCI
Sentence Structure
basic sentence
structure: subjectverb agreement/
SVO/SVC
2
there is/there are
1
3
compound sentences
4
complex sentences
5
Verbs
present simple tense
6
past simple tense
7
present continuous
tense
past continuous tense
8
5
CEPS MED
EEAL
SCI
6
CEPS MED
EEAL
√
√ √ √
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√ √ √
√ √
√ √
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√ √ √ √
√
√ √ √
√
√ √
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
24
9
past perfect
10
passive voice
11
question forms
12
future forms
13
modal verbs
14
gerunds
15
infinitives
16
17
direct speech
indirect speech
18
Clauses
relative clauses
19
contrast clauses
21
reduced adjectival
/adverbial clauses
first conditional
23
second conditional
24
third conditional
Adverbs
adverb usage,
function, position
adverbs of frequency
25
26
√
√
√
√ √
√
√
√ √
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√ √
√
√ √
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
reason/result clauses
20
22
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
Item
Level
1
2 3
4
5
6
SCI
CEPS
MED
EEAL
SCI
CEPS
MED
EEAL
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√ √ √
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
Nouns
27
28
29
30
31
plurals
√
countable and
uncountable nouns
Pronouns
personal pronouns
√
possessive pronouns
(e.g. mine, yours,
hers, etc.)
relative pronouns
√
√ √ √
√ √
√
√
√ √
25
32
33
34
Adjectives
adjective usage,
function, position
possessive adjectives
(e.g. my, your, her,
etc.)
quantifiers
√
√
√ √ √
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√ √ √
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
35
comparative
√
36
superlative
√
Prepositions
prepositions of place
& time
Articles
38 definite/ indefinite
articles
39 zero articles
37
40
Connectors
basic connectors:
and, but, so, or
41
√
√
√
√
√
√
√ √
√ √
√ √
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√ √
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
42
subordinating
conjunctions
Word Structure
word formation
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
43
Lexical Items
cohesive devices
√
√
45
phrasal verbs
√
√
√
√
collocations
√
√
√
√
44
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
26
√
√
√
√
4. Course descriptions
4.1 FPEL 0120
Title of the Course
Course Code
Total Hours
Hours per skill
Prerequisites
Materials
Project
Foundation Programme English Language
FPEL 0120
18
6 – Writing
6 – Reading + Study Skills
6 – Listening & Speaking
Beginning of year placement test
Writing
- Explore Writing 1 – In-house text
Reading
- Read On 1 - McGraw Hill, 1st Edition
- Active Skills for Reading: Intro, Heinle, 2nd Edition
Listening and Speaking
- Cutting Edge Elementary - Pearson-Longman, 1st edition
- Listen In 1 – Heinle, 2nd Edition
Study Skills
- Learning to Learn - In-house text
Online vocabulary project, writing file and vocabulary record
FPEL 0120 is a semester-long course for beginners which covers basic grammar, vocabulary
and skills work on reading, writing, listening and speaking. Students are also introduced to
the fundamental study skills necessary to succeed at university. As with all the lower levels
in the FPEL, these students need to acquire the language as quickly as possible and need
considerable support. One of our main tasks is to motivate these students and give them
the confidence and independence they need to acquire the language quickly. To this end,
instruction in this course concentrates on encouraging good study habits such as keeping
vocabulary notebooks and organizing their work. It also helps students adjust to university
life and overcome the culture shock many of them experience on arrival. It is very
important that students understand the importance of being punctual, attending classes and
maximizing opportunities for practice of the skills they have learnt.
In terms of content, the course takes a skills-based approach. However, the writing course
has a focus on language use and it is also useful to work on basic structures in the speaking
lessons. A communicative approach is strongly recommended and maximum student
participation through a range of interaction patterns is very important. This approach is
likely to be radically different from the students’ previous language learning experience, so
it will be important to reassure and encourage the students to participate as fully as they
can.
27
0120 Test Specifications
0120 Listening
Learning Outcomes tested:
 Identify main ideas in a dialogue or monologue
 Extract and demonstrate comprehension of specific information in a dialogue or
monologue
 Demonstrate the ability to take dictation or language which is level-specific (this includes
words and numbers)
 Respond to questions about a conversation between two or more speakers in relation to
context, relationship between speakers, register (e.g., formal or informal)
 Identify speakers and topics in a conversation
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: One
1. Number of tests: Two
2. Marks: 5
2. Marks: 10
3. Test type: 1 Dialogue
3. Test type: 1 Monologue + 1 Dialogue
4. Themes: General / Academic
4. Themes: General / Academic
5. Based on: Curriculum LOs
5. Based on: Curriculum LOs
6. Word length: 200 – 250 words
6. Word length: 200 – 250 words
7. Readability level: FK: 2 – 4 approx., FRE: 90
7. Readability level: FK: 3 – 4 approx.,
- 75 approx.
FRE: 80 - 75 approx.
8. Number of items: 7-8
8. Number of items: 6-8 on each of
9. Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
the tests
ordering/ categorizing/choosing from list,
9. Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
gap filling, answering questions, note
ordering/ categorizing/choosing from
completion, table/chart completion, relist, gap filling, answering questions,
arrange jumbled sentences + task types used
note completion, table/chart
in the course materials
completion, re-arrange jumbled
sentences + task types used in the
course materials
0120 Reading
Learning Outcomes tested:
 Read and respond to a 1 page text in a given period of time
 Show understanding of instructions
 Skim a text for the main idea
 Scan a text and demonstrate comprehension of specific information
 Deduce the meaning of words from context
 Identify parts of speech and their function in a text
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: Two
1. Number of tests: Three
2. Marks: 10
2. Marks: 20
3. Themes: General / Academic
3. Themes: General / Academic
4. Based on: Curriculum LOs
4. Based on: Curriculum LOs
5. Word length: 200 – 250 words
5. Word length: 200 – 250 words
28
6. Readability level: FK: 2 – 4 approx.,
6. Readability level: FK: 3 – 4 approx., FRE:
FRE: 90 - 75 approx.
80 - 75 approx.
7. Number of items: 7-8
7. Number of items: 6-8 on each of the tests
8. Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
8. Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
ordering/ categorizing/choosing from
ordering/ categorizing/choosing from list,
list, gap filling, answering questions,
gap filling, answering questions, note
note
completion,
table/chart
completion, table/chart completion, recompletion,
re-arrange
jumbled
arrange jumbled sentences + task types
sentences + task types used in the
used in the course materials
course materials
0120 Writing
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: 1
1. Number of tests: 1
2. Number of marks: 10
2. Number of marks: 10
The test will consist of a simple text of a
minimum of 60 words. Students will be
required to write a simple paragraph in legible
handwriting and with appropriate punctuation
and spelling. The test will be similar to the
tasks in Explore Writing 1.
There is one writing task in the test and the
students are asked to write a minimum of
100 words in response to a written cue. The
task is designed so that the genre, audience
and purpose of the writing are clear to the
students and so that students have an
opportunity to use the language covered in
their course-book Explore Writing 1.
0120 Continuous Assessment
The continuous assessment of vocabulary acquisition and study skills is through online
vocabulary quizzes. Students are also assessed on two SRAs twice. Speaking is assessed
through 2 one-on-one assessments by the Listening and Speaking teacher. Students are also
required to maintain a writing file which contains all the drafts of each writing task
completed in the course. These files are collected regularly throughout the course so that
teachers can ensure that students are meeting all the deadlines set for production of each draft
and to avoid copying. These files are assessed twice by the writing teacher. Students are also
assessed on keeping a portfolio which enables them to become more independent and
reflective learners. The portfolio is assessed once only by the Study Skills teacher.
29
0120 Continuous Assessment Marks
Reading
Writing
Speaking
Portfolio
15
5
5
10
Total
Marks
35
Vocab Moodle Project (10)
SRA: 2 assessments (5)
2 assessments
2 assessments
1 assessment
4.2 FPEL 0230
Title of the Course
Course Code
Total hours
Hours per skill
Prerequisites
Materials
Project
Foundation Programme English Language
FPEL 0230
18
4 - Reading
2 - Study Skills
6 - Writing & Language Use
6 - Listening & Speaking
Beginning of year placement test
Reading
Active Skills for Reading: Intro, Heinle, 2nd Edition
Reading Explorer 1, Heinle
Study Skills
- Learning to Learn / Reading to Learn – In-house text
Writing
- Explore Writing 2 – In-house text
Listening & Speaking
- Listen In 1 – Heinle, 2nd Edition
- NorthStar Basic/Low Intermediate (Middle East Edition), Pearson
Longman
- Online vocabulary project
- Interview/presentation: students work in pairs to interview
someone from outside the classroom on a given topic. This
information is shared with the rest of the class in a presentation.
FPEL 0230 is a semester-long course which students enter at an elementary level of English
proficiency. The course aims to improve students’ English ability in all skills, with a strong
focus on language use in the writing lessons. Students will also be encouraged to read
extensively outside the classroom and required to do a mini research project: working in
pairs, they conduct an interview to find out certain information and then present their
30
findings to the rest of the class in a short formal presentation. There is an online vocabularybuilding component as well.
0230 Test Specifications
0230 Listening
Learning Outcomes Tested:
 Identify main ideas in a dialogue or monologue
 Extract and demonstrate comprehension of specific information in a dialogue or
monologue
 Demonstrate the ability to take dictation or language which is level-specific
 Respond to questions about a conversation between two or more speakers in relation to
context, relationship between speakers, register (e.g., formal or informal)
 Identify speakers and topics in a conversation
 Recognize signpost phrases to follow the speaker’s sequence of ideas
 Identify the speaker’s purpose from the introduction to a lecture
 Transfer specific information from a listening test into a table/diagram
Mid-Semester
1. Number of tests: One
2. Marks: 7
3. Test type: Monologue or Dialogue
4. Themes: General / Academic
5. Based on: Curriculum LOs
6. Word length: 200 – 250 words
7. Readability level: FK: 3 – 4 approx., FRE:
80 - 75 approx.
8. Number of items: 7-8
9. Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
ordering/ categorizing/choosing from list,
gap filling, answering questions, note
completion, table/chart completion, rearrange jumbled sentences + task types
used in the course materials
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
End-of-Semester
Number of tests: Two
Marks: 10
Test type: Monologue and Dialogue
Themes: General / Academic
Based on: Curriculum LOs
Word length: 250 – 300 words
Readability level: FK: 4 - 5 approx.,
FRE: 70 - 75 approx.
Number of items: 6-8 on each
of the tests
Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
ordering/
categorizing/choosing
from list, gap filling, answering
questions,
note
completion,
table/chart completion, re-arrange
jumbled sentences + task types used
in the course materials
0230 Reading
Learning outcomes tested:
 Show understanding of instructions
 Skim a text for the main idea
 Scan a text and demonstrate comprehension of specific information
 Deduce the meaning of words from context
 Identify parts of speech and their function in a text
31





Identify target grammatical structures specified in the syllabus
Distinguish between main ideas and supporting details
Identify pronouns and their reference
Identify the relationship between textual and graphical information
Transfer relevant information from a text to a table
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Mid-Semester
Number of tests: Two
Marks: 8
Themes: General / Academic
Based on: Curriculum LOs
Word length: 200 – 250 words
Readability level: FK: 3 – 4 approx.,
FRE: 80 - 75 approx.
Number of items: 10
Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
ordering/ categorizing/choosing from
list, gap filling, answering questions,
note
completion,
table/chart
completion,
re-arrange
jumbled
sentences + task types used in the
course materials
End-of-Semester
Number of tests: Three
Marks: 15
Themes: General / Academic
Based on: Curriculum LOs
Word length: 250 – 300 words
Readability level: FK: 4- 5 approx.,
FRE: 70 - 75 approx.
Number of items: about 10 on each
of the tests
Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
ordering/
categorizing/choosing
from list, gap filling, answering
questions,
note
completion,
table/chart completion, re-arrange
jumbled sentences + task types used
in the course materials
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
0230 Writing
Mid-Semester
1. Number of tests: 1
2. Number of marks: 10
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: 1
2. Number of marks: 10
There is one writing task in the test and the
students are asked to write a minimum of 100
words in response to a written cue. The task is
designed so that the genre, audience and
purpose of the writing are clear to the students
and so that students have an opportunity to
use the language covered in their course-book
Explore Writing 1.
Students are asked to produce a text of a
minimum of 120 words in length, in
response to a prompt. The writing task is
designed with a different genre, audience
and purpose in mind. Students have an
opportunity to use the language covered in
their course-book Explore Writing 2.
0230 Continuous Assessment
The continuous assessment of vocabulary acquisition and study skills is through online vocabulary
quizzes. In order to encourage students to read outside the classroom, it is required that they read
two graded readers, and they are assessed on these graded readers online through Moodle Reader. In
addition, the students are assessed on two SRAs. Speaking is assessed through a one-to-one
assessment on the basis of their performance in conversations against specific criteria. Students are
32
also required to maintain a writing file which contains all the drafts of each writing task completed
in the course. These files are collected regularly throughout the course so that teachers can ensure
that students are meeting all the deadlines set for production of each draft and to avoid copying.
These files are assessed by the writing teacher once only in week 13. Students are also assessed on
keeping a portfolio which enables them to become more independent and reflective learners. The
portfolio is assessed twice by the Study Skills teacher.
The Guided Study Project is divided into two parts: an interview and a presentation. Students
usually work in pairs. They interview someone on a particular topic and record the interview. The
presentation is done in class towards the end of the semester. The interviews and presentations are
assessed against specific criteria.
0230 Continuous Assessment Marks
Reading
Writing
Speaking
Portfolio
Study
Project
15
5
5
10
5
Total
Marks
40
Vocab Moodle
Project (7)
2 SRA assessments (4)
Moodle Readers (4)
Two
Assessments
Two
Assessments
One
One
Assessment Assessment
4.3 FPEL 0340
Title of the Course
Course Code
Total hours
Hours per skill
Prerequisites
Materials
Foundation Programme English Language
FPEL 0340
18
4 - Reading
2 - Study Skills
6 - Writing & Language Use
6 – Listening & Speaking
FPEL 0120 or beginning of year placement test
Reading:
- Reading Explorer 1, Heinle
- Active Skills for Reading – Heinle, 2nd edition
Writing:
- Explore Writing 3 – In-house text
Study Skills:
33
- Reading to Learn – In-house text
Listening and Speaking:
- NorthStar Basic/Low Intermediate (Middle East Edition),
Pearson Longman
- Contemporary Topics 1 – Pearson Longman, 3rd edition
All Skills:
- Supplementary workbook – In-house text
- Interview/presentation: Students work in pairs to interview
someone from outside the classroom on a given topic. This
information is shared with the rest of the class in a presentation
- A 3 - 5 minute oral presentation on a researched topic using the
OHP. A topic list will be given by the teacher.
Project
FPEL 0340 is a semester-long course which students enter at a pre-intermediate level of
English proficiency. The course further develops all general English language skills and
introduces students to basic note-taking while listening to lectures. In addition to the selected
units from the text books and an online vocabulary-building component, students read graded
readers as well. They also conduct two mini research projects and present their findings to
the rest of the class in two short formal presentations.
Test Specifications
0340 Listening
Learning outcomes tested:
 Identify main ideas in a dialogue or monologue
 Extract and demonstrate comprehension of specific information in a dialogue or
monologue
 Demonstrate the ability to take dictation or language which is level-specific
 Respond to questions about a conversation between two or more speakers in relation to
context, relationship between speakers, register (e.g., formal or informal)
 Identify speakers and topics in a conversation
 Recognize signpost phrases to follow the speaker’s sequence of ideas
 Distinguish main ideas from supporting details
 Transfer specific information from a listening test into a table/diagram
 Use contextual clues to make inferences using explicit and implicit information
 Identify the opinion / attitude of the speaker(s)
 Take notes and respond to questions about the topic, main ideas, details and opinions or
arguments from an extended listening text (e.g. lecture, news broadcast)
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1.
2.
Number of tests: Two
Marks: 7
1. Number of tests: Two
2. Marks: 10
34
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Test type: Monologue + Dialogue
1.
Themes: General / Academic
2.
Based on: Curriculum LOs
3.
Word length: 250 – 300 words
4.
Readability level: FK: 4 - 5 approx.,
5.
FRE: 70 - 75 approx.
Number of items: about 5 on
6.
each of the tests
Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
7.
ordering/ categorizing/choosing from
list, gap filling, answering questions,
note
completion,
table/chart
completion,
re-arrange
jumbled
sentences + task types used in the
course materials
0340 Reading
Test type: Monologue + Dialogue
Themes: General / Academic
Based on: Curriculum LOs
Word length: 300-350 words
Readability level: FK6 - 7 approx.,
FRE: 65 - 75 approx.
Number of items: 6-8 on each of the
tests
Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
ordering/ categorizing/choosing from
list, gap filling, answering questions,
note
completion,
table/chart
completion,
re-arrange
jumbled
sentences + task types used in the
course materials
Learning outcomes tested:














Skim a text for the main idea
Scan a text and demonstrate comprehension of specific information
Make inferences based on information in a text
Deduce the meaning of words from context
Identify part of speech and their functions in a text
Identify pronouns and their reference
Identify the meaning of unknown words using knowledge of word formation
Distinguish between main ideas and supporting details
Identify the relationship between textual and graphical information
Interpret graphically presented data (maps, charts, graphs, tables)
Transfer relevant information from a text to a table
Identify the writer’s point of view
Analyse relationships within and between sentences to understand different text structures
Identify ideas expressed in compound and complex sentences
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: Two
1. Number of tests: Three
2. Marks: 8
2. Marks: 20
3. Themes: General / Academic
3. Themes: General / Academic
4. Based on: Curriculum LOs
4. Based on: Curriculum LOs
5. Word length: 250 – 300 words
5. Word length: 300 - 350 words
6. Readability level: FK: 4- 5 approx.,
6. Readability level: FK: 6 - 7 approx.,
FRE: 70 - 75 approx.
FRE: 65 - 75 approx.
7. Number of items: 10
7. Number of items: about 10 on each of
8. Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
the tests
ordering/ categorizing/choosing from
8. Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
list, gap filling, answering questions,
ordering/categorizing/choosing from
note
completion,
table/chart
list, gap filling, answering questions,
35
completion,
re-arrange
jumbled
sentences + task types used in the
course materials
note completion, table/chart
completion, re-arrange jumbled
sentences + task types used in the
course materials
0340 Writing
Mid-Semester
Students are asked to produce a text of a
minimum of 120 words in length, in
response to a prompt. The writing task is
designed with a different genre, audience
and purpose in mind and is similar to the
tasks covered in the course material.
End-of-Semester
The writing exam consists of one writing task
of at least 150 words. The test will be similar
to the tasks covered in the course material,
e.g. article for a magazine, letter of opinion,
etc.
Continuous Assessment
For continuous assessment, there are marks given for speaking proficiency, reading
proficiency, vocabulary, writing file, portfolio assessment, study skills projects and
presentations which are assessed against specific criteria. The speaking proficiency mark is
based on speaking assessments. This mark is given by the students' Speaking / Listening
teacher. The reading proficiency mark is given on the basis of students' performance on
Moodle graded reader and Moodle vocabulary quizzes. The Students are also required to
maintain a writing file which contains all the drafts of each writing task completed in the
course. The Writing file mark is given to assess the students’ ability to meet deadlines, to
organize their work and evaluate its quality. The portfolio assessment is based on the quality
and quantity of the portfolio elements (planner, self assessment, weekly reflections, and a
vocabulary log) and assessed at individual student/teacher conferences.
0340 Continuous Assessment Marks
Reading
Writing
Speaking
Portfolio
Study Project
10
0
5
10
10
2 speaking
tests/ 5
marks each
2 assessments/
5 marks each
2 projects
assessed via
2 oral
presentations
Total
Marks
35
4 vocab quizzes/4 marks
4 Moodle quizzes/6 marks
36
FPEL 0400
Title of the Course
Course Code
Total hours
Hours per skill
Prerequisites
Materials
Project
Foundation Programme English Language
FPEL 0400
18
4 - Reading
6 – Listening & Speaking
6 - Writing & Language Use
2 - Study Skills
FPEL 0230
Reading:
- Active Skills for Reading – Heinle, 2nd edition
Writing:
- Explore Writing 3 – In-house text
Listening and Speaking:
- Contemporary Topics 1 – Pearson Longman, 3rd edition
All Skills:
Supplementary workbook – In-house text
A 3 - 5 minute oral presentation on a researched topic using the OHP.
A topic list will be given by the teacher.
FPEL 0400 is a summer course which students enter at an intermediate level of English
proficiency. The course further develops all general English language skills and introduces
students to basic note-taking while listening to lectures. They are also required to give one
presentation on a subject researched online.
Test Specifications
0400 Listening
Learning outcomes tested:
 Identify main ideas in a dialogue or monologue
 Extract and demonstrate comprehension of specific information in a dialogue/monologue
 Demonstrate the ability to take dictation or language which is level-specific
 Respond to questions about a conversation between two or more speakers in relation to
context, relationship between speakers, register (e.g., formal or informal)
 Identify speakers and topics in a conversation
 Recognize signpost phrases to follow the speaker’s sequence of ideas
 Distinguish main ideas from supporting details
 Transfer specific information from a listening test into a table/diagram
 Use contextual clues to make inferences using explicit and implicit information
 Identify the opinion / attitude of the speaker(s)
 Take notes and respond to questions about the topic, main ideas, details and opinions or
arguments from an extended listening text (e.g. lecture, news broadcast)
37
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Number of tests: Two
Marks: 20
Test type: Monologue + Dialogue
Themes: General / Academic
Based on: Curriculum LOs
Word length: 300-350 words
Readability level: FK: 6 - 7 approx., FRE: 65 - 75 approx.
Number of items: 6-8 on each of the tests
Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching, ordering/ categorizing/choosing from list, gap
filling, answering questions, note completion, table/chart completion, re-arrange
jumbled sentences + task types used in the course materials
0400 Reading
Learning outcomes tested:














