WELCOME TO ADVANCED LEVEL
We hope you enjoy studying in your Advanced class.
At Advanced level students are expected to be able to use the structures of a
language with ease and fluency. You will be aware of the significance of register
and, to some extent, you will be able to adapt your language use to a variety of
social situations. By the end of this level you will be able to develop your own
interests in reading both factual and fictional texts. You will also be able to
produce a variety of types of texts such as letters of varying degrees of
formality.
In your lessons we will encourage you to try to improve both your fluency and
your accuracy in English.
At Advanced level some students may begin to feel overwhelmed by how much
there is still to learn. However, aiming to take the Cambridge Advanced exam
will help to give you an attainable goal and this should motivate your study. At
this level it is also very important that you read a lot in English and study
outside the class. If you are worried about your progress, talk to your teacher
about how you feel.
You will be studying English with other students from different countries in the
world. It is very important that you get to know these other students, that you
learn their names and that you try to work with different people every lesson.
It will be better for your English if you sit in a different seat every lesson and
talk to different students. English is an International language now. In the
future you may need to use English to talk to people from many different
countries - so it is important that you get used to listening to different accents
and ways of speaking English.
The Style of the Lessons
In some traditional language classes, the teacher does most of the explaining
and talking, classes are very serious and grammar gets the most attention.
Our programme is for people who want to not only learn about important things
like grammar and vocabulary, but also how to communicate, hopefully in a
relaxed and informal way. Lots of studying and knowledge about the language is
no good if you can't use it! So we expect students to work together a lot in
pairs or groups - not just with the teacher. The most successful and enjoyable
classes are ones where everyone works together out of mutual respect and
interest.
In the lesson you will do different activities. Sometimes you will:
 work in pairs or groups with other students
 work alone
 talk/listen to the teacher.
It is important that you take an active part in all these stages.
The structure of the course
In your classes we may follow a course book to give you a basic structure to
the course but we will use a lot of other materials and give you a lot of
worksheets. So you will need to bring a file to class to organise your work and
notes.
In your lessons we will practise the 4 skills of:
 speaking
 writing,
 reading,
 listening
You will learn a lot of new vocabulary and expressions that you need to write
down and to practise regularly. Sometimes in class you will be learning new
things about English. But often you will be practising language that you have
studied before but do not yet use well.
In the middle of the Autumn and Spring terms you will have a progress test
which will help to show you how your English is going.
Attendance and punctuality
This is important! You need to attend classes regularly. If you can't come to
class it is best to ask another student to collect handouts for you and to tell
you about any homework. Although everyone has commitments and occasional
problems, good attendance means good punctuality too. Everyone (including your
teacher!) is expected to be on time for classes!
Students MUST attend regularly. If you miss 10% of your hours in class in a 2week period the College will expect a good reason for your absence. If there is
no satisfactory explanation and attendance does not improve you will be given a
final warning. Should attendance continue to be a problem, we will ask you to
leave.
In class
We all get hungry sometimes during classes, but eating is not allowed in any
class on the campus. Not only is it distracting, but it often results in a mess for
the next class and even problems with insects.
Homework
You should expect to be given some homework after most classes. You don't
need to do it, but you will make much faster progress if you do. If you don't do
homework, you may find that some of the next lesson is wasted on you.
You should expect to get your homework back no more than a week after giving
it to your teacher.
Exams
Not everyone wants or needs to do an exam, but at the end of this level you
should be ready to take the Cambridge Advanced exam. This exam can be
taken in December of June, although you will need to register with Cambridge
and pay for the exam 2-3 months before you take it.
What next?
Normally you will need to study at Advanced level for at least 3 terms before
you will be ready to take the exam. You can always talk to your teacher about
your progress.
Can I take CPE in the Advanced level?
Yes, the Advanced class covers a wide range of language and can prepare
students to take the CPE exam.
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR COURSE
Course objectives
ADVANCED
Summary
Appropriate examination: Cambridge CAE/CPE
At the end of this level students will be able to use the structures of English
with ease and fluency. They will be aware of the significance of register. This
means that to some extent they will be able to adapt their language use to a
variety of social situations, express opinions and take part in discussions and
arguments in a culturally acceptable way. They will be able to use language in a
creative and flexible way, with the ability to respond appropriately to
unforeseen as well as predictable situations, producing quite long and complex
utterances.
Students can study part-time or full time. For more information on the exams
and available resources, please go to the Cambridge ESOL website
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/cae/index.html
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/cpe/index.html
Speaking
By the end of this level students will have no problems in dealing with many of
the routine situations of everyday life. They can take part in lengthy casual
conversations and discuss abstract or cultural topics fluently and with a good
range of expression. Nuances of meaning and opinion are not beyond their
grasp, but there may still be difficulties when talking about sensitive or complex
issues. Students will be able to argue a point persuasively. They can contribute
effectively to meetings and seminars within their own area of work, give a
presentation or demonstration and use the telephone for most business
purposes.
Writing
At the end of this level students will be able to write informal letters, only
encountering difficulties where very complex issues arise and they will be able
to produce some of the more formal types of letters such as a letter to a
newspaper.
In the workplace they will be able to deal with routine requests for goods and
services but may need help to deal with a situation which demands tact or
delicacy.
Students who have completed this level are likely to be able to follow a course
of academic study at university level. They will be able to write an essay,
although errors of grammar and vocabulary, as well as style, may well occur.
Reading
At the end of this level students will be able to understand magazine and
newspaper articles, although complex plots, arguments and humour may present
difficulties. Students will be able to understand instructions, articles and
reports as long as, in most of these cases, the topic area is within the learners
own field and no particularly complex concepts and arguments or unusual
vocabulary are involved.
If studying, reading will present problems only when abstract or metaphorical
language and cultural allusions are frequent. However, the user will still have
difficulty getting through the amount of reading required on an academic
course, and may not be able to cope with postgraduate study.
Listening
Students at this level will have sufficient competence in comprehension to take
part in a variety of casual conversations. They will be able to understand a
great deal of what is available on TV and radio and in plays and films, but
complex plots and detailed arguments will escape them.
They will be able to understand most of what takes place in meetings and
seminars within their own area of work. They can follow arguments unless they
are very complex .
Students at this level will be able to follow much of what is said in a lecture,
demonstration or presentation, seminar or tutorial, although unfamiliar accents,
cultural allusions and jokes, unfamiliar or complex subject matter and colloquial
language may cause difficulties.
Typical grammar



Overview of tenses including stative vs dynamic verbs
Reduced relative clauses e.g. ‘E-mails sent today will be read tomorrow’
Contrast of conjunctions ‘Despite’, ‘In spite of’, ‘Although’, ‘Whereas’,
‘While’








Use of ‘However, ‘ and ‘Nonetheless’
Gerunds and infinitives with change of meaning
Mixed conditionals
Past tenses to talk about hypothetical situations e.g. ‘I wish’, ‘If only’,
‘would rather/sooner’, ‘It’s time you…’, ‘Supposing …’
Contrast between ‘need’, ‘ought’, ‘should’, ‘must’
Varied uses of the passive
Analysis of the grammar of multi-word verbs
Contrast of ‘No sooner’, ‘Scarcely’, ‘Barely’, ‘Hardly’
Typical topic and vocabulary areas










Travel
The environment
Different stages of life
Culture
Business
Current affairs
Disasters
Health
Education
Politics
For a more detailed overview of the syllabus, go to:
https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/digitalAssets/117579_Cambridg
eEnglish_Advanced__CAE__Handbook.pdf
https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/digitalAssets/118532_CE_Profic
iency_Handbook_2013_update.pdf