IELTS Preparation Course Student Handbook

IELTS Preparation Course Student Handbook

Welcome to Action Language! This handbook gives you information about studying with Action Language, and about living in Tyne and Wear You can contact the project manager, Nicola Brooks, by email nicolabrooks@actionfoundation.org.uk, or come to see us! CastleGate Melbourne Street Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 2JQ 0191 2313113 The Place Athenaeum Street Sunderland SR1 1QX 0191 5670222 Follow us:

NOVEMBER 2016 OCTOBER 2016 SEPTEMBER 2016 Welcome to the Action Language IELTS preparation course; we hope you will both enjoy and benefit from this course which will be delivered by experienced teachers from the Action Language team. For the duration of the course you will meet on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 9:30am to 12:30pm. The course runs from Monday 26 September to Friday 25 November. Each class hour is 55 minutes, to allow for a short break in the middle of each class. This allows 8.25 hours of class time each week, for 8 weeks. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 HALF TERM HALF TERM HALF TERM HALF TERM HALF TERM 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 Course running Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays (9:30am-12:30pm) 4 Half-term (1 week break)

COURSE MATERIALS We will be using Complete IELTS (bands 6.5-7.5) by guy Brook-Hart and Vanessa Jackson, published by Cambridge University Press as the main course book. You will need a copy of this to follow the course as it will be used both during lessons and for homework, which is an important part of the course, and as such the cost of the book is included in the course fee. You will be given your book on the first day of the course, and should bring it with you to each class. Other course material will be provided but it would be wise to bring with you a folder, a notebook or paper, and writing materials. LEARNING OUTCOMES AND COURSE CONTENT Through the IELTS Preparation course, students will: Appreciate the IELTS exam structure Use grammar and functional knowledge with increased confidence Speak on various topics, short and long turn with increased confidence Listen and understand lengthy conversations, extracting important aspects Successfully analyse texts and summarise important content Give a written description and write a formal essay Gain examination techniques and strategies Increase vocabulary for different examination themes Develop academic writing and reading skills The course will cover all four skills tested in the IELTS; reading, writing, listening and speaking, using a range of materials including test questions. You will also cover the language (grammar, vocabulary etc.,) required for a good score in the exam, and in English generally at this level. The course will include homework and require home study, and will include advice on how you can work on your skills outside the classroom using test material and other methods (see TIPS below). 5

ATTENDANCE We expect all students to attend all classes. The reasons for this are: Regular attendance is the best way to make progress. es often follow a progressive pattern with revision/ review from previous lessons. The following reasons for absence can be accepted as authorised absences : Personal illness (a doctor s note must be provided) or family illness/emergency doctor, hospital, dentist appointments if they cannot be scheduled out of class time appointments at universities etc. If you are unable to attend a session then please inform us so that your teachers and colleagues are not kept waiting. The Action Language number is: 0191 2313113 or email info@actionlanguage.org.uk. Your teacher will not repeat classwork, but will try to give you enough information to catch up in your own time. If you miss more than 3 classes without explanation, we will contact you by phone and/or email. It is not possible to offer refunds for classes which you do not attend. To receive your certificate of attendance at the end of the course, you must attend at least 80% of the classes. If your attendance drops below 50%, you may be asked to leave the course, as you will be unable to keep up with the progress made by the rest of the class. 6

CLASSROOM AGREEMENT If you are to make the most of this course, it is important that you follow some guidelines. If you do not, you will receive a warning and in some cases may be asked to leave the school. Come to all the classes on time, with your course book, notes and pen(s). Do not disturb the teacher or other students with your phone. Speak in English. Respect others. o Respect the teacher. Listen, accept correction, and take part in classroom activities. o Respect other students. Listen, be polite, and respect other cultures and different opinions. o We respect others opinions, but extremist views and materials will not be tolerated, and are inappropriate both in and out of the classroom. o Inappropriate behaviour will be referred to the project manager and you will receive a first a verbal, then a written warning. If this behaviour persists or in serious cases students may be asked to leave the course, and the police may be involved. We believe in equality and diversity Everyone is welcome We believe in respect Everyone is valued We believe in tolerance and understanding If you do not respect others, you may be asked to leave Respect your classmates, and respect yourself 7