Skim a text for the main idea
Scan a text and demonstrate comprehension of specific information
Make inferences based on information in a text
Deduce the meaning of words from context
Identify part of speech and their functions in a text
Identify pronouns and their reference
Identify the meaning of unknown words using knowledge of word formation
Distinguish between main ideas and supporting details
Identify the relationship between textual and graphical information
Interpret graphically presented data (maps, charts, graphs, tables)
Transfer relevant information from a text to a table
Identify the writer’s point of view
Analyse relationships within and between sentences to understand different text structures
Identify ideas expressed in compound and complex sentences
1. Number of tests: Three
2. Marks: 30
3. Themes: General / Academic
4. Based on: Curriculum LOs
5. Word length: 300 - 350 words
6. Readability level: FK: 6 - 7 approx., FRE: 65 - 75 approx.
7. Number of items: about 10 on each of the tests
8. Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching, ordering/categorizing/choosing from list, gap
filling, answering questions, note completion, table/chart completion, re-arrange
jumbled sentences + task types used in the course materials
0400 Writing
1. Number of tests: One
2. Marks: 10
3. The writing exam consists of one writing task of at least 150 words. The test will be
similar to the tasks covered in the course material, e.g. article for a magazine, letter of
opinion, etc.
38
0400 Continuous Assessment
For continuous assessment, there are marks given for speaking proficiency, reading
assessment, vocabulary, portfolio assessment, study skills project and presentation which are
assessed against specific criteria. The speaking assessment mark is based on a role play. This
mark is given by the students' Speaking / Listening teacher. The reading assessment mark is
given on the basis of students' performance on Moodle graded reader and Moodle vocabulary
quizzes. The portfolio assessment is based on the quality and quantity of the portfolio
elements (planner, self assessment, weekly reflections, and a vocabulary log) and assessed at
individual student/teacher conferences. The study skills project assessment is based on
quality of their project folder and their presentation.
0400 Continuous Assessment Marks
Reading
Speaking
Portfolio
Study Project
15
5
10
10
Total
Marks
40
2 Moodle Readers
& 2 Moodle
Vocabulary Units
1 assessment
1 assessment
1 presentation
FPEL 0450
Title of the Course
Course Code
Total hours
Hours per skill
Prerequisites
Materials
Foundation Programme English Language
FPEL 0450 (SCI / AGR / ENG / MED / CEPS / EEAL)
18
4 - Reading
6 – Listening & Speaking
6 - Writing & Language Use
2 - Study Skills
FPEL 0230 or beginning of year placement test
Reading:
- Active Skills for Reading 2 and 3 – Heinle, 2nd edition
- Programme-specific in-house texts
Writing:
- Explore Writing 3 – In-house text
- Programme-specific in-house texts
Listening and Speaking:
- Contemporary Topics 1 and 2 – Pearson-Longman, 3rd Edition
Study Skills:
- Programme-specific in-house text
All Skills:
39
Project
Supplementary workbook – In-house text
Students do two oral presentations on researched topics given by the
teacher.
0450 is the first FPEL course where students are introduced to materials related to their field
of study: Science, Agriculture, Engineering, Medicine, Commerce, Education, Arts and Law.
In addition to courses in general academic reading, writing and listening and speaking, in the
second half of the course students begin to study the language and acquire skills specific to
their discipline. Below are more detailed descriptions of programme-specific course content:
4.3.1 English for Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SCI / AGR / ENG)
It is the course in which science, engineering, agriculture and information technology
students study topics and skills important in the sciences. The listening component equips
students with the note-taking skills and strategies needed in the classroom. The writing
component of the course builds on the paragraph writing skills by introducing cause/effect
and compare/contrast essays. In turn, these essays and the study skills section prepare
students for a research paper they will be required to write in the subsequent course. The
research skills include locating and selecting relevant information in the library and on the
internet, paraphrasing on a basic level, and writing references. The information gathered
from the various sources is used to create a brief presentation.
4.3.2 English for Medicine (MED)
In this course students study topics and skills essential for health care practitioners. The
writing component includes two rhetorical functions: a disease profile (description writing)
and a description of a life-cycle (process writing). The writing skills acquired in this course
will be used to write a 500-word report in the subsequent course. The listening and speaking
component equips the students with note-taking skills and other classroom-related study
skills. With regards to research and presentation skills, students are required to give a short
presentation on topics related to their field of studies. To do this, they learn how to locate and
select information in the library and on the internet. Other related skills like note-taking
from written texts, paraphrasing and referencing are also reinforced.
4.3.3 English for Economics and Political Science (CEPS)
In this course students are introduced to materials related to their field of studies. Reading
materials (programme-based) include topics and skills essential for the business world. The
writing component includes two rhetorical functions: comparison/contrast and
problem/solution essays. The writing skills acquired in this level will be used to write a 500word project in the subsequent course. The listening and speaking component equips the
students with note-taking skills and other classroom-related study skills. With regards to
40
research and presentation skills, the students are required to give a short presentation on
topics related to their field of studies. To do this, they learn how to locate and select
information from the library and the internet. Other related skills like note-taking from
written texts, paraphrasing and referencing are also fostered.
4.3.4 English for Education, Arts and Law (EEAL)
In this course students are introduced to materials related to their field of studies. EEAL
students learn to write Compare-and-Contrast and Cause-and-Effect essays. They also follow
a general reading course that enhances their vocabulary acquisition and text attack skills, and
are required to read two graded readers. On the Listening and Speaking course, EEAL
students are introduced to practical note-taking activities, and learn how to give a fiveminute presentation on a topic of their own choice. This last activity is supported by the inhouse Research and Presentation book, which teaches students how to conduct research and
how to acknowledge their sources.
Test Specifications
0450 Listening
Learning outcomes tested:
 Identify main ideas in a dialogue or monologue
 Extract and demonstrate comprehension of specific information in a dialogue or monologue
 Identify speakers and topics in a conversation
 Identify speaker’s purpose from the introduction
 Transfer specific information from a listening text into a table / diagram
 Use contextual clues to make inferences using explicit and implicit information
 Identify the opinion/attitude of the speaker(s)
 Distinguish facts from opinions
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: Two
1. Number of tests: Three
2. Marks: 5
2. Marks: 10
3. Test type: Monologue + Dialogue
3. Test type: Monologue + Dialogue
4. Themes: General / Academic
4. Themes: General / Academic
5. Based on: Curriculum LOs
5. Based on: Curriculum LOs
6. Word length: 300-350 words
6. Word length: 400-450 words
7. Readability level: FK: 6 - 7 approx., 7. Readability level: FK: 8-9 approx., FRE: 65
FRE: 65 - 75 approx.
- 70 approx.
8. Number of items: about 5 on each of
8. Number of items: 6-8 on each of the tests
the tests
9. Test methods: MCQ, T/F/NI, matching,
9. Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
ordering/ categorizing/ choosing from list,
ordering/ categorizing/choosing from
gap filling, answering questions, re-arrange
41
list, gap filling, answering questions,
note
completion,
table/chart
completion,
re-arrange
jumbled
sentences + task types used in the
course materials
jumbled sentences, note completion,
table/chart completion, + task types used
in the course materials
0450 Reading
Learning outcomes tested:
 Show understanding of instructions
 Skim a text for the main idea
 Scan a text and demonstrate comprehension of specific information
 Make inferences based on information in a text
 Deduce the meaning of words from context
 Identify target grammatical structures specified in the syllabus
 Distinguish between main ideas and supporting detail
 Identify pronouns and their reference
 Transfer relevant information from a text to a table
 Analyze relationships within and between sentences to understand different text structures
 Identify ideas expressed in compound and complex sentences
 Identify the meaning of unknown words using knowledge of word formation
 Identify arguments for and against a certain issue in a text
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: Two
1. Number of tests: Three
2. Marks: 10
2. Marks: 20
3. Themes: General / Academic
3. Themes: General / Academic
4. Based on: Curriculum LOs
4. Based on: Curriculum LOs
5. Word length: 300 - 350 words
5. Word length: 400 - 450 words
6. Readability level: FK: 6 - 7 approx., 6. Readability level: FK: 8 - 9 approx., FRE:
FRE: 65 - 75 approx.
65 - 75 approx.
7. Number of items: 10
7. Number of items: about 10 on each of the
8. Test methods: MCQ, T/F, matching,
tests
ordering/categorizing/choosing
from 8. Test methods: MCQ, T/F/NI, matching,
list, gap filling, answering questions,
ordering/ categorizing/ choosing from list,
note
completion,
table/chart
gap filling, answering questions, re-arrange
completion,
re-arrange
jumbled
jumbled sentences, note completion,
sentences + task types used in the
table/chart
completion,
course materials
selecting/prioritizing
relevant
factual
information/opinion + task types used in
the course materials
42
0450 Writing
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: One
1. Number of tests: One
2. Marks: 10
2. Marks: 10
3. Task type: The writing exam consists 3. The writing exam consists of one writing
of one writing task of at least 150
task of at least 250 words. The following
words. The test will be similar to the
rhetorical functions are tested:
tasks covered in the course material, SCI: Cause & Effect or Compare & Contrast
e.g. article for a magazine, letter of MED: Disease Profile or Life Cycle
opinion, etc.
CEPS: Problem & Solution or Compare &
Contrast
EEAL: Cause & Effect or Compare & Contrast
Continuous Assessment
The informal, continuous, assessment consists of speaking tasks, additional reading activities,
independent study projects and a portfolio. The speaking proficiency mark is based on
speaking assessment given by the students' Speaking / Listening teacher who uses topics and
tasks provided by the programme. The reading proficiency mark is given on the basis of
students’ comprehension of graded readers and online Moodle quizzes. The independent
study project is usually based on a theme given by the programme and requires students to
find library and internet sources. They are expected to use the information to compile a folder
of research and give a formal presentation to the class.
0450 Continuous Assessment Marks1
Reading
Speaking
Portfolio
Study Project
10
5
10
10
Total
Marks
35
Moodle vocabulary 2.5
4 Moodle Readers 7.5
1
2 assessments
(2.5+2.5)
2 assessments
(5+5)
2 assessments
(5+5)
The above table applies to the EEAL programme. Slight variations may occur in other programmes.
43
4.4 FPEL 0500
Title of the Course
Course Code
Total hours
Hours per skill
Prerequisites
Materials
Project
Foundation Programme English Language
FPEL 0500 (SCI / AGR / ENG / MED / CEPS / EEAL)
18
6 – Writing and Research & Presentation Skills
6 - Reading
6 - Listening & Speaking
FPEL 0450
Writing and Research & Presentation Skills:
- Programme-specific materials
Reading:
- Active Skills for Reading 3 – Heinle, 2nd Edition
- Programme-specific materials
Listening and Speaking:
- Contemporary Topics 2 – Pearson-Longman, 3rd Edition
Students do a 5 -7 minute oral presentation on a researched topic
related to their field of study.
FPEL 0500 is an eight-week long course which covers the skills of reading, writing, listening
and speaking in the context of students’ specializations. The course also continues to
consolidate study skills necessary for college work and introduces the skills students need for
writing 500-word reports. Below are more detailed descriptions of programme-specific course
content:
4.4.1 English for Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SCI, AGR, ENG)
It is the course in which science, engineering, agriculture and information technology
students study topics and skills important in the sciences. The listening component equips
students with the note-taking skills and strategies needed in the classroom. The writing
component of the course builds on the paragraph writing skills by introducing cause/effect
and compare/contrast essays. In turn, these essays and the study skills section prepare
students for a research paper they will be required to write in the subsequent course. The
research skills include locating and selecting relevant information in the library and on the
internet, paraphrasing on a basic level, and writing references. The information gathered
from the various sources is used to create a brief presentation.
4.4.2 English for Medicine (MED)
In this course students study topics and skills essential for health care practitioners. The
writing component includes two rhetorical functions: a disease profile (description writing)
and a description of a life-cycle (process writing). The writing skills acquired in this course
44
will be used to write a 500-word report in the subsequent course. The listening and speaking
component equips the students with note-taking skills and other classroom-related study
skills. With regards to research and presentation skills, students are required to give a short
presentation on topics related to their field of studies. To do this, they learn how to locate and
select information in the library and on the internet. Other related skills like note-taking
from written texts, paraphrasing and referencing are also reinforced.
4.4.3 English for Economics and Political Science (CEPS)
In this course students are introduced to materials related to their field of studies. Reading
materials (programme-based) include topics and skills essential for business world. The
writing component includes two rhetorical functions: comparison/contrast and
problem/solution essays. The writing skills acquired in this level will be used to write a 500word project in the subsequent course. The listening and speaking component equips the
students with note-taking skills and other classroom-related study skills. With regards to
research and presentation skills, the students are required to give a short presentation on
topics related to their field of studies. To do this, they learn how to locate and select
information in the library and the internet. Other related skills like note-taking from written
texts, paraphrasing and referencing are also fostered.
4.4.4 English for Education, Arts and Law (EEAL)
In this course students are introduced to materials related to their field of studies. EEAL
students learn to write Compare-and-Contrast and Cause-and-Effect essays. They also follow
a general reading course that enhances their vocabulary acquisition and text attack skills, and
are required to read two graded readers. On the Listening and Speaking course, EEAL
students are introduced to practical note-taking activities and learn how to give a five-minute
presentation on a topic of their own choice. This last activity is supported by the in-house
Research and Presentation book, which teaches students how to conduct research and how to
acknowledge their sources.
45
Test Specifications
0500 Listening
Learning outcomes tested:
 Identify main ideas in a dialogue or monologue
 Extract and demonstrate comprehension of specific information in a dialogue or monologue
 Identify speakers and topics in a conversation
 Identify speaker’s purpose from the introduction
 Transfer specific information from a listening text into a table / diagram
 Use contextual clues to make inferences using explicit and implicit information
 Identify the opinion/attitude of the speaker(s)
 Distinguish facts from opinions
1. Number of tests: Three
2. Marks: 15
3. Test type: Monologue + Dialogue
4. Themes: General / Academic
5. Based on: Curriculum LOs
6. Word length: 400-450 words
7. Readability level: FK: 8-9 approx., FRE: 65 - 70 approx.
8. Number of items: 6-8 on each of the tests
9. Test methods: MCQ, T/F/NI, matching, ordering/ categorizing/ choosing from list, gap
filling, answering questions, re-arrange jumbled sentences, note completion,
table/chart completion, + task types used in the course materials
0500 Reading
Learning outcomes tested:
 Show understanding of instructions
 Skim a text for the main idea
 Scan a text and demonstrate comprehension of specific information
 Make inferences based on information in a text
 Deduce the meaning of words from context
 Identify target grammatical structures specified in the syllabus
 Distinguish between main ideas and supporting detail
 Identify pronouns and their reference
 Transfer relevant information from a text to a table
 Analyze relationships within and between sentences to understand different text structures
 Identify ideas expressed in compound and complex sentences
 Identify the meaning of unknown words using knowledge of word formation
 Identify arguments for and against a certain issue in a text
46
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Number of tests: Three
Marks: 25
Themes: General / Academic
Based on: Curriculum LOs
Word length: 400 - 450 words
Readability level: FK: 8 - 9 approx., FRE: 65 - 75 approx.
Number of items: about 10 on each of the tests
Test methods: MCQ, T/F/NI, matching, ordering/ categorizing/ choosing from list, gap
filling, answering questions, re-arrange jumbled sentences, note completion,
table/chart completion, selecting/prioritizing relevant factual information/opinion +
task types used in the course materials
0500 Writing
4. Number of tests: Two
5. Marks: 20
6. The writing exam consists of one writing task of at least 250 words. The following
rhetorical functions are tested:
SCI: Cause & Effect or Compare & Contrast
MED: Disease Profile or Life Cycle
CEPS: Problem & Solution or Compare & Contrast
EEAL: Cause & Effect or Compare & Contrast
0500 Continuous Assessment
The informal, continuous, assessment consists of speaking tasks, additional reading activities,
independent study projects and a portfolio. The speaking proficiency mark is based on
speaking assessment given by the students' Speaking / Listening teacher who uses topics and
tasks provided by the programme. The reading proficiency mark is given on the basis of
students’ comprehension of graded readers and online Moodle quizzes. The independent
study project is usually based on a theme given by the programme and requires students to
find library and internet sources. They are expected to use the information to compile a folder
of research and give a formal presentation to the class.
Continuous Assessment Marks
Reading
Speaking
Portfolio
Study Project
15
5
10
10
Total
Marks
40
2 Moodle Readers
and 2 Moodle
Vocabulary Units
1 assessment
1 assessment
47
1 presentation
FPEL 0560
Title of the Course
Course Code
Total hours
Hours per skill
Prerequisites
Materials
Project
Foundation Programme English Language
FPEL 0560 (SCI / AGR / ENG / MED / CEPS / EEAL)
18
4 - Reading
6- Listening/Speaking
8 – Writing + Research & Presentation Skills
FPEL 0340 or beginning of year placement test
Reading:
Active Skills for Reading 3 – Heinle, 2nd Edition
Programme-specific in-house texts
Listening and Speaking:
Contemporary Topics 2 – Pearson-Longman, 3rd Edition
Writing & Presentation Skills:
Programme-specific in-house texts
In this course students will conduct a research project on a
given topic. They are required to find and print online sources,
write notes, synthesize information and produce a written
report. They are also required to give a 5 -7 minute
presentation using an outline and an overhead projector.
FPEL 0560 is a semester-long course which develops the skills of reading, writing, listening
and speaking in the context of students’ specializations: Science, Agriculture, Engineering,
Medicine, Commerce, Education, Arts and Law. The course also continues to consolidate
study skills necessary for college work and equips students with skills crucial for writing a
500-word report. Below are more detailed descriptions of programme-specific course content:
4.4.5 English for Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SCI, AGR, ENG)
The Sciences Programme caters to the needs of students from Agriculture, Engineering and
Science colleges. Apart from general English, English for specific purposes is included in the
programme through science based readings and writings. Students are exposed to a variety of
reading texts that are scientific in nature. Students also get to enhance their listening and
speaking skills and work on a study project independently that culminates in a formal
presentation The writing component includes two rhetorical functions: compare & contrast
and cause & effect essays. The main focus of the Writing programme is to prepare students to
write a 500-word report showing evidence of research skills, note-taking, review and revision
of work, paraphrasing, summarising, use of quotations and use of references.
48
4.4.6 English for Medicine (MED)
The course offers programme based reading materials which include topics and skills that
further develop the language skills of students who plan to become involved in health care.
The listening and speaking component continues to equip the students with note-taking skills
and other classroom-related study skills. The writing component includes three rhetorical
functions: a disease profile (descriptive writing), a life-cycle (process writing), and a graph
description (compare and contrast/ cause and effect). With regard to research and
presentation skills, the students are required to write a 500-word report and give a short
presentation on the same topic. To do this, they learn how to locate and select information in
the library and onthe internet, take notes from written texts, paraphrase, summarize, compile
a list of references and cite their sources in a text.
4.4.7 English for Economics and Political Science (CEPS)
The course offers programme based reading materials which include topics and skills that
further develop the language skills of students who plan to become involved in the business
world. The listening and speaking component continues to equip the students with notetaking skills and other classroom-related study skills. The writing component includes three
rhetorical functions: problem and solution, compare and contrast and cause and effect. With
regard to research and presentation skills, the students are required to write a 500-word
report and give a short presentation on the same topic. To do this, they learn how to locate
and select information in the library and the internet, take notes from written texts,
paraphrase, summarize, compile a list of references and cite their sources in a text.
4.4.8 English for Education, Arts and Law (EEAL)
The course offers more programme-specific materials and activities. The listening and speaking
component continues to equip the students with note-taking skills and other classroom-related
study skills. In writing essays, the students are introduced to three rhetorical functions: cause
and effect, compare and contrast and opinion. They are also required to produce an extended
essay of at least 500 words, which ties in with their research project. The research project
demands that Education and Arts students analyse and present a poem by an approved poet,
and relate that poem to the poet’s life and times. They are expected to explain any difficult
vocabulary in the poem and explain the poet’s use of literary devices. Source materials must be
acknowledged and correctly cited. Students must then submit a file containing two drafts of the
report, two copies of the poem (a working copy with notes and a clean copy), annotated source
materials that were downloaded or photocopied, a list of references in APA format, and the
materials used in the presentation (transparencies and speaking notes). Musicology students
may have the alternative of presenting a song, whereas Law students can select a topic relevant
to their field of study after consultation with their writing and study skills teacher.
49
Test specifications
0560 Listening
Learning outcomes tested:
 Identify main ideas in a dialogue or monologue
 Extract and demonstrate comprehension of specific information in a dialogue or monologue
 Demonstrate the ability to take dictation or language which is level-specific
 Respond to questions about a conversation between two or more speakers in relation to
context, relationship between speakers, register (e.g., formal or informal)
 Identify speakers and topics in a conversation
 Follow spoken instructions in order to carry out a task with a number of stages
 Recognize signpost phrases to follow the speaker’s sequence of ideas
 Transfer specific information from a listening text into a table / diagram
 Take notes and respond to questions about the topic, main ideas, details, opinions or
arguments from an extended listening text (e.g. lecture, news broadcast)
 Use contextual clues to make inferences using explicit and implicit information
 Identify the opinion/attitude of the speaker(s)
 Distinguish facts from opinions
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: Two
1. Number of tests: Three
2. Marks: 10
2. Marks: 10
3. Test type: Monologue + Dialogue
3. Test type: Monologue + Dialogue
4. Themes: General / Academic
4. Themes: General / Academic
5. Based on: Curriculum LOs
5. Based on: Curriculum LOs
6. Word length: 400-450 words
6. Word length: 400 – 450 words
7. Readability level: FK: 8-9 approx., FRE: 7. Readability level: FK: 10 - 12 approx., FRE:
65 - 70 approx.
45 - 65 approx.
8. Number of items: 10
8. Number of items: 6-7 on each of the
9. Test methods: MCQ, T/F/NI, matching,
tests
ordering/ categorizing/ choosing from 9. Test methods: MCQ, T/F/NI, matching,
list, gap filling, answering questions,
ordering/ categorizing/ choosing from list,
re-arrange jumbled sentences, note
gap filling, answering questions, re-arrange
completion, table/chart completion, +
jumbled sentences, note completion,
task types used in the course materials
table/chart completion, + task types used in
the course materials
0560 Reading
Learning outcomes tested:






