English Proficiency II

6 ECTS credits
180 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1023600BNR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester

1st and 2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

English

Faculty

Academic Language Centre

Department

Academic Center for Language Education

Educational team

Katrien Camps
Nancy De Ryck
Voorzitter ACTO (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

52 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
128 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

English Proficiency II is in many ways a continuation of English Proficiency I, which laid the foundation for this course in terms of vocabulary, writing skills, and grammar. However, EPII focusses mainly on the development of more advanced writing and speaking skills.

In the first semester, EPII will focus on expanding students’ grammar knowledge – as acquired in EPI – as well as their argumentative writing skills. The features characteristic of this text type will be tackled, e.g. syntactic structures and cohesive devices, and additional focus will be put on structure and argumentation. Frequently made mistakes and formulation errors due to interference from other languages will also be addressed. Students will then be encouraged to put the theory into practice in argumentative essays that are assigned in the course of the academic year. Feedback will be provided by their peers and/or the tutor and will include some self-assessment and/or self-reflection.

In the second semester, EPII will put the knowledge acquired in semester 1 about essay composition and characteristic essay features to use. In other words, the semester is more focused on working in the language. Each lesson aims to analyse source material drawn from a range of English-language sources (including –although not limited to– academic and media sources). The analysis includes focus on more advanced features of formal English but also (subject-specific) vocabulary, content, and argumentation. The texts and topics will be of direct relevance to the students’ studies or/and have a more general socio-cultural focus. We want students to apply their critical reading skills to analyse content with the goal to discuss these topics in class and to write an argumentative essay on said topic.

Course material

Handbook (Recommended) : Practical English Usage, Michael Swan, 4de, Oxford University Press, 9780194202435, 2016
Digital course material (Required) : Handouts and slides, L. Holtzem, K. Camps
Handbook (Required) : MyGrammarLab Advanced C1/C2, Without key, Mark Foley, Diane Hall, 9781408299128, 2012
Handbook (Required) : Academic Vocabulary in Use, Michael McCarthy, Felicity O'Dell, 2de, 9781107591660, 2016

Additional info

More specifically this means that the course is comprised of four core components in the development of English proficiency:

• Grammar knowledge

• Vocabulary expansion

• Writing skills

• Speaking skills

Learning Outcomes

aan te vullen door docent

For successful completion of this module, the student must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the following learning objectives at the CEFR B2+ level:

• The student is able to identify and apply language features typical of argumentative essays.

• The student is able to produce argumentative essays of an appropriate level with a clear focus in terms of both language accuracy, range and register; and text structure and cohesion.

• The student demonstrates ongoing reflection on their language proficiency and writing abilities in writing and speech, and scans drafts for errors (content, grammar, word choice, style, punctuation and spelling) and then revises their essays.

• The student can integrate ideas from printed and non-printed source material in their essays.

• The student can use and explain the important vocabulary identified in the source material in new contexts.

• The student is able to apply the grammar theory both in speech and writing.

• The student takes active part in a group discussion on a topic relating to the source material, accounting for and conveying their view(s) in a coherent, concise, precise, fluent, and accurate manner.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 35% of the final mark.
PRAC Practical Assignment determines 25% of the final mark.
PRAC Paper determines 40% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Schriftelijk examen with a relative weight of 35 which comprises 35% of the final mark.

Within the PRAC Practical Assignment category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Mondeling examen with a relative weight of 25 which comprises 25% of the final mark.

Within the PRAC Paper category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Schrijftaken with a relative weight of 40 which comprises 40% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

- In the first exam session, assessment is on the basis of continuous assessment (65%), more specifically written assignments (40%) and speaking tasks (25%), and a grammar and vocabulary exam (35%).

- Students who want to pass the course in the first exam period need to have participated / timely completed all assessment components, i.e. all assessed written assignments, all assessed speaking tasks and both the grammar and vocabulary part of the written exam).

- Students need to score at least 50% on all assessment components to be able to pass the course. In other words, an overall pass score is only possible when they achieve an overall score of at least 50% on the written assignments, at least 50% overall on the speaking tasks, and at least 50% on both parts of the written exam, more specifically at least 50% on vocabulary and 50% on grammar.

- The maximum final score for the course as a whole which can be awarded to students who do not achieve at least 50% for each of the assessment components mentioned above is 9/20.

- In the second exam session, assessment is on the basis of a written assignment on a new topic (40%), a speaking task (25%) and a grammar and vocabulary exam (35%).

- Students who fail the course in the first exam session (a score of 9/20 or lower) or were marked as absent (AFW) and who wish to be examined and pass the course in the second exam session are required to retake all assessment components outlined above. In other words, participation in all assessment components in the second exam period is required in order to be awarded a pass score.

- In the second exam session, students need to score at least 50% on all assessment components to pass the course. In other words, they need to score at least 50% on the writing assignment, at least 50% on the speaking task and at least 50% on both parts of the written exam, i.e. at least 50% on vocabulary and 50% on grammar, to pass the course.

- The maximum final score for the course as a whole which can be awarded to students who do not achieve at least 50% for each of the assessment components mentioned above is 9/20 in the second exam period.

- The score for an individual assessment component cannot be carried over to another exam period nor a subsequent academic year.

NEDERLANDS

- In de eerste examenperiode worden studenten geëvalueerd op basis van permanent evaluatie (65%), meer bepaald schrijftaken (40%) en spreekopdrachten (25%), en een grammatica en woordenschat examen (35%).

- Studenten die willen slagen voor het vak moeten hebben deelgenomen aan alle beoordelingsonderdelen / alle beoordelingsonderdelen hebben afgerond (alle geëvalueerde schrijfopdrachten, alle geëvalueerde spreekopdrachten en zowel het grammatica als woordenschatonderdeel van het schriftelijk examen).

- Studenten moeten ten minste 50% score op alle evaluatieonderdelen om te slagen voor het vak, meer bepaald ten minste 50% op de totaalscore voor de schrijftaken, minstens 50% op de totaalscore van de spreekopdrachten, en minstens 50% op beiden onderdelen van het schriftelijk examen, d.w.z. tenminste 50% op woordenschat en ten minste 50% op grammatica.

- Studenten die geen 50% behalen op elk evaluatieonderdeel zoals hierboven vermeld kunnen maximaal 9/20 scoren.

- In de tweede examenperiode worden studenten geëvalueerd op basis van een nieuwe schrijftaak (40%), een spreekopdracht (25%), en een grammatica en woordenschat examen (35%).

- Studenten die in de eerste examen zittijd niet slaagden voor het vak (een score van minder dan 10/20) of afwezig waren (AFW) en willen kunnen slagen in de tweede examen zittijd moeten alle evaluatieonderdelen opnieuw afleggen. Met andere woorden, deelname is alle evaluatieonderdelen in the tweede zittijd is verplicht om te kunnen slagen voor het vak.

- In de tweede examen zittijd moeten studenten tenminste 50% scoren op alle onderdelen om te slagen voor het vak dus ze dienen minstens 50% te scoren op de schrijfopdracht, tenminste 50% op de spreekopdracht en ten minste 50% op beide onderdelen van het schriftelijk examen, namelijk 50% op woordenschat en 50% op grammatica.

- Studenten die geen 50% behalen op elk evaluatieonderdeel zoals hierboven vermeld kunnen maximaal 9/20 scoren in de tweede examen zittijd.

- Scores voor individuele examenonderdelen kunnen niet worden overgedragen naar een andere examenperiode of een volgend academiejaar.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context