Class contents and exam requirements Code ( 20421) English Language, First and Second language B2 business

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1 a.y Class contents and exam requirements Code ( 20421) English Language, First and Second language B2 business Program Degree course Master of Science M, MM, AFC, CLAPI, CLEFIN FINANCE, CLELI, DES ESS Teaching activity annual: 1 year, 2 nd semester (36 hours) 2 year, 1 st semester (36 hours); (total classroom teaching hours 72). The course is activated if there is a sufficient number of participants Final Exam Bocconi internal exam (B2 level*) or recognized international certificate 4 credits, 2 nd semester To help students develop their English language skills, in particular: the vocabulary necessary for professional purposes the ability to take an active part in formal conversations about routine and non routine matters the ability to write professional documents, presenting arguments for and against a point of view and explaining the advantages and disadvantages of the various positions the ability to understand and explain pieces written for mother tongue English readers to be able to communicate without difficulty in English understanding the specific usage of common forms and structures Head Teacher John McHardy Clark Note Only students enrolled in Degree courses taught in Italian can exit at B2 business level * To classify language levels, Università Bocconi follows the CEFR, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages Index Course program page 2 Textbook page 2 Exam content and description page 4 Additional points page 6 Resources page 7 1

2 Course Program s At the end of the course, the student should be able to reading skills: understand and explain articles on business topics written for English,other tongue readers, with particular focus on critical reading skills listening skills: understand authentic conversations and speech, take notes and correctly comprehend numbers and dates in business related matters writing skills: write a professional document, with particular focus on presenting arguments for and against a point of view and the advantages and disadvantages of the various positions. speaking skills: take an active part in formal discussions on familiar topics, both personal and professional mechanics and structure: construct appropriate written and spoken sentences vocabulary: understand commonly used business terminology Contents The course is aimed at students who are already at B2 level in general English. Course contents modules: the course is split up into 10 modules which focus on different skills and topics. The first 7 are covered in the first semester of the course (Spring 2014) and the rest in the second semester (Fall 2014) skills activities: each module contains various activities, including writing exercises, reading and comprehension, listening passages and speaking exercises. Particular attention is focused on practicing exercises as contained in the final exam Set textbook COTTON, FALVEY, KENT Market Leader Upper Intermediate 3 rd Edition, Longman THOMPSON, Writing s for English, Egea Recommended textbooks MCCARTHY/O DELL, English Vocabulary in Use: Upper Intermediate 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press EMMERSON, Vocabulary Builder, Macmillan Oshima/Hogue, Introduction to Academic Writing, Longman Organisation Units Topics s Activities One Introduction to B2 Working with News Stories 5Ws and an H Headlines scanning skimming reading faster Improving your vocabulary Reading authentic texts discussing newspaper articles sentence transformations / Listening s Speaking s Working with News Stories Study Guide 2

3 Two Careers Three Professional Development: Getting a Job Four Management Five Finance Success Job Satisfaction CVs Letters of Application Interviews Management Styles Team Building Crisis Management Raising Finance Mergers and Acquisitions Vocabulary: Success vocabulary /Job Satisfaction vocabulary prefixes / synonyms and word building sentence transformations / Reading s Listening s Writing s Speaking s Writing an effective CV Writing an effective letter of application Interviewing discussing personal details discussing educational and work experiences sentence transformations / Reading s Listening s Vocabulary: management styles / team building / crisis management text reference sentence transformations / Reading s Listening s Writing s Speaking s Vocabulary: Raising finance vocabulary / dependent prepositions / Synonyms: Mergers and acquisitions vocabulary working with large numbers Reading Financial documents sentence transformations / Reading s Listening s Writing s Speaking s Unit 4 Unit 5 Getting a Job Study Guide Job Fair multimedia Unit 7 Unit 8 Unit 11 Unit 9 Unit 12 Reading Financial Documents Study Guide 3

4 Six Professional Development: Communications Seven Marketing Introduction to B2 partial exam Eight First Semester Review Introduction to Bocconi B2 Exam Nine Professional Development: Being Persuasive Communications Building Relationships Correspondance International marketing Customer Service Careers Management Finance Marketing Vocabulary: : Communication vocabulary / idioms / Building relationships vocabulary / multiword verbs Writing effective s Expressing your point of view Supporting your position sentence transformations / Reading s Listening s Speaking s International marketing vocabulary / word partnerships / noun compounds and noun phrases / Customer service sentence transformations / Reading s Listening s Writing s Speaking s sentence transformations / Reading s Listening s Writing s Speaking s Paragraphing Developing an argumentative essay Reading s Listening s Speaking s Unit 1 Unit 3 Correspondan ce Study Guide Unit 2 Unit 10 Authentic partial exam from past exam Course book Authentic B2 Exam from past exam Correspondan ce Study Guide Ten Exam preparation techniques Reading s Authentic B2 Exam Listening s Preparation Writing s Exam from Speaking s past exam On the e learning platform you will find the materials provided in class by the professor and the assignments to be carried out while you are attending the course (up to a 5 hours a week). This study method allows a constant improvement in your language skills and an adequate preparation for the exam Exam content and description s The exam is scored out of a maximum of 30 points, which will go into the calculation of your grade point average, and evaluates your ability to: listen to complex passages of some length and rework the information contained understand authentic written pieces understand and use common English words and business English vocabulary write a task in the appropriate format oral interaction: presentation and discussion 4