Read and respond to a 1-2 page text in a given period of time
Show understanding of instructions
Skim a text for the main idea
Scan a text and demonstrate comprehension of specific information
Distinguish between main ideas and supporting details
Distinguish between facts and opinions
50












Identify arguments for and against a certain issue in a text
Make inferences based on information in a text
Deduce the meaning of words from context
Identify the meaning of unknown words using knowledge of word formation
Identify parts of speech and their functions in a text
Identify pronouns and their reference
Identify the relationship between textual and graphical information
Interpret graphically presented data (maps, charts, graphs, tables)
Transfer relevant information from a text to a table
Identify the writer’s point of view
Analyse relationships within and between sentences to understand different text structures
Identify ideas expressed in compound and complex sentences
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: Two
1. Number of tests: Three
2. Marks: 5
2. Marks: 15
3. Themes: General / Academic
3. Themes: General / Academic
4. Based on: Curriculum LOs
4. Based on: Curriculum LOs
5. Word length: 400 - 450 words
5. Word length: 400 - 450 words
6. Readability level: FK: 8 - 9 approx.,
6. Readability level: FK: 10 - 12 approx.,
FRE: 65 - 75 approx.
FRE: 45 - 65 approx.
7. Number of items: 10
7. Number of items: about 10 on each of the
8.Test methods: MCQ, T/F/NI,
tests
matching, ordering/ categorizing/
8. Test methods: MCQ, T/F/NI, matching,
choosing from list, gap filling,
ordering/ categorizing/ choosing from list,
answering questions, re-arrange
gap filling, answering questions, re-arrange
jumbled sentences, note completion,
jumbled sentences, note completion,
table/chart completion,
table/chart completion,
selecting/prioritizing relevant factual
selecting/prioritizing relevant factual
information/opinion + task types used
information/opinion + task types used in
in the course materials
the course materials
0560 Writing
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: One
1. Number of tests: One
2. Marks: 10
2. Marks: 10
SCI
MED
CEPS
Rhetorical Functions
Cause & Effect or Compare &
Contrast
Disease Profile or Life Cycle
Problem & Solution or Compare &
Contrast
(except no final test for 0560 Science)
Rhetorical Functions
No final writing exam for Science students
A graph description which tests comparing and
contrasting together with cause and effect
writing skills
Cause & Effect
51
EEAL Cause & Effect or Compare &
Contrast
Opinion Essay
0560 Continuous Assessment
The informal, continuous assessment consists of speaking tasks, additional reading practice, a
portfolio and a written student project including a presentation. Speaking proficiency is
assessed by the Listening/Speaking teacher in the classroom or in the teacher’s office.
Informal reading and vocabulary are comprised of a number of online Moodle quizzes, graded
readers and/or reading comprehension quizzes provided by the CC.
500-word report : By the end of the course, students produce a written report of a minimum
of 500 words showing evidence of research, note-taking, review and revision of work,
paraphrasing, summarising, use of quotations and use of references. The skills necessary to
achieve the task will be taught mostly through the Study Skills course. The topics are
provided by the programme and relevant to the student’s area of study.
Continuous Assessment Marks1
Reading
Speaking
Portfolio
Study Project
Total
10
5
5
25
45
2 assessments
2 assessments
500-word
report/15 marks
Presentation/10
marks
4 Moodle reader
quizzes
1
The above table applies to the EEAL programme. Slight variations may occur in other programmes.
52
4.5 FPEL 0603
Title of the Course
Course Code
Total hours
Hours per skill
Prerequisites
Materials
Project
Foundation Programme English Language
FPEL0603 (SCI / AGR / ENG / MED / CEPS / EEAL)
10
6 – Writing and Research & Presentation Skills
4 - Reading & Listening & Speaking
Beginning of year placement test
Writing and Research & Presentation Skills:
- Programme-specific materials
Reading:
- Programme-specific materials
Listening and Speaking:
- Contemporary Topics 2 – Pearson-Longman, 3rd Edition
A research-based 500-word report and oral presentation of a topic
relevant to the student’s area of study.
This course will only run in the fall semester and is programme-specific. It is intended for
those students who are initially placed in FPEL 0560 and qualify for the Exit Test but do not
pass it. The course combines the Writing, Research & Presentation course requirements of
FPEL 0560, and selected reading and listening & speaking materials which cover the learning
outcomes relevant to proficiency level 6.
Test Specifications
The course will be assessed by a combination of measures. They include the end of level
final/summative tests of writing, listening & reading, and formative/continuous assessment.
Below are the test specifications for mid-semester and end-of-semester tests.
0603 Listening
Learning outcomes tested:
 Identify main ideas in a dialogue or monologue
 Extract and demonstrate comprehension of specific information in a dialogue or monologue
 Demonstrate the ability to take dictation or language which is level-specific
 Respond to questions about a conversation between two or more speakers in relation to
context, relationship between speakers, register (e.g., formal or informal)
 Identify speakers and topics in a conversation
 Follow spoken instructions in order to carry out a task with a number of stages
 Recognize signpost phrases to follow the speaker’s sequence of ideas
 Transfer specific information from a listening text into a table / diagram
 Take notes and respond to questions about the topic, main ideas, details, opinions or
arguments from an extended listening text (e.g. lecture, news broadcast)
 Use contextual clues to make inferences using explicit and implicit information
53


Identify the opinion/attitude of the speaker(s)
Distinguish facts from opinions
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Number of tests: One
1. Number of tests: Three
Marks: 5
2. Marks: 10
Test type: Monologue + Dialogue
Themes: General / Academic
Based on: Curriculum LOs
Word length: 400 – 450 words
Readability level: FK: 10 - 12 approx., FRE: 45 - 65 approx.
Number of items: 6-8 on each of the tests
Test methods: MCQ, T/F/NI, matching, ordering/ categorizing/ choosing from list, gap
filling, answering questions, re-arrange jumbled sentences, note completion, table/chart
completion, + task types used in the course materials
0603 Reading
Learning outcomes tested:

















Read and respond to a 1-2 page text in a given period of time
Show understanding of instructions
Skim a text for the main idea
Scan a text and demonstrate comprehension of specific information
Distinguish between main ideas and supporting details
Distinguish between facts and opinions
Identify arguments for and against a certain issue in a text
Make inferences based on information in a text
Deduce the meaning of words from context
Identify the meaning of unknown words using knowledge of word formation
Identify parts of speech and their functions in a text
Identify pronouns and their references
Identify the relationship between textual and graphical information
Interpret graphically presented data (maps, charts, graphs, tables)
Transfer relevant information from a text to a table
Identify the writer’s point of view
Analyse relationships within and between sentences to understand different text structures
0603 Reading Tests
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: Two
1. Number of tests: Three
2. Marks: 5
2. Marks: 15
3. Themes: General / Academic
4. Based on: Curriculum LOs
5. Word length: 400 - 450 words
6. Readability level: FK: 10 - 12 approx., FRE: 45 - 65 approx.
7. Number of items: about 10 on each of the tests
8. Test methods: MCQ, T/F/NI, matching, ordering/ categorizing/ choosing from list, gap
filling, answering questions, re-arrange jumbled sentences, note completion,
54
table/chart completion, selecting/prioritizing relevant factual information/opinion +
task types used in the course materials
0603 Writing
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: One
1. Number of tests: One
2. Marks: 10
2. Marks: 10
(except no test for 0603 Science)
Rhetorical Functions
Rhetorical Functions
SCI
No writing exam is required for No end-of-semester test
Science students in this course.
MED Disease Profile or Life Cycle
A graph description which tests comparing and
contrasting or cause and effect writing skills
CEPS Problem & Solution or Compare & Cause & Effect
Contrast
EEAL Cause & Effect or Compare &
Opinion Essay
Contrast
Continuous Assessment
The informal, continuous assessment consists of speaking tasks, additional reading practice, a
portfolio and a written student project including a presentation. Students also write a 500word report. For detailed, programme-specific information regarding the number, frequency,
specifications of continuous testing, please refer to the Testing Matrix in the General
Information section and FPEL 0560 and FPEL 0604 course descriptions.
Continuous Assessment Marks1
Reading
Speaking
Portfolio
Study Project
Total
10
5
5
25
45
2 speaking
tests
2 assessment
conferences, 1 midterm
and 1 final written
reflection
500-word report/15
marks
2 presentations /10
marks
2 vocabulary
quizzes/4 marks
4 Moodle reader
quizzes/3 marks
3 Moodle
activities/3 marks
1
The above table applies to the CEPS programme. Slight variations may occur in other programmes.
55
4.6 FPEL 0604
Title of the Course
Course Code
Total hours
Hours per skill
Prerequisites
Materials
Project
Foundation Programme English Language
FPEL 0600 (SCI / AGR / ENG / MED / CEPS / EEAL)
10
4 – Writing and Research & Presentation Skills
3 - Reading
3 - Listening & Speaking
FPEL 0450
Writing and Research & Presentation Skills:
- Programme-specific materials
Reading:
- Active Skills for Reading 3 – Heinle, 2nd Edition
- Programme-specific materials
Listening and Speaking:
- Contemporary Topics 2 – Pearson-Longman, 3rd Edition
A research-based 500-word report and oral presentation of a topic
relevant to the student’s area of study.
This programme-specific course is intended for those students who completed FPEL 0450, or
failed FPEL 0560 in the fall semester. It covers the skills of reading, writing, listening and
speaking in the context of students’ specializations: Science, Agriculture, Engineering,
Medicine, Commerce, Education, Arts and Law. The course also consolidates study skills
necessary for college work and equips students with skills crucial for writing a 500-word
report. Below are more detailed descriptions of programme-specific course content:
4.6.1 English for Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SCI, AGR, ENG)
The Sciences Programme caters to the needs of students from Agriculture, Engineering and
Science colleges. Apart from general English, English for specific purposes is included in the
programme through science based readings and writings. Students are exposed to a variety of
reading texts that are scientific in nature. Students also get to enhance their Listening and
Speaking skills and work on a study project independently that culminates in a formal
presentation. The main focus of the Writing programme is to prepare students to write a 500word report showing evidence of research skills, note-taking, review and revision of work,
paraphrasing, summarising, use of quotations and use of references.
4.6.2
English for Medicine (MED)
The course offers programme based reading materials which include topics and skills that
further develop the language skills of students who plan to become involved in health care.
The listening and speaking component continues to equip the students with note-taking skills
and other classroom-related study skills. The writing component includes one rhetorical
56
function: a graph description which tests comparing and contrasting or cause and effect
writing skills. With regards to research and presentation skills, the students are required to
write a 500-word project and give a presentation on the same topic. To do this, they learn
how to locate and select information in the library and the internet, take notes from written
texts, paraphrase, summarize, compile a list of references and cite their sources in a text.
4.6.3
English for Economics and Political Science (CEPS)
The course offers programme based reading materials which include topics and skills that
further develop the language skills of students who plan to become involved in the business
world. The listening and speaking component continues to equip the students with notetaking skills and other classroom-related study skills. The writing component includes
rhetorical functions: cause & effect essays. With regards to research and presentation skills,
the students are required to write a 500-word project and give a short presentation on the
same topic. To do this, they learn how to locate and select information in the library and the
internet, take notes from written texts, paraphrase, summarize, compile a list of references
and cite their sources in a text.
4.6.4
English for Education, Arts and Law (EEAL)
The course offers more programme-specific materials and courses. The listening and speaking
component continues to equip the students with note-taking skills and other classroom-related
study skills. In writing, the students are introduced to one rhetorical function: opinion essays.
They are also required to produce an extended report of at least 500 words, which ties in with
their research project. The research project demands that Education and Arts students present a
poem by an approved poet, and relate that poem to the poet’s life and times. They are expected
to explain any difficult vocabulary in the poem and explain the poet’s use of literary devices.
Source materials must be acknowledged and correctly cited. Students must then submit a file
containing all the material used in the presentation and the source materials that they
downloaded or photocopied, together with an indication of which of those materials they used
for the presentation. There must be at least two sources, one of which must be from a book or
magazine. Musicology students may have the alternative of presenting a song, while Law
students can select a topic relevant to their field of study from a list provided by the
programme.
57
Test specifications
0604 Listening
Learning outcomes tested:
 Identify main ideas in a dialogue or monologue
 Extract and demonstrate comprehension of specific information in a dialogue or monologue
 Demonstrate the ability to take dictation or language which is level-specific
 Respond to questions about a conversation between two or more speakers in relation to
context, relationship between speakers, register (e.g., formal or informal)
 Identify speakers and topics in a conversation
 Follow spoken instructions in order to carry out a task with a number of stages
 Recognize signpost phrases to follow the speaker’s sequence of ideas
 Transfer specific information from a listening text into a table / diagram
 Take notes and respond to questions about the topic, main ideas, details, opinions or
arguments from an extended listening text (e.g. lecture, news broadcast)
 Use contextual clues to make inferences using explicit and implicit information
 Identify the opinion/attitude of the speaker(s)
 Distinguish facts from opinions
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: One
1. Number of tests: Three
2. Marks: 10
2. Marks: 10
3. Test type: Monologue + Dialogue
4. Themes: General / Academic
5. Based on: Curriculum LOs
6. Word length: 400 – 450 words
7. Readability level: FK: 10 - 12 approx., FRE: 45 - 65 approx.
8. Number of items: 6-10 on each of the tests
9. Test methods: MCQ, T/F/NI, matching, ordering/ categorizing/ choosing from list,
gap filling, answering questions, re-arrange jumbled sentences, note completion,
table/chart completion, + task types used in the course materials
0604 Reading
Learning outcomes tested:












Read and respond to a 1-2 page text in a given period of time
Show understanding of instructions
Skim a text for the main idea
Scan a text and demonstrate comprehension of specific information
Distinguish between main ideas and supporting details
Distinguish between facts and opinions
Identify arguments for and against a certain issue in a text
Make inferences based on information in a text
Deduce the meaning of words from context
Identify the meaning of unknown words using knowledge of word formation
Identify parts of speech and their functions in a text
Identify pronouns and their reference
58






