WELCOME TO UPPER INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
We hope you enjoy studying in your Upper Intermediate class.
As an Upper Intermediate level student you are probably beginning to handle
the main structures of the language with some confidence. By the end of this
level you will be able to demonstrate knowledge of a wide range of vocabulary
and use appropriate communicative strategies in a variety of social situations.
In your lessons we will encourage you to try to improve both your fluency and
your accuracy in English.
At Upper Intermediate level some students may begin by feeling that they have
stopped making progress and that their English is not getting better. However,
aiming to take the First Certificate 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 FCE 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 Upper Intermediate level for at least 3
terms before you will be ready to progress to the next level (Advanced). You
can always talk to your teacher about your progress.
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR COURSE
Course Objectives
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE
FCE
Appropriate examination: Cambridge
Summary
At the end of this level students will be able to handle the main structures of
the language with some confidence, demonstrate knowledge of a wide range of
vocabulary and use appropriate communicative strategies in a variety of social
situations. The student will be able to use a certain degree of independence in a
variety of contexts, show flexibility to deal with the unexpected and rely less
on fixed patterns of language or short utterances.
Students can study part-time or full time. For more information on the exam
and available resources, please go to the Cambridge ESOL website
http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/fce/index.html
Speaking
By the end of this level students will be able to deal with most situations that
may arise in shops, restaurants and hotels and could express pleasure or
displeasure at the service given. In social conversation they will be able to
talk about a range of topics and express opinions to a limited extent.
Students will be able to give detailed information and state detailed
requirements within a familiar topic area. They will be able to take and pass on
messages and carry out simple negotiations.
Writing
At the end of this level students will be able to produce a range of written
formal and informal documents although accuracy may be limited and register
sometimes inappropriate. They will be able to produce texts which describe and
give detailed information as long as it is within a familiar area of work and to
write requests, also within a predictable range.
Reading
At the end of this level, students will be able to read longer texts. They will be
able to go beyond routine letters and the most basic newspaper and magazine
articles, and have developed reading skills related to factual topics in which
they have a special interest or to their own tastes in fiction. In everyday,
practical situations, such as eating out, shopping and using services such as
banks, they can read competently enough to deal with anything which does not
involve some kind of specialised language.
At this level students are likely to have enough language ability to cope with
some non-academic training courses conducted in English.
Listening
Students will be able to cope with conversation on a fairly wide range of
familiar, predictable topics, such as personal experiences. They will be able to
understand most of a TV programme because of the visual support and grasp
the main points of a radio programme.
Typical Grammar
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Review of verb patterns, often in contrast:
Past Perfect Simple and Continuous
Future Perfect Simple and Continuous
Subject and object questions ‘Who works here? vs ‘Who do you work
with?’
Indirect questions ‘Can you tell me what time …?’
Tag questions
Comparison of ‘some’ and ‘any’; ‘few’ and ‘a few’; ‘little’ and ‘a little’
Defining and non-defining relative clauses e.g. ‘London, which is the capital
of the UK, has over 10 million inhabitants’.
The 3rd conditional to talk about the hypothetical past
Using modal verbs to express certainty about past actions
Typical topic and vocabulary areas
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Jobs and work
The environment
Transport and travel
The media
Health
Culture
Viewing the past
For more detailed coverage of the syllabus, go to:
https://www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org/ts/digitalAssets/117578_Cambridg
e_English_First__FCE__Handbook.pdf