5 demonstrate your knowledge of the language, by correctly using a range of vocabulary and grammatical structures Contents The exam consists of a written paper and an oral exam. Both need to be passed for the grade to count towards the final average. In order to take the oral exam, it is necessary to: pass the written exam (minimum mark 18/30) have a test score that hasn t expired, i.e. that is still valid (see Written Exam, ) Students can choose to retake the written exam before the taking the oral exam but must remember that handing in their paper annuls any previous grade given. Students must enrol for all exams via the Punto Blu. The oral exam is compulsory and the score is added to the written grade. The exam is the same for both attending students and non attenders. Organisation Written Exam The written exam consists of three parts. Each part is worth assigned a mark and the sum of these marks is converted into thirtieths to give the final grade First part Listening 9/30 Checking understanding of a spoken passage and making accurate notes of the information contained Listening to messages and announcements, surveys, radio broadcasts Sentence and/or table completion, true/false questions, multiple choice answers, open/closed questions Second part Reading and Vocabulary 12/30 Checking 1) correct understanding of written material ; 2) the ability to rework the contents in a well structured way and express personal opinions; 3) knowledge of business English vocabulary Understanding one or more passages of a certain complexity Sentence and/or table completion, true/false questions, multiple choice answers, open/closed questions, producing appropriate sentences Third part Writing 9/30 Duration Dictionary Checking the ability to express a point of view in a clear and appropriate way Writing authentic documents Writing memos, letters or short reports according to instructions 150 minutes Dictionaries are not allowed it is valid for the 3 subsequent oral exams, and it is also valid for the subsequent 12 months but there is a penalty that must be paid (see Oral Exam, ) 5

6 Oral Exam Explain and discuss the subject of the articles chosen, answering examiners' questions Duration Dictionary Presentation and conversation Presentation of a dossier, prepared by the student, containing five articles on one or more business related topics taken from English language newspapers or Internet. Each article must be words long and be accompanied by: 1) title 2) topic 3) brief summary (40 words maximum) 4) word count 8 10 minutes Dictionaries are not allowed The oral exam can only be taken once you have passed the written exam. Students will be assessed in terms of their practical ability to communicate. During the oral exam marks can be added to or subtracted from the written exam result in the following way: by +4 or 4, if the oral exam is passed within the 3 oral exams subsequent to the written exam; by +1 or 4, if the oral exam is passed after the first 3 subsequent oral exams, but still by 12 months subsequent to the written exam (this option is possible only for students who take the written exam after 1 st January 2013) As an alternative to the Bocconi exam, students may choose to register one of the international certifications recognized by the University. The achieved result is converted into a number grade out of a possible thirty and is registered in their academic record Additional Points The assessment of language skills depends both on the result of the final exam and on marks awarded during the year: 1. Positive participation in the course and completion of self study activities 2. Partial Exam Points are registered at the same time the oral exam is passed 1. Positive participation in the course and completion of self study activities To encourage constant and active improvement in the language Maximum points awardable Assignment of points 1 thirtieth for active participation in at least 75% of lesson hours 1 thirtieth for completion of the self study program Defined by professor at the end of the course on the basis of quality of work performed and respected due dates as indicated the professor in the classroom and also online From January to the September immediately following the course. These months are included 6

7 2. Partial Exam Maximum points awardable Assignment of points Note To assess progress in learning the language 1 thirtieth Determined by the teacher when the exam has been passed (only 2 grades are awarded pass/fail): the extra point is given to pass. The partial exam pass mark is 75% (36 out of 48). Duration: 75 minutes From January to the September immediately following the course. These months are included listening comprehension questions on 1 passage summary writing summarising a written passage multiple choice, sentence completion, cloze test, brief writing task sentence transformations and The exam can be taken by attending and non attending students. It will be held once per academic year in June after classes have finished for the first semester (see General Exams calendar for exact date). Students must enrol at the Punto Blu Resources Materials prepared by professors Self study programme Past exams Extra teaching materials Language tutors Office Hours for Bocconi teachers International certificates recognized 7