Identify the relationship between textual and graphical information
Interpret graphically presented data (maps, charts, graphs, tables)
Transfer relevant information from a text to a table
Identify the writer’s point of view
Analyse relationships within and between sentences to understand different text
structures
Identify ideas expressed in compound and complex sentences
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
1. Number of tests: One
1. Number of tests: Three
2. Marks: 10
2. Marks: 30
3. Themes: General / Academic
4. Based on: Curriculum LOs
5. Word length: 400 - 450 words
6. Readability level: FK: 10 - 12 approx., FRE: 45 - 65 approx.
7. Number of items: 6-10 on each of the tests
8. Test methods: MCQ, T/F/NI, matching, ordering/ categorizing/ choosing from list,
gap filling, answering questions, re-arrange jumbled sentences, note completion,
table/chart completion, selecting/prioritizing relevant factual information/opinion +
task types used in the course materials
0604 Writing
Mid-Semester
End-of-Semester
No mid-semester writing test
1.
1. Number of tests: One
2.
2. Marks: 10
3.
Rhetorical functions tested by end-of-semester writing test
No writing exam is required for Science students in this course.
A graph description which tests comparing and contrasting or cause and effect
writing skills
CEPS Cause & Effect
EEAL Opinion Essay
SCI
MED
500-word report : By the end of the course, students produce a written report of a minimum
of 500 words showing evidence of research, note-taking, review and revision of work,
paraphrasing, summarising, use of quotations and use of references. The skills necessary to
achieve the task will be taught mostly through the Study Skills course. The topics are
provided by the programme and relevant to the student’s area of study.
59
Continuous Assessment
The informal, continuous assessment consists of speaking tasks, additional reading practice, a
portfolio and a written student project including a presentation. Speaking proficiency is
assessed by the Listening/Speaking teacher in the classroom or in the teacher’s office.
Informal reading and vocabulary are comprised of a number of online Moodle quizzes, graded
readers and/or reading comprehension quizzes provided by the CC.
Continuous Assessment Marks1
Reading
Speaking
Portfolio
Study Project
Total
10
5
5
25
45
2 speaking
tests
2 assessment
conferences, 1 midterm
and 1 final written
reflection
500-word report/15
marks
2 presentations /10
marks
2 vocabulary
quizzes/4 marks
4 Moodle reader
quizzes/3 marks
3 Moodle
activities/3 marks
1
The above table applies to the CEPS programme. Slight variations may occur in other programmes.
60
LANC1025 English for Humanities I
Title of the course
Course Code
Credit hours
Teaching hours
Prerequisites
English for Humanities I
LANC1025
0
6
Beginning of year placement test
Equivalency
Levels 1 and 2 of the FPEL (one way equivalency only) *
Materials
-
Project
World English 1: Student’s Book with Multimedia CD (Units 16) + Workbook
- Class audio CD
- Workbook Audio CD
- Students’ Book DVD
- Graded readers
- ESL Listening LAB Website
Vocabulary project
* One way equivalency means if a student is transferred from an English-medium programme to an Arabic-medium one and s/he
completed levels one and two of the FPEL, s/he will be exempted from this course. However, students transferring the other way
around (English to Arabic) will have to sit the placement test again.
Course description:
This course is for Arabic-medium students only. It is a course of 6 hours a week for 15 weeks
and bears no credits. It is an integrated skills course that provides coverage of the language
skills and the grammatical and lexical systems of English at an elementary level. It also
provides extensive practice in speaking, reading and writing skills through various classroom
activities as well as independent work. In addition, students are introduced to some essential
study skills and are required to practise them throughout the course. Independent work
includes homework World English Workbook, working independently on online listening
tasks as well as doing tasks supplied by the teacher. Students are also required to read four
two-page stories at home. Students are also required to read four two-page stories at home.
In addition, students do a vocabulary project across the academic semester independently
with some guidance from the instructor. Students also keep a weekly journal checked by the
teacher every week for feedback. Furthermore, a file containing work completed and class
handouts are maintained.
Course objectives:






Demonstrate understanding of everyday conversations
Read and understand simple texts
Understand and use basic grammar structures
Understand and use basic vocabulary
Take part in simple discussions about topics of general interest
Engage in simple guided conversations
61



Use common social expressions in conversations
Produce simple written texts using appropriate structures
Develop basic study skills
Placement and Exemption procedures:






Students have to sit the Placement Test (PT)
Students placed in Level 1 and Level 2 of the FPEL will take LANC 1025
Students placed in Level 3 and Level 4 of the FPEL will take LANC 1026
Students placed in Level 5 of the FPEL and above will be exempted from LANC1025
and LANC1026
In cases of transfer from English-medium or bilingual programmes under university
regulations, students will be exempted from doing the two courses providing they
have reached level 4 of the FPEL or above.
In cases of transfer to English-medium or bilingual programmes under University
regulations, students will be required to re-sit the Placement Test (PT). In the case of
colleges which require Exit Level, the students will also be required to take the Exit
Test (ET).
Assessment
It is a combination of formative and summative testing events. Summative assessment is
outlined below:
Form of
Assessment
Mid-term
exam
Related Objective(s)
-
-
-
-
Read and understand simple texts
Understand and
use basic
vocabulary
Understand and
use basic grammar
structures
Demonstrate
understanding of
everyday
conversations
Produce simple
written texts using
appropriate
structures
-
Criteria for assessment
Respond
appropriately to
questions on the
written text(s) given
Use appropriate
vocabulary in the
task(s) given
Use grammatical
structures in the
task(s) given
appropriately.
Respond
appropriately to
questions on the oral
text(s) given
Write short text(s)
on the topic(s) given
62
Percentage
20 %
Time of
Assessment
Week 7
and week 14
Mini-reading quizzes
Vocabulary
Quizzes
-
Read
and understand
simple texts
-
Respond
appropriately to
questions on the
mini reader given
Understand and use basic
- Use appropriate
vocabulary
vocabulary in the
8%
4%
task(s) given
Speaking
Independent
Learning
Project
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Take part in
simple discussions
about topics of
general interest
Develop basic
study skills
Understand and
use basic
vocabulary
Demonstrate
understanding of
everyday
conversations
Produce simple
written texts using
appropriate
structures
-
Speak on a topic
related to a graded
reader
Describe a picture
Keep a journal
5%
-
Work on a
vocabulary project
4%
-
Do online listening
tasks
4%
-
5%
5%
Week 15
Week 2
to week 15
Produce simple
written texts
using appropriate
structures
Understand and
use basic
vocabulary
Demonstrate
understanding of
everyday
conversations
Final Exam
As in Progress Tests
As in Mid-Semester
Exam
35 %
Week 16
Teacher
Assessment
Develop basic study
skills
-
10 %
Ongoing
-
Do homework
including workbook
(2%)
Keep a File (2%
Attend classes 4%,
63
-
Participate & display
a good attitude in
class (2%)
64
4.7 LANC1026 English for Humanities II
Title of the course
Course Code
Credit hours
Teaching hours
Prerequisites
Equivalency
English for Humanities II
LANC1026
0
6 (approximately 90 hours per semester)
LANC1025 unless a student is exempted as a result of the
beginning of year placement test
None
Materials
-
Project
World English 1: Student’s Book with Multimedia CD (Units
7-12)+ Workbook
- Class audio CD
- Workbook Audio CD
- Students’ Book DVD
- Graded readers
- ESL Listening LAB Website
Moodle website
Writing project – “Me and My World”
Vocabulary Project
Course description:
This course is for Arabic-medium students only. It is a course of 6 hours a week for 15 weeks
and bears no credits. It builds on the language skills covered in the first course (LANC1025).
The course aims to further develop the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking and to
consolidate language structures and lexis at a pre-intermediate level. The course also
incorporates an independent learning project that fosters students' autonomous learning and
critical thinking. Throughout the course, students also have an opportunity to develop some
basic research skills. Independent work includes homework using Pre-Intermediate New
Headway Plus Workbook, the multimedia CD ROM as well as tasks supplied by the teacher.
In addition, students use online supplementary materials using Oxford University Press
Website “Headway online”. Also, a file containing work completed and class handouts are
maintained. Furthermore, students will do a writing project on their own with some
assistance from the instructor throughout the semester.
Course objectives:









Read and understand general reading texts at an upper-elementary level
Discuss and express opinions about a variety of topics
Produce written texts at paragraph level using appropriate structures
Understand and use a range of vocabulary covering different topics (e.g. shopping,
health, jobs, etc.)
Demonstrate understanding of spoken texts (dialogue and monologue)
Use grammatical structures at an upper-elementary level
Use a range of common social expressions in conversations
Give oral presentations
Develop basic research skills
65
Placement and Exemption procedures:






Students have to sit the Placement Test (PT)
Students placed in Level 1 and Level 2 of the FPEL will take LANC 1025
Students placed in Level 3 and level 4 of the FPEL will take LANC 1026
Students placed in Level 5 of the FPEL and above will be exempted from LANC1025
and LANC1026
In cases of transfer from English-medium or bilingual programmes under university
regulations, students will be exempted from doing the two courses providing they have
reached proficiency level 4 of the FPEL or above.
In cases of transfer to English-medium or bilingual programmes under university
regulations, students will be required to re-sit the Placement Test (PT). In the case of
colleges which require Exit Level, the students will also be required to take the Exit
Test (ET).
Assessment
It is a combination of formative and summative testing events. Summative assessment is
outlined below:
Form of
Assessment
Mid-term
exam
Related Objective(s)
-
-
-
-
-
Minireading
-
Read and
understand general
reading texts at and
upper-elementary
level
Produce written
texts at paragraph
level using
appropriate
structures
Understand and
use a range of
vocabulary
covering different
topics
Demonstrate
understanding of
spoken texts
Use grammatical
structures at an
upper-elementary
level
Read and
understand simple
Criteria for assessment
-
-
-
-
-
-
Respond
appropriately to
questions on the
written text(s)
given
Write short text(s)
on the topic(s)
given
Use appropriate
vocabulary in the
task(s) given
Respond
appropriately to
questions on the
oral text(s) given
Use grammatical
structures in the
task(s) given
appropriately.
Respond
appropriately to
66
Percentage
20 %
8%
Time of
Assessme
nt
Week 7
and week
14
quizzes
Vocabulary
Quizzes
Speaking
tests
Independent
Learning
Project
Final exam
Teacher
Assessment
texts.
-
questions on the
mini reader given
Use appropriate
vocabulary in the
task(s) given
Speak on a topic
related to a reader.
Understand and
use basic
vocabulary
- Take part in simple
discussions about
topics of general
interest.
- Develop basic
study skills.
- Produce simple
written texts using
appropriate
structures
- Understand and
use basic
vocabulary
- Demonstrate
understanding of
everyday
conversations
As in Progress Tests
-
As in Mid-term exam
35 %
Week 16
-
- Maintain a
workbook and
doing homework
(3%)
- Keep a File (3%)
- Attend, participate
& display a good
attitude in class
(4%)
10 %
Ongoing
Develop additional
study skills
-
4%
5%
-
Describe a picture
Keep an online
journal
5%
5%
-
Work on a
vocabulary project
4%
-
Do online listening
tasks
4%
67
Week 15
Week 2 to
week 15
5. Appendices
5.1 Glossary of terms
The aim of this list is to establish some uniformity in the way we define certain terms used
in the Language Centre. As we have teachers from many different backgrounds, with a
range of training and experience, it is important to ensure that we are all talking the same
language. For this reason, it was decided that a glossary of terms would be useful, so that we
can be sure that everyone has the same referential framework.
Accountability: A means of judging a programme by measuring their outcomes/results
against agreed upon standards.
Achievement test: Also known as an attainment test, refers to what extent our students
have been successful in achieving the curriculum outcomes in a given period of time.
Aptitude test: This refers to any instrument used to measure a person's potential to perform
well.
Argument: A set of topic-related ideas which are used to support a point of view.
Assessment: Any systematic method of obtaining information from tests and other sources
which is used to draw inferences about characteristics of people, programmes, performance,
etc. It has a broader application such as gathering all kinds of data about a course or about a
student’s performance. Subjective assessment is not based on a test. It is often used
interchangeably with testing. We use the narrow definition of assessment to refer to a test.
Assignment: The act of assigning a particular task / duty for a specified time (as in a course)
Bias: A situation that occurs in testing when items systematically measure differently for
different groups.
Cloze test or procedure: This refers to the deletion of words after the first sentence, for
example every 5th, 7th, 9th word. The c-test is a variant on the cloze test in which the
second half of every other word in a reading passage is deleted.
Coherence v. Cohesion: Coherence: A coherent piece of writing or stretch of speech, quite
simply holds together, is intelligible to reader or hearer, is marked by structure, semantic
consistency, and logical progression. But stretches of speech are not always intelligible
without the interlocutor being aware of the context of the utterances. Nor do they
necessarily have any signs to signal coherence. No doubt we can work out what is
happening in the following examples and assess them as coherent.
68
Examples:
A: Are you okay for tonight?
B: Sorry, I'm busy.
A: The phone's ringing!
B: I'm in the shower.
A: Did you catch the bus?
B: I met old Fred.
Coherence, for our purposes in the Language Centre, will refer to the ways a student
produces a stretch of speech which is intelligible and logical; and the same with a piece of
writing. We can perhaps see coherence on a macro level: we look at the text as a whole.
Coherence has to do with discourse. Sometimes students’ writing lacks coherence; it is
incoherent. This is a matter of thought processes and logic as much as language, but they do
need to see that there must be logical connections when writing. It is fun to present them
with a short paragraph which has a sentence, or even phrase, which is quite incoherent,
and see if they can spot it. An elementary example is the following, but teachers can easily
make up their own, with varying levels of difficulty:
Eg. Muscat is the capital of Oman and is situated on the coast. It is an old city, with two
famous forts, originally built by the Portuguese. Oranges grow mainly in warm countries,
but they need cold winters. Many of the old houses of the city have been renovated, and
some have been turned into museums.
Cohesion: We can see cohesion at the micro level. We look at features which have more to
do with grammar. We look at the relationships between parts of a sentence and
relationships between sentences.
Coherence and cohesion markers: The core, or aim of the writing courses in the FPEL
curriculum, is to help students learn how to produce a piece of writing based on:
description, comparison, sequence, exposition (cause and effect), argumentation, etc. In the
curriculum we call these rhetorical functions. Whole courses are built around the concept
of 'rhetoric' at some universities. Writing: a college handbook by James A.W. Hefferman et
al (New York: Norton), bases the book on the concept of rhetorical power - the acquisition
of which is the key to good writing.
What we are looking at now are those words or phrases which signal a rhetorical function,
for example, sequence - First…secondly…finally. These words are known variously as:
transitions, transitional words or phrases, signal words, connecting words, meaning links,
links, linkers, connectives, rhetorical devices, markers (of comparison and contrast, for
example), and connectors.
In the curriculum, we use the term discourse markers to capture the fact that, when
assessing student writing based on a rhetorical function over two or three paragraphs we
are assessing to what extent the language of that particular function has been used to
produce a coherent piece of writing.
Cohesive ties: Also known as cohesive devices. We shall use the term cohesive ties after
Halliday and Hasan (1976) who identify 5 major types of cohesive ties: reference,
substitution and ellipsis, conjunctions and lexical ties.
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a) Reference:
Personal Pronouns:
Eg. Sarah went to the shops early. She was in a hurry because she had guests.
She ties the second to the first sentence and in referring back to Sarah (the referent) this
reference word is an example of anaphora or anaphoric reference.
Eg. They came out of the darkness, Big Jack, young Tom and old Martin.
The reference word they now points forward to the referents and so is an example of
cataphora or cataphoric reference. This is mainly used in fiction for dramatic effect.
Demonstrative Pronouns
Eg. 'That is the place I'd like to go to,' he said, pointing at a picture of Salalah.
b) Substitution and ellipsis.
Eg. Does he play tennis? - Yes, I think he does. (ellipsis)
Eg. The OHP is broken. I'll have to get a new one. (substitution)
c) Subordination and Conjunctions:
Non-restrictive relative clause. (We shall use this term rather than ‘non-defining clauses’)
Eg. The video, which was on a table in his office, was stolen over the weekend.
Restrictive relative clause. (Again, this term is used rather than ‘defining clauses’)
Eg. The students who did well got certificates.
d) Subordinators:
Time: The factory closed when the owner died.
Causality: Ahmed was happy because he got straight ‘A’s.
Concession and contrast: Although he was badly wounded, he rescued his comrade.
Purpose: He worked in the holidays so that he could buy a new car.
e) Lexical ties:
Lexical cohesion is a useful term for our work on the FPEL. Theme/topic in a reading text
is established by a succession of related terms or words, for example: doctor-illnessmedicine. Chains of such words are also known as collocation and establish cohesion in a
text. Other examples of lexical cohesion and collocation include the use of synonymy,
antonym and paraphrase. More familiar examples of collocation include such phrases as to
go fishing, to play football, to do your homework. There are restrictions on the use of
alternative verbs in the preceding examples, hence the term semantic restriction: *to go
football, *to play fishing, *to make homework.
Competency: A group of characteristics native or acquired which indicate an individual's
ability to acquire skills in a given area.
Cooperative/Collaborative Learning: A teaching method in which students of differing
abilities work together on an assignment / task and each student has an equal responsibility
within the group to complete the task.
Criteria: Guidelines / rules / characteristics / dimensions used to judge the quality of student
performance. They may be holistic / analytical / general / specific.
70
Criterion-referenced test (CRT): This examines the knowledge of, or performance on, a
specific domain. For our purposes, the domain is the curriculum and the criteria are the set
of objectives in that curriculum. Thus we are asking: ‘Have our students achieved certain
objectives?’ (A driving test is a good example of a criterion-referenced test; can the learner
perform certain activities to a defined level of ability?) CRT differs from norm-referenced
testing: in this procedure candidates are measured against the performance of their peer
group. Teachers often use a norm-referenced approach when correcting writing, (A’s is
better than B’s but not as good as C’s) but we want to develop criterion-referenced
procedures for all our tests. (A football league table is a good example of a norm-referenced
form of assessment; it tells us how teams compare with each other, but not how this year’s
champions would have fared against those of 20 years ago!)
Discourse: An old and well-used term in the English language, for example A Discourse on
the Evils of Tobacco; A Discourse Touching the Lives of Paupers in the Slums of 18th
Century Liverpool. A more recent example in a book review: The Elegant Universe by
Brian Greene…this discourse on the mysteries of space… (The Sunday Times. May 2001).
In all these examples, you could pick up a piece of writing between covers, look at this
writing and see a text. It all depends what you do with the text, how you treat it, what
critical devices you use to uncover its message. Once you look at the text as having a
persuasive or rhetorical function we are into discourse (and indeed Discourse Analysis and
more recently Critical Discourse Analysis have become minor industries).
Let us assume for sake of argument that text is a neutral medium; when we investigate that
text as a communicative act, then we are looking at that text as a piece of discourse.
It is unlikely that we need to go through the methodological procedure of the discourse
analyst by positing an addresser, a message and an addressee, and investigating who said
what to whom, when and how.
In the Language Centre we typically ask our students to write a text. We investigate the
discourse features of that text: is it coherent - are discourse markers in place to ensure that
coherence? Are cohesive ties in place to ensure relations within and between sentences?
We ask our students to read a text; we then (amongst other things) establish with them the
presence of discourse markers and cohesive ties. Obviously, the majority of our students do
not have the necessary English for us to differentiate between text and discourse; nor do
most of us have the Arabic. We suggest using the word text with our students and not
mention discourse.
Formative assessment: Sometimes called classroom or continuous assessment or teacher
assessment, it refers to the evaluation of a programme of instruction. This takes place
during/throughout the course/ semester and is ongoing. Different types of formative
assessment inform the teacher and the students about any adjustments to be made in the
teaching / learning strategies. This assessment provides feedback to students so they can
have opportunities to improve their learning or performance in the course. It is processbased with a view to improving the programme, thus differing from summative assessment,
which seeks to measure the success or achievement of a course at the end of a programme
of instruction. Examples of formative assessment include anything from written responses
(daily journal, class exercises, etc) to daily teacher's questioning for comprehension in a
class session.
71
Learning outcomes: These are clear and concise statements that specify what learners are
expected to know, understand and/or be able to demonstrate by the time they exit the
FPEL.
Level: one of the six proficiency levels in the FPEL determined by a Placement Test given
at the beginning of an academic year.
Objectives: These describe specific, discrete units of knowledge and skills and can be
synonymous with tasks to be completed.
Phatic communication: The function of phatic communication is to establish interpersonal
relations rather than pass on information. We use expressions like 'Hot day again!' or ' The
end of another week.'
Portfolio: See pages 4-5.
Reformulation: This refers to the rewording of a student's writing by teacher or peer-group,
while keeping the original meaning of the student's work. Reformulation can be at the
lexical, syntactic or discourse levels and differs from simply correcting errors or mistakes,
i.e. reformulation is a more radical approach than mere correction.
Reliability: The degree to which the results of an assessment are dependable and
consistently measure particular knowledge / skills. In other words, it is an indication of
consistencies of scores across different tasks / items that measure the same thing.
Repair: This refers to the rephrasing of an utterance by the speaker or others in a
conversation in order to correct errors or mistakes or to establish greater clarity. The
speaker's rephrasing of his/her own utterance is known as self-repair.
Schema theory: This refers to the activating of background knowledge of our students prior
to, or as part of, any communicative activity. ‘Schema’ is singular; ‘schemata’ is plural.
Summative Assessment: This is usually done through standardized tests, exams,
assignments, etc. It summarizes the students' progress of learning at the end of a course and
contributes to the marks / grade for a module, course, level, degree, etc. It assesses the
achievement of students in the course. It checks on what students should be able to
demonstrate at designated times within the course and has some formality associated even
if the form of assessment is flexible. Summative assessments may range from traditional
tests / exams to responses in portfolios, assignments, debates, role playing, etc. In other
words, summative assessments measure how well the students have learned the key content
and skills as defined by the course objectives.
Social language: Language used in social situations. E.g. greet and introduce oneself, take
one’s leave, apologize and accept apologies, express gratitude.
Task: A set of related actions that are performed in a sequence in order to achieve a goal
within a defined period of time. Ideally it should reflect a real life task.
72
Test: A series of questions, problems, physical responses designed to determine knowledge /
intelligence / ability. The word 'tests' is used in the Summative Assessment Scheme to
denote a series of short tests / quizzes.
Testing Techniques or Test Method: The method used to present the examples to be tested,
for example, multiple choice, short answer, cloze and c-test.
Test Rubric: Also known as instructions: the information given to students to complete the
test items.
Text: A text is the written record of a speech, a sermon, a conversation.
e.g. The voters carefully studied the text of the Prime Minister's speech.
e.g. The judge found inconsistencies in the text of the prisoner's statement.
Text v. Discourse: There is little agreement in the literature as to what constitutes text and
what constitutes discourse and, by extension, how and when one differs from the other.
Text refers to novels, poems, essays, instructional books (textbooks).
e.g. The students were given a very difficult reading text to study.
e.g. The prescribed texts included Moby Dick, The Scarlet Letter and Death of a Salesman.
Thinking skills: These are the building blocks of thinking. Some examples are observing,
recalling, ordering, comparing, evaluating, etc.
Turn: This refers to any reply to an utterance.
Turn-taking: A process whereby we signal to our listener he/she has 'permission' to reply.
Utterance: Anything said to a listener.
Validity: The extent to which an assessment measures what it is supposed to measure and
inferences made on the basis of the assessment are appropriate / accurate.
73
5.2 Best Practice
These guidelines have been prepared for all teachers at the Language Centre as to what
constitutes the ‘best practice’ to be followed in our classes. They are intended to initiate
new teachers into the way the teaching and learning of English should be approached, but
they will also act as a guide for all teachers and indicate to the outside world the underlying
approach we are adopting. The headings are the same as those used in the Lesson
Observation form, for ease of reference and simplicity. Please note that this is a general
guide to procedures; it is not an indication of what any one lesson should consist of.
Teachers need to be constantly aware of the change in educational climate that the
university represents for the students, in a move from a teacher-centred approach and
teacher as ‘provider’ to one that encourages the students to be more independent learners.
Better study skills – in the widest sense of the term – need to be encouraged and promoted
at all times.
In all kinds of lessons, the teacher generally adopts the view that students learn by
themselves, that tasks of a problem-solving nature are more productive than activities that
require repetition and mechanical practice. The ‘lockstep’ approach (all students doing the
same activity at the same time) should not be the norm; groups working on different tasks
and reporting/ comparing results can be used in all types of lessons. Teachers generally
ensure that language and language activities have some reference to the students’ own lives,
knowledge, experience, framework of reference, but at the same time expand their
cognitive horizons. The experience of learning English should, ideally, be a “complete”
learning experience, with new ideas, information, perspectives, and so on, as well as new
language items.
Lesson Quality
Objectives
Each lesson should have an objective(s) which is (are) transparent to an observer and to the
students.
Organization
Each lesson should have a clear organization, with activities/tasks in sequence, appropriate
variety, and a clear reference to appropriate learning outcomes. There is evidence of lesson
planning and of the sequence of lessons, in that one lesson follows on from another and
leads into the next. Teachers should show flexibility and judgment, and adjust to the
‘immediacy of the moment’, which may take them away from the lesson as planned.
Pacing




teachers should be sensitive to pacing
efficient use is made of the time available
a lively pace is maintained so that the lesson does not become slow, monotonous or
boring
no one activity takes up a disproportionate amount of time, there is some variety
within the lesson
74
Teaching aids
Teaching aids are used efficiently, and as appropriate to the needs/aims of the lesson (these
could include: realia, OHP, audio-visual materials, pictures, computers, the whiteboard,
books, etc.). The whiteboard serves as an outline/summary of what has been going on in the
lesson, so layout/writing should be clear.
Lesson Evaluation/Clarity of learning outcomes
There is some indication of what has been taught/learned in the lesson, with, for example, a
summary/conclusion, guidelines for extended work/homework, check on understanding,
reference to objectives, and so on.
Classroom Management
Seating is arranged so that the teacher can see/talk to/visit/monitor each student when
necessary. Students are put into appropriate learning groups to fit the nature of the activity,
i.e. individual work, pairs, small groups, whole class work, or combinations. These
procedures are clearly managed, so that students know exactly what they are doing, with
whom, how and why. The teacher is not static in the classroom, but moves to maximize
contact with/monitor students. There is interaction between the teacher and as many
different individuals as possible, not a ‘select few’. There is a smooth transition between
activities, with no ‘loose ends’. The teacher ensures that students are ‘on task’ and maintains
student involvement.
Teacher Talk
The teacher speaks clearly and at a speed which is appropriate to the level. The level of
language used is appropriate to the students' language level. Teacher talk is not dominant.
Instructions
Instructions are given clearly, with exemplification/demonstration where necessary, and
the students understand what is expected of them. The teacher checks understanding.
Presenting new language items
Contexts are clear and appropriate, and relate to the students’ experience/ knowledge. The
approach can be deductive (students are given rules and information and then apply them)
or inductive (students discover the rules from language data presented to them). Use of
other features, such as body language, gestures, tone, register, level of formality, are used to
reinforce language.
Elicitation
Elicitation, or activating schemata/background knowledge, can be conducted by the teacher
to the whole class, to groups or individuals, by group/whole class discussion/brainstorming.
Elicitation is used to determine what students know and what they can do, so that teacher
talk is not too long or dominant. However, there may need to be a balance between
elicitation and information-giving, so that students are not left unaware of what is going on
in the lesson.
Feedback
Teachers’ continuous support and feedback lead to students’ enthusiasm, motivation and
responsibility for their own learning. Collaboration between teachers and students should
be based on dialogue rather than merely pointing out the weak aspects of the student
ignoring the strengths. Ideally, feedback ought to be prompt, systematic and provide
75
clarification on how to improve learning in the future. In addition, the following
recommendations should be considered:
1. The frequency of feedback can be teacher-determined, negotiated or random,
taking into consideration the available time, and students’ workloads and schedules.
2. Comments should be confidential in the case of individual students.
3. Teacher feedback should not be a monologue, but rather part of a reflective
conversation
4. Using a web application can facilitate communication with students.
5. Guided peer or group reflective feedback sessions, and informal whole class
discussions in a friendly atmosphere, encourage honest reflections. Such feedback
sessions may be based on a particular task or skill.
Checking understanding
Teachers should not always assume that students understand, whether it is instructions,
explanations, ideas/concepts, etc. Some form of checking understanding should occur, from
‘concept questions’ to students re-phrasing instructions/new information, and so on.
Dealing with Errors
Errors need to be identified and given some attention, but this depends on the nature of the
error, the medium, the type/purpose of the class activity, and so on. In general, errors in
writing should be discovered by the students themselves, with the teacher’s help, and then
corrected by the students. Spontaneous speech errors can be pointed out using various
methods (ie. explicit correction, recast, clarification request, metalinguistic clues, elicitation
and repetition), but should be gently referred to when repeated.
Grammar
Grammar is acquired through appropriate practice, usually from more controlled to more
independent. Teachers can explain grammar, but the emphasis should be on appropriate
examples in a given context and relevant practice. Students should be encouraged to
produce (rather than imitate) accurate language samples. Grammar practice should cover
form, meaning and usage.
Reading
If the lesson concentrates on developing reading skills, then the students should be doing
all the work; a pre-reading, reading, post-reading structure is preferred. Silent reading skills
to extract relevant information are the main emphasis. If the teacher reads aloud
occasionally; it is to reinforce what the students have read; if the student reads aloud; it is to
indicate where required information is found in the text or as a final reinforcement, but not
as an initial step. If students do read aloud they should have previously interacted with the
text in some way, either with the teacher’s guidance or by reading and preparing the text
out of class, so that they understand what it is about; there should be a purpose to their
reading aloud, e.g. the other students are listening for information, for ‘sentence
boundaries’, for factual or pronunciation mistakes, etc.
Writing
If the focus is on developing writing skills, then a process view is generally adopted,
whereby some form of brainstorming of ideas/relevant vocabulary leads into a first draft,
with self/peer/teacher correction leading to a final draft for assessment. As writing is the
one skill where accuracy is at a premium, there needs to be sufficient attention paid to
accuracy, involving students as much as possible through peer correction, OHT examples of
76
errors for group/class discussion, etc. There should be some feedback to the students on
their work – their areas of strength and weakness – so that they know what to concentrate
on. Students need to be encouraged to write as much as possible, and not just for teacher
assessment, but journal writing and other personal writing activities are to be encouraged.
Speaking
Students should be given appropriate group/pair speaking tasks to develop confidence and
fluency, with accuracy considered as a follow-up activity. Attention has to be paid to
pronunciation (including phonemes/clusters/stress/ intonation), at all stages, and on a
regular basis (perhaps incidentally as a result of class activities), with suitable models and
appropriate practice. Presentations, from informal, spontaneous 1-minute talks to longer,
prepared academic talks, are to be encouraged, but memorization and ‘recitation’ should be
discouraged.
Listening
The primary model for listening is the teacher, but other examples from CDs and videos are
needed to supplement this, so every opportunity should be taken to provide this. Listening
tasks need not be only those elements of a course book entitled ‘Listening’; teachers can
carry out many kinds of spontaneous, unprepared mini-listening activities to promote
listening skills, and so on.
Student talking time
Students need to be given as much opportunity for ‘talking time’ as possible, although this
will of course depend on the nature of the lesson/activity.
Patterns of interaction
Teachers should choose an appropriate form of interaction (pair, group, whole class) for the
task in hand.
Problem-solving v. mechanical practice
Student participation should reflect both approaches, but the primary route to learning is
through the former, which should therefore receive the emphasis.
Level of student involvement
The teacher has the responsibility of ensuring that all students are involved in the lesson,
and should adopt any necessary monitoring, feedback, guiding measures to promote this.
Affective elements
This is the area which is perhaps the most important of all, but the most difficult to describe
and assess. What we aim to see in our classrooms is, ideally, students interested, motivated,
involved, ready to do more than the teacher or textbook requires of them, an atmosphere of
trust and mutual respect, a supportive, co-operative, serious, yet friendly atmosphere.
Finally, after every lesson, it is worth asking oneself these questions: What did the students
learn or achieve in that lesson? How do I know? If I had been a student in that class, would
I have enjoyed it?
77
5.3 Procedures & Policies
The following list of points is to help ensure that the teaching/learning of the FPEL is
conducted as smoothly and effectively as possible. It is important that all teachers and
students follow these guidelines.
Points for Teachers
Teaching hours: Teachers’ contracts stipulate 18 contact hours per week. There can be a
reduction of this teaching load for certain reasons: programme or course co-ordination,
membership of the Curriculum or Testing Unit, etc., or for any other specified
developmental work. In addition, teachers are expected to maintain 8 consultation hours
per week; which is time spent to enable students to come for individual consultation, or for
the normal preparation/marking of work. The hours that the university expects of its
academic staff are from 8 to 1, an hour for lunch from 1 to 2, and then from 2 to 4.
Teachers may begin work later if they are scheduled to teach a late afternoon class between
4 and 6. If teachers have completed their assigned teaching and office hours for the day and
wish to do work at home, they may do so with the permission of their Course Coordinator.
Teachers should make sure their whereabouts are known, by putting their timetable on
their door (showing teaching and office hours), and by leaving a note if they are out of their
office for other reasons.
Teacher Profile:
Teachers are required to maintain their own Teacher profile, which is
simply an objective record of their contribution to the work of the Language Centre. This
document lists the teaching record of each teacher at the LC, and also indicates areas in
which they have contributed. It can act as a useful reference document at the end of a
teacher’s stay at the university.
Teacher Observation: Newly-appointed teachers are observed once or twice in their first
semester by the Director or a Deputy Director. More information on these observations can
be found in the LC Staff Handbook. Teachers are also encouraged to request observations
by their CC or other staff for professional development purposes.
Classes and Classrooms: Teachers are assigned to a programme when they first arrive on
the basis of need, but previous experience and expertise are taken into account as much as
possible. Thereafter, teachers may be moved to another programme or may stay within the
same programme, perhaps moving up a level with their classes or staying at the same level.
At the end of each teaching block, teachers are asked to state their preferences for the
following semester. Account is taken of individual preferences, but the LC cannot
guarantee that teachers will be moved to their first choice. Students often put teachers
under pressure to change either the class time or the classroom, mainly because they do not
want to have afternoon classes on a Wednesday. Teachers must resist this pressure, and
should on no account unilaterally change their timetable. Even if students insist there is a
room free at a more convenient time, teachers must not change their timetable. Requests
can be made to the Course Coordinator who will decide if this is possible. No timetable
change is allowed without permission from Admissions & Registration.
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Student Profiles: At the end of each course, teachers may be required to submit a ‘Student
Profile’ for certain students in their class(es). This provides a record of each student’s
progress through the FPEL that a student, or any teacher or Course Coordinator, or
University administrator, can access. This provides an objective record of a student’s scores
in exams and their classroom performance, plus any subjective comments that a teacher
may wish to add. Your CC will provide details.
General Behaviour Points: Teachers are expected to be on time for classes and to keep to
the required amount of time; i.e. if the class consists of a 50 minute lesson, then the lesson
should be 50 minutes, and if there are two consecutive lessons, then it is possible to forego
the break between classes and finish after 100 minutes, i.e. from 8.00 – 9.40. Teachers are
expected to dress in an ‘appropriate’ manner (further details are available in the LC
handbook on ‘Living and Working in Oman’) and to conduct themselves with professional
dignity. Teachers will vary in the kind of relationship they have with their students, but
most will find the students to be friendly, polite and respectful. It is sensible to avoid
controversial matters in the classroom, especially those related to religion and politics.
Points for Students
Attendance
(currently under review - any revisions to the current policy will be
contained in supplementary documentation and the online version of the FPEL curriculum
document): Class participation and attendance are important elements of every student's
learning experience at SQU. Students in the FP are expected to attend all their classes.
Keeping track of the student's attendance and observation of the student's performance in
class are the responsibilities of the instructor. If a student fails to attend a class for whatever
reason, his/her absence will be recorded and the student will be held responsible for any
consequences resulting from his/her absence.
When a student has been absent for 5% or more of the course, s/he will be issued with a
Warning notice issued by his teacher and countersigned by the Programme/Course
Coordinator and the Student Affairs Officer (SAO). Should the student continue to record
further absences, s/he will be required to meet with the LC SAO for counselling.
A student in the FP may not miss more than 10% of the total hours of any course in a
semester irrespective of the reason for his/her absence. This 10% allows the student to be
absent without serious penalty for periodic illness (such as colds and flu) and the occasional
urgent or unforeseen situation. The student is not granted extra hours in lieu of such
absences. If a student exceeds this 10% limit, he/she will be issued with a Failure notice
and barred from the course. The student’s grade will be entered as FW (later to be
converted to an F) and any penalties arising from this FW/F grade will apply. If a quiz,
examination or continuous assessment event is held during a student’s absence and the
student is able to produce an official document that proves the reason for his/her absence,
the student will be given an opportunity to do the make-up quiz, examination, assessment
task upon his/her return. The Language Centre has the right to reject any document of
questionable reliability.
In certain circumstances, a student may be excused for absences of between 10% and 20%
of the total course hours. These circumstances include:
a) admission to hospital for extended, inpatient treatment
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b) the death of a close family member [grandmother/grandfather, (step)mother /
(step)father, brother / sister, son / daughter, uncle / aunt]
c) the final stage of pregnancy and birth of own child
d) emergency circumstances which the LC Director recognizes as requiring extended
absence. The reasons for such absences are subject to review by the Language
Centre.
Students who fall into one of the above four categories and who miss more than 20% of
classes in a course will be required to withdraw from that course. Such students will be
exempted from the penalties associated with an FW/F and may repeat the course when the
students’ circumstances allow. A Failure notice may be withdrawn on recognition of any of
the situations listed in (a) to (d) above. However, if a Failure notice is issued a second time,
this notice cannot be rescinded.
The following rules are applied in determining attendance of the students:
1. If a student attends only a part of a class, the instructor determines whether he/she
is considered present or absent for that day based on the FP policy regarding
lateness.
2. Attendance records in the FP begin on the first official day of classes irrespective of
any period allotted to late registration.
3. Mass absences – when some students put pressure on other students to get
agreement on the whole class missing a class on a certain day – will be recorded by
the instructor.
4. If an instructor reschedules a class, the new timing must be suitable and agreed
upon in writing by all students; otherwise, instructors cannot hold a student
responsible for not meeting the attendance requirement.
5. If classes for a course are cancelled during a semester by the SQU or FP
Administration and not rescheduled, no student in that course will be recorded
absent from those classes.
Lateness policy: The following lateness policy is enforced at the Language Centre, effective
fall 2012: Students coming to class within the first ten minutes will be marked late. If a
student comes to class late three times, s/he will be marked absent for one hour.
1. Students coming to class after the first ten minutes will be marked absent for one
hour and will be allowed to attend the class if they choose to do that.
2. Students coming to class after the first thirty minutes will be marked absent for two
hours and may not be allowed to attend the class.
Collaborative Work: In some cases, it is helpful for students to work together, share ideas,
and produce a joint project, for example, but teachers should try and spot when students
have copied from one another, especially with more mechanical exercises. Some will try
and find the shortest route to a particular objective, and this may not entail any of their
own work or effort!
Classroom Behavior:
Further details are available in the LC handbook on ‘Living and
Working in Oman’ mentioned above, but teachers who may be new to Oman should note
the following: in general, students here are co-operative, respectful, friendly, and eager to
learn, but sometimes problems arise. The male students are more boisterous, and an all
male class can be a handful. The girls tend to work harder and be more organized. The
classroom arrangement is normally boys at the front, girls at the back, with little contact
between them, although some teachers persuade them to sit boys on one side, girls on the
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other, which is much better. Group activities are normally conducted in single sex groups.
Students are generally quite forthcoming in the classroom, so often there will be many
responses to open elicitation, not all of which may be accurate. If a teacher wants a clear
answer, it is best to nominate a specific student.
Study Skills:
As has been mentioned earlier in this document, these tend to be poorly
developed in the students when they first come to SQU, so teachers need to keep reminding
them to organize their work, maintain portfolios, do homework on time, and so on. Many
students retain the habit of writing in the textbooks, usually with an Arabic equivalent over
the English word, but this should be discouraged and students need to be shown alternative
ways of recording and maintaining a vocabulary log.
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5.4 Pedagogic Information and Guidelines
Introduction
The Language Centre accepts that there is considerable variation in the way that teachers
like to teach, and also in the way that learners like to learn, as will be seen in the next
section. We would regard the teaching/learning complex as a whole, and see methodology
as a means of trying to ensure that students reach as high a standard of achievement as
possible, in the time, and with the resources that are available. We do not advocate a
particular approach to classroom teaching, although with an increasingly wide range of
professional and training backgrounds among our teaching staff, we do need to ensure that
some common standards of teacher and learner behavior are being met. The ‘Best Practice’
document given in Appendix 5.3 gives a summary of the kind of activities we would like to
see going on in the classrooms in the FPEL.
At present, the main delivery mode for our courses is the conventional classroom setting,
with one teacher and around 20 students. Students have 18 contact hours of English per
week in this setting. In addition, they are expected to attend other FP courses and do work
on their own, making use of computer labs, of teachers’ office hours, the reading room
resources, and carrying out the normal homework/assignment tasks set by the teachers.
With an increasing use of computer-delivered learning materials and accompanying tasks,
accessed by students from a range of venues around the campus or outside, this pattern may
well change. Also, with varying class sizes according to the type of language skill being
practiced, for example, smaller groups for speaking and writing skills, this dominant
learning mode will no doubt change.
Thus, for the present, teachers and students alike normally have classroom contact for four
hours per day. In this context, we would like to stress the following aspects of the
teaching/learning of English:
Student motivation
Students are motivated by a range of factors, some internal and some external, but it is
clear that the teacher, and the way that he or she presents learning materials to the class,
encourages practice and study, and provides personal support and encouragement to
individuals, can have an influence on the motivation of students. A common complaint
from students is that lessons or academic materials are ‘boring’, which may be a cover for all
kinds of hidden emotions and attitudes, but which teachers need to be aware of. We have
tried to select materials which are stimulating to the students and which generally widen
their knowledge horizons as well as develop their English language skills, but it is not
possible to ensure that all students have the same level of interest. Therefore, the teachers
have a certain responsibility to try and maintain a level of student interest and to provide
sufficient variety in their lessons and procedures to help sustain motivation in the
classroom.
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Variety
As indicated, we would encourage teachers to provide variety in the classroom, of activity
types, of modes of presentation, of informal assessment procedures, of extra support
material, and so on, to maintain interest and to stimulate the students. The curriculum
document is comprehensive, and together with the learning materials provided, furnishes a
rich educational resource which teachers will interpret in slightly different ways, so we
would encourage teachers to show initiative in sharing their teaching ideas with colleagues
and with their CC to continually develop the curriculum.
Differences in proficiency levels
Generally speaking, the lower the level of competence of the students, the more they need
the presence and support of the teacher. Thus, we would expect teachers at the lower
proficiency levels to create an active, positive classroom, with a variety of activities,
learning modes and focus on different skills, whereas at the higher levels lessons may be
more focused on one skill with more time spent on students’ individual work. Students at
the lower levels need to develop all skills, but there will be an emphasis on communication
skills and on confidence-building in using English.
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5.5 Extracts from Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA) document
for General Foundation Programs
6.2.3 Taking Notes
a) Recall and define main concepts.
b) Utilize abbreviations and symbols.
c) Use English rather than Arabic for notes in margins and glossing vocabulary.
d) Extract and record key information (the gist) from a written or spoken source based on
own interpretation of information.
e) Adopt a note-taking strategy (e.g. Cornell system; mind mapping).
f) Support key points with relevant additional details.
g) Organise information to enable quick reference at a later date.
h) Date one’s notes.
i) Use notes to create a summary.
j) Reproduce key information and supporting details from notes in one’s own words.
k) Sort out information and reject irrelevant pieces.
6.2.4 Giving Presentations
a) Outline and define main concepts.
b) Address questions from the audience.
c) Plan and conduct a presentation based on information from written material, interviews,
surveys, etc.
d) Speak in a clearly audible and well paced voice.
e) Follow a presentation format.
f) Use presentation language (discourse markers etc.).
g) Achieve the key aim of informing the audience.
h) Make use of audio/visual aids when giving oral presentations.
i) Tailor content and language to the level of the audience.
j) Maintain some eye contact with audience.
k) Speak from notes in front of an audience using index cards.
l) Observe time restrictions in presentations.
m) Organise and present information in a logical order at a comprehensible speed.
n) Invite constructive feedback and self-evaluate the presentation.
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5.6 Guidelines for Materials Development and Use
Below are some guidelines to facilitate the development and production of core and
supplementary material for the FPEL.
Readability of texts
What distinguishes the level of difficulty of work from level to level is often the nature of
the reading texts that students have to deal with. The following notes give some general
guidelines on this, with first a reference to levels of difficulty in terms of readers, using the
levels of the Longman / Penguin Readers as a rough guide. This is only an approximation
but it suggests the levels that students should be able to cope with on their own when doing
outside extensive reading. (The table on page 83 indicates approximate equivalents of levels
for the different series of readers.) The second pointer is a Reading Index, based on the
Flesch Reading Ease and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, both of which are accessible on
Microsoft Word so are easy to use. The first is based on the number of syllables per word
and the average number of words per sentence, and gives a ‘score’ - the higher the number,
the greater the number of people who can understand it: ‘standard writing’ averages 60 –
70. The second uses a similar measure and indicates a grade-school level, so Grade 8 means
that an 8th grader in an American school would understand it.
The above paragraph scored 49.6 and Grade 12 on the above scales. They are only
approximate measures but can give a guide, especially for texts used for exams. However,
we know that the difficulty of a reading text depends upon many other factors over and
above the rather mechanistic features of sentence/word length, including propositional
content, lexical density, shared knowledge/assumptions between writer and reader, the
cultural knowledge/values implicit in a text, and so on, as well as other linguistic features
such as clause embedding which can make texts difficult to unravel. So, these measures are
to be taken as rough guides only.
The following two paragraphs are taken from a Level 2 test and scored 68.7 and Grade 7.6
on the two scales, so they do indicate a generally lower level of difficulty:
The first kind of air transportation was not a plane but a balloon. People traveled by
balloon more than a century before there were planes or jet aircraft. Those early days of
ballooning were exciting, but they were also dangerous. Sometimes the balloons fell
suddenly or burned up. However, the dangers of ballooning did not stop the balloonists.
The first real balloon flight was in France in 1783 when two Frenchmen, the Montgolfier
brothers, filled a very large paper bag with hot air which went up over 300 meters in the
sky. Their invention was based on the idea that hot air is lighter than cold air, so it goes up.
The next paragraph scored 96 and Grade 3 on the two scales:
Once upon a time, there were three bears. They lived in a little house in a wood. One day,
they all went for a walk to a distant part of the wood. While they were out, a little girl
came to their house. She had never been to that part of the wood before. She went up to
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the house and knocked on the door. There was no answer, so she opened the door and
went in. She saw a large table in the middle of the room and on the table there were three
bowls of porridge. She was hungry after her walk, so she started to eat the porridge in the
biggest bowl. It was too hot. She then tried the porridge in the smallest bowl, but that was
too cold. So she started to eat the porridge in the medium-sized bowl, and that was just
right, not too hot and not too cold.
The suggestion is that these measures can give a guide as to relative levels of difficulty, so
that for example, the readability scores for students placed at the second proficiency level of
the LC Placement Test would be around 90 – 80 and Grade 4/5, whereas at level 6 the
scores might be around 60 – 55 and Grade 10/11; however, we should repeat that this is
only a very approximate guide and should not be considered an absolute measure.
Copyright policy
An increasing number of language centre courses use in-house teaching material either in
the form of handouts or entire textbooks. The laws regarding copyright matters in Oman
have not been fully articulated to the Language Centre’s staff in the past, but the Sultanate’s
recent enrolment in the World’s Trade Organization has prompted some changes which
will require more stringent practice from now on.
Below are certain guidelines to observe when using material from other sources:
A simple rule of thumb is not to use material that is intended specifically for ESL/EFL use
(i.e. English language textbooks and supplementary teaching material) without written
permission from the publisher, since this directly conflicts with the economic interests of
the copyright holders of this material. If a certain textbook is out of print, you should first
contact the publisher to determine whether they are willing to make the material available
for purchase before reproducing the material.
Material in the public domain (i.e. government documents or material old enough to be in
the public domain) can be used, but you should always acknowledge the original source of
the information in your material. In addition, any material that is made available through
news sources (newspapers, magazines, TV and radio news broadcasts, etc.) can also be used
for educational purposes as long as you cite the sources.
If any of our in-house material contains obvious copyright violations, it is the responsibility
of the Course Coordinator and the materials writer to correct the situation.
The material referred to in the guidelines above includes paper and electronic texts, audio
and video material as well as pictures and photographs.
For more information on Oman’s copyright laws visit the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry website at: http://www.mocioman.gov.om.
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Target vocabulary
As mentioned earlier in the “General Information” section, the FPEL places a great
emphasis on the acquisition of vocabulary. The CU formed a team of teachers whose
responsibility was to identify the most frequent and useful vocabulary for students in this
context and establish vocabulary lists and sub-lists that can then be used for learning,
teaching and assessment. The vocabulary team has managed to establish sub-lists for all six
levels of the intensive programme. These lists along with the rationale appear on the next
pages. A tremendous amount of work and effort has been put into this project so it is hoped
that the teachers and materials writers will take advantage of this resource to help the
students learn English more effectively and efficiently. A wide range of online vocabulary
activities have been developed for vocabulary sub-lists for the first four proficiency levels of
the FPEL.
The role of vocabulary in language acquisition
There is increasing evidence that vocabulary plays a major role in facilitating the language
acquisition process. Ignorance of word meanings has been identified as the major obstacle
to the ability to communicate effectively and comfortably in the target language. In some
situations, there are shared vocabulary items between the first and second languages,
making it easier for the second language learner to acquire the vocabulary of that language.
However, in our EFL context, a common vocabulary basis is very limited between English
and Arabic. In addition, students’ exposure to English is confined to the classroom and
therefore they do not get a lot of opportunities for practice and input outside the classroom.
Furthermore, the role of vocabulary goes beyond reading to impact competency in all the
other skills. For these reasons, explicit vocabulary instruction should be a major element of
any preparatory language programme, be it intensive or credit.
What does it mean to know a word?
Knowing a word can take three different forms, namely word form, meaning, and use. Each
of these three levels can be further categorized into receptive and productive knowledge.
What counts as a word?
According to Paul Nation (2001) in his book Learning Vocabulary in Another Language,
there are four ways for deciding what counts as a word:
Tokens (or running words): Each word is counted as a word even if it is repeated.
Types (or different words): Each word is counted once only. Repeated words are not
counted twice.
Lemmas (or head words): Headwords with their inflected and reduced forms. Inflections in
English are: third person ‘s’, past tense, plural ‘s’, past participle, -ing, comparative and
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superlative, and possessive ‘s’. Counting words based on lemmas reduces the number of
words in the corpus considerably. However, there are many things to bear in mind when
using lemmas as the unit of counting:



how will the regular nouns and verbs be treated (e.g. mice, taught, spoken, etc).
how will words with the same spelling but different part of speech be used (e.g.
original, display, present, etc).
what should be the headword, the base form or the most frequent form of the
word?
Word families: Word families include words used with other affixes such as –ly and –ness.
A word family consists of a headword, its inflected forms, and its closely related derived
forms. However, one major concern here is what should be included in the word family
and what should not. In addition, derived forms are learned gradually and it would
therefore be irrational to include all the derivations and teach them all at the same time.
Therefore, we might want to classify the words according to their difficulty and frequency
and introduce the more frequent ones first.
What and how many words should be considered as high frequency?
It is estimated that native speakers acquire 1000 words every year in their early years. This
includes both content and function words like a, an, some, while, when, because, to, from,
etc. In his plenary speech at the Language Centre’s 5th ELT Conference April, 2005, Dr
Eddie William gave the following statistics about the relationship between the number of
words one knows and their representation or coverage in texts.
Number of words
1, 000
Coverage
71% (one word in every five words will be
unknown)
79.7%
84%
86.8%
88.7%
89.9%
2, 000
3, 000
4, 000
6, 000
7, 000
What are the common high frequency vocabulary lists?
There are three major vocabulary lists:
Common high frequency vocabulary lists
List name
Author
Word count
General
Michael West
2284 words
Service List
(1953)
(GSL)
John Bauman
and Brent
Culligan (1995)
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Description
Headwords, used
as a basis for
graded readers,
Examples
New, any, day,
also, own, sign,
call, another, etc
Academic
word List
(AWL)
Coxhead (1998)
in New Zealand
570 words
University
Word List
(UWL)
Xue and Nation
(1984)
808 words
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These are semitechnical words
that are not in the
2,000 words. Not
restricted to a
specific
discipline.
These are
advanced words.
Approach,
authority, data,
role, specific,
variables, issue,
legal, facilitate,
fundamental, etc
Alternative,
context, achieve,
abandon,
transmit, inhibit,
absorb, fallacy,
finite, etc
Why develop a common vocabulary list?
Having a common vocabulary list helps achieve several goals:

some words are more useful and common than others and thus should be part of
any effective language teaching programme.

being able to know and use the most frequent and useful words allows the learner
to use the language more meaningfully and effectively.

having a common list makes the coverage of the items in materials writing, teaching
and assessment more effective.

these words are so important and therefore all extra attention paid to them in the
curriculum can be justified for their frequency, coverage, and range.
Introduction to the Language Centre’s word lists
The creation of the vocabulary lists went through a number of stages. The purpose of
creating a vocabulary inventory for the Language Centre was to direct the students’
acquisition of vocabulary by identifying the most frequent and useful words relevant to
their context and study requirements. Instead of simply basing our lists on existing
international lists that were created for a certain audience and context, we devised our own
selection criteria in order to produce practical and meaningful lists in a scientific way. The
teaching experiences of the members of the vocabulary project group and also feedback
from other staff members played a very important role in including and excluding certain
words. The development of these underwent several stages some of which are listed below:
Choosing words for the initial word list: This was based on a set of criteria.
Choosing word forms: The word list and sub-lists were not solely based on head words. As a
rule, where the GSL list included both verb and noun forms of a particular lexical item (e.g.,
behave/behaviour,
connect/connection,
discover/discovery,
discuss/discussion,
know/knowledge), the verb form was included in the Level 2 sub-list and the noun in Level
3 (with a few exceptions such as direct/direction and educate/education, where it was felt
that both forms were of immediate relevance). This was true also for adjective/noun pairs
(difficult[2]/difficulty[3], dirty[2]/dirt[3], healthy[2]/health[3], honest[2]/honesty[3],
hungry[2]/hunger[3], etc.). The rationale for this was that everything could not be learned
at once in Level 2, the verbs were more important and the adjectives more easily used, and
when the noun forms were encountered in Level 3 it would be a good chance to revisit and
remember the verbs and adjectives learned in Level 2.
Choosing words for teaching and testing: For each level and for practical reasons, we had to
create a sub-list of words that could be reasonably taught and tested in the classroom. If a
word or a word form appears 6 to 8 times or more in the three corpora combined it is in
bold.
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Creating a list of known words: this includes the words which are assumed to be known by
the majority of the students upon admission to SQU. This list will be further refined based
on feedback from future diagnostic vocabulary tests.
The following criteria were developed for including and excluding certain words in or from
our lists despite their existence or non-existence in the GSL and AWL:
Inclusion criteria

Some of the words for colours were included

Although GSL formed the base list for the selection and choice of words, some of
them which are not in the GSL are also included, because of their high frequency
and because, they met the requirement of the selection criteria, e.g, "did", "does"

Words with a frequency of 6 and more in the corpus have found place in the list.

Generally speaking, only the base form of a verb or a noun is included and not the
derivatives and the inflected forms E.g. 'explain' is in the list but not 'explained',
'bear' is in but not 'bearable'. 'book' is included but not 'books' Some of the
derivatives are included because of their very high frequency

Words that appear in certain level do not normally appear in the higher level list(s)
Exclusion criteria

Any word which appears in one list does not appear in any other list

Words for months, days, numbers, professions do not appear in the lists

The comparative and superlative forms of regular adjectives and adverbs are not
included
Learning the vocabulary lists
The main purpose of creating these vocabulary lists is to enable the students acquire the
most frequent vocabulary items in English. The words in these lists came from a corpus
analysis. The corpus for each level was composed of texts from three main sources:

The teaching material for the level

A selection of graded readers used in the level

SRA boxes
It is therefore vitally important that the students are encouraged to read English texts
especially graded readers and SRA cards.
Below is a detailed description of an approach suggested by the vocabulary team to help
Language Centre teachers address vocabulary in their classrooms. The approach was based
on the work by Paul Nation.
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The four strand approach:
Goal: To balance the 4 strands evenly across the entire programme, meaning that each of
the four separate skill classes in all five levels should contain a vocabulary-focus component
which includes three of the four strands woven into the methodology, syllabus, and course
materials.
THE four STRANDS:
1) Comprehensible Meaning-Focused Input

vocabulary through listening and reading activities (works best when there is 95%
coverage; cannot work when there are too many unknown words; graded readers,
dictogloss, communication activities)
2) Language Form-Focused Learning

direct teaching and study of vocabulary (vocabulary flashcards, vocabulary
notebooks, dictionary exercises, lists, quizzes, online exercises, CALL, reading
difficult texts, etc.)
3) Meaning-Focused Output

speaking and writing focus on vocabulary development (communication activities,
discovery learning, inter- and intra-group interactions, research-based
presentations and writing)
4) Fluency Development

working with vocabulary already known (not new words – without this, new gains
are quickly lost; review games, repeated reading, speed reading, below-level graded
readers, 10-minute writing)
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The Essential Rubric
PROGRAMME
LEVEL
LANGUAGE
SKILL
STRANDS
TRIAD
ACTIVITIES/
TECHNIQUES
MEANING-FOCUSED
INPUT
FORM-FOCUSED
LEARNING
Reading
Listening
Reading
Listening
Writing
Speaking
MEANING-FOCUSED
OUTPUT
TIME
REQUIRED
FLUENCY DEVELOPMENT
Reading
Listening
Writing
Speaking
Writing
Speaking
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READING
LISTENING
Meaning-Focused Input
Meaning-Focused Input
Form-Focused Learning
Form-Focused Learning
Fluency Development
Fluency Development
WRITING
SPEAKING
Meaning-Focused Output
Meaning-Focused Output
Form-Focused Learning
Form-Focused Learning
Fluency Development
Fluency Development
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Vocabulary teaching plan for all proficiency levels
Skill
Strand
Activity
Time
Dictate words (wds), students (ss) sort
them into meaning categories using
dictionary. Title can be given or not
given by the teacher (T). E.g. Divide 12
wds into 3 categories. chair, lunch, town,
class, city, dinner, table, coffee,
breakfast, cup, country, tea.
Dictate a selection of wds that share the
same sounds, but may be spelt according
to different rules, E.g. date, great, wait,
eight etc
Use only known wds and grammatical
features and preferably familiar content
knowledge. Allow ss to control the task
and help them to plan. Ss should be
interested in the message they are
sending or receiving, time pressure,
competition
(with
own
earlier
performance or with others, or
opportunity to repeat a task.
Listening for several minutes.
Identifying lexical chains by e.g.
underlining or circling associated wds. Ss
then identify the type of relationship
between wds in chain such as
collocations, synonyms, antonyms,
hyponyms and their super-ordinates e.g,
collocations –shed skin, fish scale,
synonyms- found, discovered, antonyms
– harmless, dangerous, hyponyms snake,
python and its super-ordinate - reptile
Ss find wds in a text that are derivatives.
E.g., Find three wds in the text that are
derived from “sense” etc.
Use only known wds and grammatical
features and preferably familiar content
knowledge. Allow ss to control the task
and help them to plan. Ss should be
interested in the message they are
sending or receiving, time pressure,
competition (with own earlier
performance or with others, or
opportunity to repeat a task.
Reading texts several hundred wds long.
2-3 mins
Listening
Meaning-Focused
Input
Form-Focused
Learning
Fluency
Development
Reading
Meaning-Focused
Input
Form-Focused
Learning
Fluency
Development
95
2 mins
+
feedback
May vary
5-7 mins
4 mins
+
feedback
Writing
Meaning-Focused
Output
Form-Focused
Learning
Fluency
Development
Speaking
Meaning-Focused
Output
Form-Focused
Learning
FluencyDevelopment
Provide definitions, synonyms or L1
translations of the targeted wds and ask
ss to find the wds in the text that match
Ss write wds ending in a Schwa. E.g.,
mother, powder, father etc.
Give wds which share the same spelling
features but may be pronounced
differently, e.g. guess, magic, gym, gift
Use only known wds and grammatical
features and preferably familiar content
knowledge. Allow ss to control the task
and help them to plan. Ss should be
interested in the message they are
sending or receiving, time pressure,
competition (with own earlier
performance or with others, or
opportunity to repeat a task.
Writing texts several hundred wds long.
Ss construct a story from the list, either
choose 12 from 20 wds or use next word
on the word list to continue the story
Give wds which share the same spelling
features but may be pronounced
differently, e.g. guess, magic, gym, gift
Use only known wds and grammatical
features and preferably familiar content
knowledge. Allow ss to control the task
and help them to plan. Ss should be
interested in the message they are
sending or receiving, time pressure,
competition (with own earlier
performance or with others, or
opportunity to repeat a task.
Speaking for several minutes.
96
10 mins
2-3 mins
+
feedback
May vary
10 mins
2-3 mins
+
feedback
May vary
5.7 Function Words and Word Sub-Lists
Words assumed to be known by the majority of students upon admission to SQU
absent
accident
address
afternoon
all
And
Angry
animal
answer
ask
baby
bad
bag
ball
bank
Be
beach
beautiful
bed
bedroom
begin
big
black
boat
Book
Book
bottle
box
boy
bread
breakfast
brother
bus
can (n)
cap
capital
car
Cat
chair
city
classroom
clock
close
clothes
coast
coffee
cold
college
colour/color
come
computer
cook
country
cup
cut
day
desert
desk
dictionary
different
difficult
dinner
do
doctor
dollar
door
draw
dress
drink
each
easy
eat
electric
email
evening
exam
exercise
fail
family
father
fine
finish
fish
floor
flower
food
football
friend
funny
game
garage
get
girl
give
go
god
good
green
had
hand
happy
have
he
hello
here
history
holiday
holy Quran
home
homework
hospital
hot
hotel
house
I
ill
it
kilogram
kilometre
knife
know
lesson
library
like
look at
97
lunch
made
make
man
many
married
million
mistake
money
month
morning
mother
mountain
music
my
name
new
newspaper
night
no
notebook
now
number
oil
old
one
open
or
page
paper
pen
pencil
people
photo
picture
play
please
police
pray
question
radio
read
ready
red
restaurant
river
road
room
run
said
same
sandal
school
science
sea
see
she
ship
shop
shower
sick
sir
sister
sit
sleep
small
smile
some
something
sorry
speak
spell
stand
stop
story
street
student
study
summer
sun
table
take
talk
taxi
tea
teach
teacher
telephone
test
thank you
thing
think
time
timetable
today
tomorrow
tree
understand
university
village
vowel
walk
wall
want
wash
watch (v, n)
water
way (road)
we
week
weekend
white
window
woman
word
write
wrong
year
yes
yesterday
you
FUNCTION words for Levels 1-2
a
about
after
again
ago
also
always
an
another
any
anybody/anyone
anything
as
at
away
back
because
before
between
both
but
by
can
did
does
don't
down
every
everybody/everyone
everything
everywhere
far
few
first
for
from
her
his
how
if
in
in front of
into
its
more than
much
near
never
next to
nobody/no one
not
nothing
nowhere
of
off
often
on
only
other
our
out of
so
98
somebody/someone
sometimes
somewhere
that
the
their
them
then
there
these
they
this
those
to
too
under
until
up
usually
very
what
when
where
which
who
whose
why
will
with
without
your
FUNCTION words for Level 3
above
against
almost
along
already
although
among
around
behind
below
beside
during
either
else
however
inside
just
less
may
maybe
might
mine
most
must
neither
none
nor
outside
over
per
probably
quite
rather
seldom
several
should
since
somehow
still
such as
therefore
though
through
toward
unless
whatever
whereas
whether
while
within
yet
SUBLIST for Levels 1- 2
age
agree
air
alone
arm
aunt
average
back
bath
be
beat
bird
blood
blue
body
break
bring
brown
build
busy
buy
call
captain
carry
centre
chance
change
chapter
cheap
child
circle
class
clean
clear
clever
cloud
collect
company
complete
compound
copy
correct
cost
course
cousin
cover
cry
dance
dark
date
daughter
dead
dear
death
deep
department
detective
die
direct
discuss
99
disk
drive
dry
ear
early
earth
east
education
egg
email
empty
end
enjoy
enough
enter
example
expensive
experience
experiment
extra
eye
face
factor
factory
fall
fan
farm
fast
fat
feel
fill
finance
find
finger
fire
flat
follow
foot
forget
free
fresh
fruit
full
future
garden
gas
gate
general
gold
grass
great
grey
group
grow
hair
handwriting
hard
hat
head
healthy
hear
heavy
help
high
hour
hungry
husband
hypothesis
ice
icon
idea
important
island
job
keep
key
kill
kind
king
kitchen
lady
land
language
late
laugh
learn
leave
left
leg
let
letter
level
life
light
line
listen
live
long
loud
love
machine
main
market
marriage
marry
mean
meet
message
mile
milk
minister
minute
miss
mobile
monitor
month
mouse
mouth
move
neck
need
neighbour
news
nice
noise
north
nose
notice
noun
ocean
office
officer
oil
ordinary
pair
parent
park
part
partner
pass
past
pay
period
person
phone
piece
place
plan
plane
plant
plural
pocket
point
poor
power
present
press
print
problem
put
quiet
rain
reach
real
reason
release
remember
reply
rest
result
return
rich
100
right
ring
round
rubbish
sad
safe
sand
save
schedule
science
scientist
screen
search
seat
second
sell
send
sentence
shift
shirt
shoe
short
show
side
sing
size
sky
slow
smell
smoke
soap
soft
son
sound
space
special
speed
start
stay
store
strong
subject
sure
sweet
swim
tall
tasks
taste
tell
temperature
text
throw
ticket
times
tired
top
total
touch
town
travel
tribe
try
type
uncle
unit
use
verb
visit
visitor
wait
wear
weather
welcome
well
west
whole
wife
win
wind
winter
wood
work
world
yellow
young
false
true
SUBLIST for Level 3
accept
across
action
add
advertise
advice
aeroplane
afraid
agriculture
airplane
alive
allow
allowance
amount
apply
approve
area
army
arrange
arrive
article
asked
attitude
available
average
basic
beauty
become
behave
behaviour
believe
bend
best
better
bill
blind
bold
bow
brain
breath
breathe
brown
business
businessman
butter
camera
capital
card
castle
catch
cause
century
chain
check
cheese
chicken
choice
choose
circle
cliff
climb
cloth
code
collect
commerce
common
compare
confident
confuse
connection
consumer
continue
control
conversation
corner
cost
cough
crime
crowd
crown
cruel
current
dad
daily
danger
dangerous
decide
deep
defend
degree
demand
describe
destroy
diamond
difference
difficulty
dirty
discovery
dive
doubt
drag
dream
drop
earn
east
edge
egg
else
energy
engineering
equal
equation
even
ever
exactly
excellent
experiment
explain
export
fact
far
fashion
fear
feet
female
figure
finally
fish
foreign
forest
form
forward
friendship
front
fry
101
fun
general
goal
grass
ground
guard
guess
half
hall
happen
hard
hate
health
heart
heat
highway
hit
hold
hole
honest
hope
human
hurry
hut
imagine
immediately
impossible
improve
increase
industry
inside
interest
introduce
introduction
join
joke
joke
jump
kick
kingdom
knock
landlord
large
last
later
lecture
less
lift
liquid
list
little
lock
lose
lovely
low
luck
mad
map
mark
match
meal
mean
meat
medicine
member
memory
metal
meter
middle
mind
modern
moon
narrow
nature
nearly
neighbourhood
net
nurse
ocean
operation
opposite
organize
own
pain
parent
particular
party
passenger
patient
pause
pay
pearl
per
perfect
perhaps
plant
plate
population
position
positive
possible
pour
powder
practice/practise
previous
price
primary
prison
process
proper
pull
punish
push
queen
quick
race
real
record
relationship
remind
rent
repeat
review
rice
river
row
rubber
salary
salt
season
secret
self
serious
several
shape
share
shelter
shore
shout
sign
silent
simple
single
skill
skin
snake
snow
soldier
solution
soon
south
spend
spirit
sport
spring
square
stairs
star
statement
stick
stomach
stone
straight
stupid
style
suggest
suit
support
suppose
surface
surprise
swim
sword
taste
team
temperature
tent
term
thick
thief
thin
thousand
together
tonight
total
trouble
tube
turn
ugly
usual
valuable
voice
war
warm
warn
waste
watch
wave
autumn
awake
balance
basin
basket
bathe
battle
bear
beard
bell
belong
bicycle
birth
bit
bite
blow
boil
bone
borrow
bottom
bowl
brave
bridge
bright
bush
cake
calm
camp
care
carriage
case
cave
cent
ceremony
character
check
chief
church
claim
coat
comfortable
commissioner
compete
connect
consider
contain
count
couple
crash
criminal
cross
culture
cure
custom
customer
deaf
description
detective
develop
device
direct
discover
disease
distinguish
double
drown
duty
employ
enemy
envelope
weak
weed
weigh
weight
west
wet
whistle
wild
wing
wish
wonderful
worry
worse
SUBLIST for Level 4
able
act
actor
actress
actually
admire
adventure
afford
agent
ancient
anxious
apart
appear
apple
asleep
assistant
astonish
attack
102
cupboard
escape
especially
event
evidence
except
exchange
excite
excuse
expense
experience
express
fair
famous
favour/favor
field
fight
film
fit
fly
force
forgive
fresh
frighten
funeral
furniture
gather
gift
glad
glass
government
greet
ground
guest
gun
hang
hardly
hide
hill
hunt
hurt
include
indeed
influence
information
inspector
instead
international
invent
invite
journey
judge
juice
kiss
knee
knee
ladder
lake
lamp
law
lay
lazy
lead
lend
lie
limit
lip
literature
local
lord
loss
lot
manage
march
master
material
matter
meanwhile
measure
mention
million
mix
moment
moral
motion
murder
mystery
native
necessary
note
obvious
offer
orange
order
origin
outline
owe
paint
passive
path
permission
persuade
photograph
pick
pig
pin
plenty
polite
polite
political
pool
popular
post
pot
pound
prepare
president
press
press
pretty
prevent
priest
private
probably
produce
progress
promise
protect
proud
prove
purpose
railway
realise
receive
reduce
register
religion
repair
replace
report
respect
responsible
103
reward
ride
rise
rob
rock
roof
rope
rule
sail
screw
secretary
seem
sense
separate
servant
service
set
shadow
shake
sheep
shine
shoot
shoulder
shut
signal
silence
silver
sink
situation
slave
social
soldier
sort
soup
spoon
spread
staff
stage
state
station
steal
step
stock
storm
strange
stream
substance
success
sudden
suffer
supper
support
surface
system
telegraph
temple
terrible
tie
tin
title
tooth
total
total
tower
train
translation
tribe
tribe
trick
trip
trust
union
unite
upset
valley
value
veil
view
vote
wake
weapon
western
wicked
wide
widow
wise
wonderful
worth
SUBLIST for Level 5
accord
account
achieve
active
adapt
advance
advantage
affect
aim
alarm
ambulance
analyse
annoy
apartment
append
appoint
approach
approximate
arrest
art
assign
attach
attend
author
avoid
bar
beyond
blank
block
boring
branch
brief
brush
burn
cage
canal
career
cash
cell
cellular
certain
challenge
channel
charge
chart
cheat
chemical
classmate
combine
communicate
complain
complicate
compose
concern
conclude
condition
consist
contact
content
context
contrast
cool
crazy
create
creature
credit
cycle
damage
deal
decrease
define
deliver
depend
design
detail
dig
dish
display
distance
divide
document
dot
drug
due
dust
edit
effect
effort
engine
enormous
environment
essay
etc
eventual
exist
expect
expert
explode
explore
extreme
fault
feature
feed
festival
flood
focus
fortune
freeze
frequent
furthermore
gap
gentle
giant
grade
graduate
grammar
groom
guide
gulf
honey
huge
hundred
hurricane
identify
independent
informal
injure
insect
instance
instruct
internet
interview
104
involve
iron
issue
jewel
lack
length
likely
locate
magazine
major
male
medical
method
mirror
model
motive
motor
nation
neat
nephew
nervous
normal
obey
observe
occur
paragraph
pattern
percent
phrase
physical
pilot
poison
prefer
pressure
product
profit
provide
public
punctuate
quality
raise
range
rat
really
recent
refer
refuse
regular
relative
remain
remove
request
require
research
robot
sale
sandwich
satellite
satisfy
scale
scan
scare
scene
scream
section
sex
sharp
sheet
shock
site
skim
society
specific
stare
strength
stress
stretch
string
structure
stuff
sum
summary
supply
switch
symbol
tail
tear
tense
theory
thunder
tight
tiny
tissue
tool
topic
tour
traffic
transport
typical
underline
uniform
van
variety
various
vary
violent
virus
vocabulary
volcano
web
wipe
105
SUBLIST for Level 6
absence
admit
aloud
artificial
attention
bay
boss
camel
cigarette
colleague
comprehend
construct
data
delay
devote
disturb
eager
emotion
ensure
establish
expose
fatal
flow
frown
generation
grand
habit
heaven
ignorant
infect
intelligence
joy
magic
moreover
occasion
pack
pity
predict
professional
propose
quiz
recognise
release
respond
risk
rude
sequence
absolutely
adverb
alternative
associate
attract
behaviour
breathe
cancer
civilise
community
concept
convenience
debate
depress
diagram
donate
efficient
emphasis
entertain
estimate
extend
finance
fool
function
generous
grave
handle
hire
image
infinitive
intend
laughter
manner
multiply
official
passage
plain
pretend
pronoun
psychology
radiate
recover
relevant
retire
role
rural
service
accurate
ahead
apologize
atmosphere
automate
billion
bury
capable
clause
competition
congratulate
courage
decline
despite
diet
donor
eliminate
encourage
entire
evil
factor
firm
formal
gain
globe
guideline
headache
honour
income
inquire
interrupt
legal
mass
muscle
opportunity
perform
poem
proceed
proof
qualify
rate
reference
represent
revolution
rough
rush
settle
106
adjective
aid
appropriate
attempt
aware
blame
calculate
chest
clinic
complex
consequent
court
definite
determine
disappoint
drama
emergency
engage
especial
expand
familiar
float
former
generate
gradual
guilty
heat
horizontal
individual
instrument
investigate
lone
mood
niece
ordinary
pet
pollute
profession
property
quantity
react
regard
resource
rid
royal
secure
shame
sight
spite
struggle
surgical
tax
throat
urban
wheel
singular
standard
sugar
surround
technologist
thus
urgent
whisper
slight
steady
surgeon
survive
theatre
trade
wealth
worldwide
107
smooth
strike
surgery
synonym
threat
treat
western
wound
5.8 CALL Programmes
The following table includes descriptions of the CALL programmes which are available
for students and teachers on Moodle and in the LC labs. It is expected that all of them will
be matched with skill areas, grammar and pronunciation items relevant to the FPEL
curriculum in the near future.
Ultimate Speed Reader
This programme offers speed-reading training and includes over 200 reading passages in
10 categories, e.g. business, technology, entertainment, etc. It addresses the following
skills:








Develop reading fluency and speed by regularly reading extensively outside the
classroom
Read and respond to a 1-2 page text in a given period of time
Interpret texts using background knowledge
Make inferences based on information in a text
Deduce the meaning of words from context
Predict the purpose of a text using topic sentences and introductory paragraphs
Identify the writer’s point of view
Identify ideas expressed in compound and complex sentences
Tense Buster
Tense Buster covers 33 language areas at five levels from Elementary to Advanced. In
addition to grammar, Tense Buster helps learners with vocabulary, pronunciation,
listening, reading and study skills. Ten key learning features include the following:
1. Structured, guided discovery approach encouraging learners to form and test their
own theories.
2. Explanatory feedback, enabling learners to understand why they have made a
mistake.
3. Engaging and interesting contexts for learning, and a wide variety of activity types.
4. Comparative approach to grammar which encourages learners to look for patterns,
contrast usage and compare with their own language.
5. Extensive audio, enabling learners to listen both to models and to correct answers.
6. Video-based pronunciation activities focusing on the phonological aspects of
grammar: stress, intonation, elision, assimilation and so on.
7. A Recorder enabling learners to record their voices and compare to a model.
8. A learner development strand helping learners to improve their study skills.
9. A Progress function allowing learners to analyse their strengths and weaknesses and
plan their learning.
10. Each unit in Tense Buster includes a randomized test drawn from 50 questions
based on the grammar area covered in that unit. Additionally, learners can generate
random tests from multiple grammar areas in a level. The Tense Buster question
bank includes 1,650 items.
11. The Tense Buster Progress function generates reports on completed activities with
score, time, duration; average scores compared with all learners and relative
performance in different units (effort and outcome).
108
12. Teachers using Results Manager can generate and print reports for individual
learners and groups of learners.
Grammar Item
Elementary:
Am, is , are (simple structures)
Simple Present
Negatives (don’t go)
Questions (Does he?)
I, me, my
A, an, the
Countable
Some, any
Have got
Lower Intermediate:
Comparative
Simple Present
Present Continuous
Simple Past
Intermediate:
Equality
The passive
Relative clauses
Will and going to
Conditionals
Upper Intermediate:
Present Perfect
Must, Might, Can’t
Past Continuous
Conditionals
The future
Advanced:
Past Perfect
Articles
Reported speech
Passives (past participle)
Phrasal verbs
Relevant FPEL proficiency level
L1, 2
L1, 2, 3
L 2, 3, 4
L1, 2, 3, 4
L1, 2, 3
L4
L4
L3, 4
L1, 2
L4, 5
L4, 5
L4, 5
L3, 4, 5
L4, 5, 6
L 5, 6
L 5, 6
L4, 5, 6
L4, 5, 6
Off the scale of FPEL
L5, 6
L5, 6
L6
L6
L6 (SCI, AGR, ENG)
L6
L5, 6 (MED)
L5, 6
L 5, 6 (MED)
Active Reading
Active Reading is a topic-based reading program at six levels from Elementary to advanced.
In addition to reading, this programme helps learners with vocabulary, listening, speaking,
writing, study skills. Here is a sample of the topics and reading skills covered:
Elementary
Reading an email
Finding a home
Reading words in groups
Reading for information
Pre-Intermediate
Health matters: food
Travel advice
Signpost words
Reading aloud
109
Intermediate
Different cultures
Texts and email messages
Inference
Email/SMS abbreviations
Upper Intermediate
Let’s love sharks!
The smoking ban
Skimming
Focusing on arguments
Pre-Advanced
Reading a novel
Dangerous fashions
Prediction skills
Headings, topic sentences
Advanced
Mythical beasts
Find it – FAST!
Ignoring unknown words
Scanning
The key learning features include the following:
1. Comprehensive coverage of reading sub-skills.
2. Engaging and interesting contexts for learning, and a wide variety of activity and
text types.
3. Explanatory feedback, enabling learners to understand why they have made a
mistake.
4. Extension activities including research, writing and discussion activities enabling
learners to develop the themes in the units.
5. Extensive audio, so learners can listen both to models and to correct answers.
6. A Recorder enabling learners to record their voices and compare to a model.
7. Motivational certificate on completion.
8. A Progress function allowing learners to analyse their strengths and weaknesses and
plan their learning.
9. The Active Reading Progress function generates reports on completed activities
with score, time, duration; average scores compared with all learners and relative
performance in different units (effort and outcome).
10. Teachers using Results Manager can generate and print reports for individual
learners and groups of learners.
11. Helps students to learn to love reading!
Many units in Active Reading include downloadable photocopiable worksheets which
teachers can use for class work or homework activities. Others have links to websites,
generally accompanied by research or reading tasks, where learners have to operate in an
authentic English environment.
Clear Pronunciation 1
Clear Pronunciation 1 (Sounds) takes learners through the 43 phonemes of English.
Learners study each phoneme individually, as well as contrasting it with one or more
similar or related sound(s). The 25 units of the program are based around these contrasts.
Each unit includes five separate activities, making a total of 125 exercises.
Consonants
1. Pill / Fill
2. Buy / My
3. Tie / Die
4. Ship / Chip
5. Yet / Jet
6. Game / Came
7. Wail / Veil
8. Think / Sink
9. There / Dare
10. Price / Prize
11. Asia / Hard
12. Ran / Rang
13. Right / Light
Vowels
14. Ship / Sheep
15. Head / Had
16. Schwa
17. Luck / Look
18. Hat / Heart
19. But / Boot
20. Who / Her
21. Pot / Port
110
Diphthongs
22. Hair / Hear
23. Pay / Pie
24. Boy / Buy
25. Know / Now
The key learning features include the following:
1. Comprehensive coverage of the sounds of English.
2. Each sound is illustrated with full-face videos as well as close-up videos of the
mouth and cross-sectional animations. There are more than 1,000 individual audio
items.
3. Explanatory text, enabling learners to understand how to make each sound.
4. Series of exercises enables learners to focus on the sound in isolation, in a word, in
the context of a sentence, in contrast with other sounds and in an authentic
context.
5. A self-learning tool, enabling learners to work on their pronunciation as a private,
self-paced activity.
6. A Recorder enabling learners to record their voices and compare with a model.
7. Motivational certificate on completion.
8. A Progress function allowing learners to analyse their strengths and weaknesses and
plan their learning.
9. The Clear Pronunciation 1 Progress function generates reports on completed
activities with score, time, duration and average scores compared with all learners;
relative performance in different units (effort and outcome).
10. Teachers using Results Manager can generate and print reports for individual
learners and groups of learners.
11. Helps students to enjoy pronunciation practice!
Clear Pronunciation 1 includes links to websites, where learners have to operate in an
authentic English environment. Screens and activities can be printed enabling learners to
keep a record of the activities they have completed.
Clear Pronunciation 1
Clear Pronunciation 2 (Speech) covers the five key suprasegmental elements of
pronunciation:
1. Word stress
2. Consonant clusters
3. Sentence stress
4. Connected speech
5. Intonation
The units are introduced by a teacher, explaining through video why each aspect of
pronunciation is important. Each unit is then broken down into five separate topics. For
example, the unit on Connected Speech breaks down as follows:
1. Short forms
2. Consonants to vowels
3. Joining consonants
4. Words ending in /t/ or /d/
5. Disappearing sounds
Each topic, in turn, includes at least five separate activities, making a total of more than
125 exercises.
The key learning features include the following:
1. Comprehensive coverage of the elements of pronunciation which make for
natural, comprehensible delivery.
111
2. Each aspect of pronunciation is clearly explained by a teacher, with animated
examples.
3. A focus on pronunciation as both a receptive and a productive skill.
4. A series of unscripted, authentic videos enabling learners to analyse pronunciation
in real life.
5. A self-learning tool, enabling learners to work on their pronunciation as a private,
self-paced activity.
6. Attractive, clear, easy-to-use interface.
7. A Recorder enabling learners to record their voices and compare with a model,
and to save their work as MP3 files.
8. Motivational certificate on completion.
9. A Progress function allowing learners to analyse their strengths and weaknesses
and plan their learning.
10. The Clear Pronunciation 2 Progress function generates reports on completed
activities with score, time, duration; average scores compared with all learners and
relative performance in different units (effort and outcome).
11. Teachers using Results Manager can generate and print reports for individual
learners and groups of learners.
12. Helps students to enjoy pronunciation practice!
Clear Pronunciation 2 includes links to websites, where learners have to operate in an
authentic English environment. Screens and activities can be printed enabling learners to
keep a record of the activities they have completed.
112
5.9 Pronunciation Syllabus :
Pronunciation Syllabus
Smaller
Units of
Language
L.
Problematic
Area
Phonemes:
Consonants &
Vowels
Level of Complexity
Consonants:
Consonants:







-
/p/
/dʒ/
/θ/
/f/
/ŋ/
/tʃ/
/ʒ/
Vowels:
ONE
 Short vs. long
Consonant
Clusters
Examples
-Two-sound clusters
- Clusters1 vs.
Diagraphs2
"Park"/"bark"
"Village"
"Thin"/"then"
"Fan"/"van"
"Morning"
"Cheap"/"sheep"
"Vision"/"fashion"
These
problematic
Short vs. Long Vowels:
areas (in
levels 1 – 3)
- a: "mat"/"mate"
to be
- e: "met"/"meet"
recycled
- i: "twin"/"twine"
and
- o: "not"/"note"
reinforced
- u: "tub"/"tube"
across all
Clusters:
levels.
- "sponge", "bright", "slight",
These
"flight", "drive", "school"
problems
are either
Diagraphs:
universal,
- ch represents /tʃ/as in "watch" Pan Arab or
- th represents /θ/ as in "thin"
Oman- wr represents /r/ as in "write"
specific.
- kn represents /n/ as in “know"
Doubling consonants with one
word:
Full
sentences
Gemination3 in
Arabic:
- - Within one word
Doubling in
English
113
Remarks
-
"Baggage"
"Correction"
"Passage"
"Collect"
"Immigrate"
Notion of syllable:
- The notion of syllables
(recognizing number of
syllables in words)
TWO
ONE
Smaller
Units of
Language
- Introduction to the
notion of ‘syllable’ as
the phonological
building blocks of
words.
Stress
- Word/lexical stress:
relative emphasis
may be given to
certain syllables in a
word.
Phonemes:
Consonants &
Vowels
Word stress:
- Primary stress within multisyllable words
- Unstressed function words
(articles, monosyllabic
prepositions, conjunctions) and
auxiliary verbs
- Prepositions and verbs
(with more than one syllable)
with stress on the second
syllable
- Stressed syllables with
diphthongs and long vowels
- Stressed syllables before
doubled consonants
Consonants:
Consonants:







-
/p/
/dʒ/
/θ/
/f/
/ŋ/
/tʃ/
/ʒ/
"Park"/"bark"
"Village"
"Thin"/"then"
"Fan"/"van"
"Morning"
"Cheap"/"sheep"
"Vision"/"fashion"
Diphthongs:
Vowels:
-
4
 Diphthongs
Full
sentences
114
/ /: "low"
/a /: "light"
/e /: "lane"
/ /: "loin"
Initial Three-sound clusters:
Smaller
Units of
Language
Consonant
Clusters
- Three-sound clusters
- Clusters vs. Diagraphs
- "straight"
- "squeeze"
- "split"
- "spring"
- "screen"
Fricatives6, nasals & plosives7:
Gemination in
Arabic:
Doubling in
English
- Across words and
across morphemes5
- "Calm man"
- "This saddle"
- "Back kick"
Minimal Pairs:
- "Night train"
- "Night rain"
TWO
Notion of syllable:
- The notion of syllables
(recognizing number of
syllables in words)
Word stress:
- Introduction to the
notion of ‘syllable’ as
the phonological
building blocks of
words.
Stress
- Word/lexical stress:
relative emphasis
may be given to
certain syllables in a
word.
Full
sentences
115
- Primary stress within multisyllable words
- Unstressed function words
(articles, monosyllabic
prepositions, conjunctions) and
auxiliary verbs
- Prepositions and verbs
(with more than one syllable)
with stress on the second
syllable
- Stressed syllables with
diphthongs and long vowels
- Stressed syllables before
doubled consonants
Smaller
Units of
Language
Phonemes:
Consonants &
Vowels
Consonants:
Consonants:







-
/p/
/dʒ/
/θ/
/f/
/ŋ/
/tʃ/
/ʒ/
Vowels:
"Park"/"bark"
"Village"
"Thin"/"then"
"Fan"/"van"
"Morning"
"Cheap"/"sheep"
"Vision"/"fashion"
Vowels:
Monophthongs
vs.
Diphthongs
- /ɪ/ in "rid" vs. /aɪ/ in "ride"
- /ɒ/ in "rod" vs. /oʊ/ in"road"
- /ʌ/ in "tub" vs. /juː/ in "tube"
Final sound clusters:
THREE
Consonant
Clusters
Gemination in
Arabic:
Doubling in
English
Stress
Full
sentences
- Across words
- Clusters vs. Diagraphs
- Absence of doubling
affects the meaning
- "gift"
-"result"
- "exact"
- "twelfth"
- "bursts"
Absence of doubling affects
meaning:
- "Unaimed" vs. "Unnamed"
- "Holy" vs. "Wholly"
- Introduction to the
notion of ‘syllable’ as
the phonological
building blocks of
words.
Notion of syllable:
- The notion of syllables
(recognizing number of
syllables in words)
- Word/lexical stress:
relative emphasis
may be given to
certain syllables in a
word.
Word stress:
116
- Primary stress within multisyllable words
- Unstressed function words
(articles, monosyllabic
prepositions, conjunctions) and
auxiliary verbs
- Prepositions and verbs
(with more than one syllable)
with stress on the second
syllable
- Stressed syllables with
diphthongs and long vowels
- Stressed syllables before
doubled consonants
FOUR
Smaller
Units of
Language
Silent Letters8
and English
Spelling
Types of silent letters:
Silent Letters:
1. Diagraphs:
1. Diagraphs:
1.1 Sound of the
diagraph
different from
that of either of
its constituent
letters.
1.1 - "thin"
- "show"
- "then"
- "enough"
- "physical"
1.2 Sound of the
digraph is the
same as that of
one of its
constituent
letters.
1.2 - "clubbed"
- "fine"
- "heavy"
- "bread"
- "rate"
2. Letters with no
relation to adjacent
letters and no
correspondence in
pronunciation:
2.1 Letters which
are sounded in a
cognate word.
Full
sentences
2. Letters with no relation to
neighbouring letters and no
correspondence in
pronunciation:
stress not
initial).
2.1 - (a) in "practically" not
sounded]/(a) in
"practical" [sounded]
- (g) in "phlegm" [not
sounded]/(g) in
"phlegmatic" [sounded]
117
Students need
to know that
silent letters
are not entirely
redundant as
they can
distinguish
between
homophones
(e.g. in/inn,
be/bee, etc.),
give a clue to
the meaning or
origin of a
word (e.g.
vineyard
suggests vines),
and give a clue
to where stress
should be in a
word (e.g. (fe)
in giraffe
indicates a final
Smaller
Units of
Language
2.2 Letters which
never have a
sound.
2.2 -
Silent B: climb/comb
Silent C: muscle
Silent D: Wednesday
Silent E: hope/drive
Silent G: sign/design
Silent GH: daughter
Silent H: what/when
Silent K: knife/know
Silent L: calm/half
Silent N: column
Silent P: psychiatrist
Silent S: island/isle
Silent T: castle/listen
Silent U: guess/guest
Silent W: answer/write
FOUR
Homographs
Homographs
and
Homophones
- Homographs: same
spelling but different
pronunciation
- Homophones: same
pronunciation but
different spelling
- /ɪ/: "wind" vs. [aɪ]: "wind"
- /z/: "close" vs. [s]: "close"
- /e/: "lead" vs. [iː]: "lead"
Homophones
- /ˈkærət/: Carat, caret, carrot
- /wiːk/: Week, weak
- /tuː /: To, two, too
Pronunciation differences
BrE
Different
Pronunciations
of the same
word
- Different
pronunciations of the
same word.
Full
sentences
118
/ɛ/
/a /
/ʃ/
/e /
/ʃ/
AmE
/e /
/iː/
/sk/
/æ/
/ʒ/
Words
Ate
neither
schedule
apricot
asia
Notion of syllable:
- The notion of syllables
(recognizing number of
syllables in words)
Smaller
Units of
Language
- Introduction to the
notion of ‘syllable’ as
the phonological
building blocks of
words.
Stress
- Word/lexical stress:
relative emphasis
may be given to
certain syllables in a
word.
Word stress:
- Primary stress within multisyllable words
- Unstressed function words
(articles, monosyllabic
prepositions, conjunctions) and
auxiliary verbs
- Prepositions and verbs
(with more than one syllable)
with stress on the second
syllable
- Stressed syllables with
diphthongs and long vowels
- Stressed syllables before
doubled consonants
Homographs
FIVE
- Homographs: same
spelling but different
pronunciation
Full
Sentences
Homographs
and
Homophones
- Homophones: same
pronunciation but
different spelling
- Homonyms: same
pronunciation and
same spelling but
different meanings
119
- /ɪ/: "wind" vs. [aɪ]: "wind"
- /z/: "close" vs. [s]: "close"
- /e/: "lead" vs. [iː]: "lead"
Homophones
- /ˈkærət/: Carat, caret, carrot
- /wiːk/: Week, weak
- /tuː/: To, two, too
Homonyms
- /left/: "left" (opposite of right)
vs. "left" (past tense of leave)
- /stɔːk/: "stalk" (part of a
plant) vs. "stalk"
(follow/harass a person)
Pronunciation differences
Different
Pronunciations
of the same
word
Smaller
Units of
Language
- Different
pronunciations of the
same word.
BrE
/ɛ/
/a /
/ʃ/
/e /
/ʃ/
AmE
/e /
/iː/
/sk/
/æ/
/ʒ/
Words
ate
neither
schedule
apricot
asia
Sentence Stress:
Stress
FIVE
- Sentence stress:
stress placed on words
within sentences.
- Introduction to the
notion of
‘intonation’. It is
variation of pitch
while speaking:
- Rising Intonation:
Intonation
Full
Sentences
means the pitch of the
voice increases over
time [↗].
- Falling Intonation:
means that the pitch
decreases with time
[↘].
120
- Stress in compound nouns
(e.g. school bus, post office)
- Stress in compound verbs (e.g.
take off, make up)
- Content and function words
(content words receive stress)
- Highlighting the most
important words in utterances.
- Using stress to show feelings
and attitudes (e.g. bored,
happy, angry)
Introduction to Intonation:
- Intonation is used to
differentiate between whquestions, yes-no questions,
declarative statements,
commands, requests, etc. It can
also be used for emphatic/
contrastive purposes.
Sentence Stress:
Smaller
Units of
Language
Stress
SIX
- Rising Intonation:
means the pitch of the
voice increases over
time [↗].
-Falling Intonation:
means that the pitch
decreases with time
[↘].
Intonation
Full
Sentences
- Sentence stress:
stress placed on words
within sentences.
-Dipping Intonation:
falls and then rises
[↘↗].
-Peaking Intonation:
rises and then falls
[↗↘].
1
- Stress in compound nouns
(e.g. school bus, post office)
- Stress in compound verbs (e.g.
take off, make up)
- Content and function words
(content words receive stress)
- Highlighting the most
important words in utterances.
- Using stress to show feelings
and attitudes (e.g. bored,
happy, angry)
Uses of intonation can further
be classified into the following
categories:
1. Grammatical (e.g. yes-no
Questions)
2. Attitudinal9 (e.g. showing
excitement)
3. Informational (e.g. when
answering an informative
question)
4. Illocution10 (intention:
question vs. suggestion)
5. Textual (to indicate
continuation of thoughts in
speech or end of thoughts)
6. Indexical11 (adopted by
certain groups of people)
A consonant cluster is a string of consonants (two or more) which have no intervening vowel.
A digraph is a is a single sound which is represented by two letters.
3
Gemination is pronouncing a spoken consonant for a longer period of time than a short consonant.
4
Technically, a diphthong is a sound that consists of two vowels.
5
Absence of the doubling here doesn’t affect meaning though it might cause confusion to the listener.
6
A fricative is a consonant produced by forcing air through a constricted space. There are voiced fricatives
such as the v and z sounds, and the unvoiced fricatives such as the f and s sounds.
7
A plosive is a stop consonant in which the oral passage is blocked so that all airflow stops. Examples of
plosives are: p, b and d sounds.
8
Silent letters are written but left unpronounced.
9
In attitudinal intonation, students are made aware of the strong link between intonation and attitude.
The effect of intonation changes according to the attitude the speaker intends to convey.
2
121
10
In illocution intonation, the pitch of the voice varies according to the intention of the speaker which is
signaled in his speech.
11
Indexical intonation refers to the type of intonation adopted by a certain group of people with the
same professional or social background.
122