IELTS SCORES EXPLAINED From: http://takeielts. britishcouncil.org At Action Language, most students are aiming to achieve scores of 6.5 or above in an Academic IELTS exam. We therefore recommend that students are ready to study at B2 level (UK Skills for Life ESOL level 1) before starting the course. There are four parts to the IELTS exam, and these are equally weighted. The overall band scores are calculated by taking the mean of the total of the scores of the four individual parts. Overall band scores are reported to the nearest whole or half band. For the avoidance of doubt, the following rounding convention applies: if the average across the four skills ends in.25, it is rounded up to the next half band, and if it ends in.75, it is rounded up to the next whole band. Thus, a candidate achieving 6.5 for Listening, 6.5 for Reading, 5.0 for Writing and 7.0 for Speaking would be awarded an overall band score of 6.5 (25 4 = 6.25 = Band 6.5). It can be difficult to assess your own band score in Speaking and Writing IELTS markers are specially trained for this! Your teacher will help you to understand what you need to do to improve in the different areas which are assessed. Listening Band score Raw score out of 40 5 16 6 23 7 30 8 35 Academic Reading Band score Raw score out of 40 5 15 6 23 7 30 8 35 8

THE IELTS 9-BAND SCALE You will be given a score from 1 to 9 for each part of the test Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The average produces your overall band score. You can score whole (e.g., 5.0, 6.0, 7.0) or half (e.g., 5.5, 6.5, 7.5) bands in each part of the test. Your teacher will give you more information about band scores in each part of the test. Bandscore Skill level Description Band 9 Band 8 Band 7 Band 6 Band 5 Band 4 Band 3 Band 2 Band 1 Band 0 Expert user Very good user Good user Competent user Modest user Limited user Extremely limited user Intermittent user Non-user Did not attempt the test You have a full operational command of the language. Your use of English is appropriate, accurate and fluent, and you show complete understanding. You have a fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriate usage. You may misunderstand some things in unfamiliar situations. You handle complex detailed argumentation well. You have an operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally you handle complex language well and understand detailed reasoning. Generally you have an effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings. You can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations. You have a partial command of the language, and cope with overall meaning in most situations, although you are likely to make many mistakes. You should be able to handle basic communication in your own field. Your basic competence is limited to familiar situations. You frequently show problems in understanding and expression. You are not able to use complex language. You convey and understand only general meaning in very familiar situations. There are frequent breakdowns in communication. You have great difficulty understanding spoken and written English. You have no ability to use the language except a few isolated words. You did not answer the questions. British Council http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/find-out-about-results/understand-your-ielts-scores 9

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When you do practice exam tasks in class or at home, try to record your scores so that you can see which parts you need to practise more, and track your improvement! Date Paper Question type Score IELTS STRUCTURE The IELTS Test is divided into the following sections. Try to practise your timing: LISTENING 4 sections (40 questions) 30 minutes+10 answer transfer READING 3 sections (40 questions) 60 minutes WRITING 2 tasks (150 and 250 words) 60 minutes SPEAKING 3 Parts one-to-one interview 10-14 minutes 13

Keep trying the more you practise the more you will improve! Date Paper Question type Score IELTS EXAMINATION Action Language is not an IELTS examination centre, so you must arrange to take the exam at another centre. This will cost 150-200. Please go to http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/ for more information and advice on which exam and centre are right for you. IMPORTANT: if you need your exam for visa or immigration (UKVI) purposes, you must go to an approved centre to take the exam. For more information go to http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/ielts-ukvi 14

TIPS Your teacher will give you lots of advice about IELTS throughout the course, but there are a few things you can start to do immediately which will help you to do well: Read try to read something every day. This should be something of a similar standard to IELTS reading texts (800 words or more), and if you find something which interests you, you ll enjoy it more; try journals such as http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine or quality newspapers. Listen there are lots of podcasts and radio programs which will help you to improve your listening. Again, find something that interests you and see how much you understand and enjoy it! http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts Review what you do if you read or listen to something at home or in class, go back to it later and try to pick out some language you can use again. Make a list of expressions and challenge yourself to use them in conversation, or just write a few sentences of your own! You can also focus on the grammar used listen/look out for passives or different ways of expressing the future. Avoid lists of words at this level, individual words are not enough. Try to record or write down chunks of language, like mini-phrases. This will help you to use them correctly later, e.g. lack there s a lack of sunshine in Newcastle, I lack the vocabulary to explain. Think in English this can seem difficult, but use your inner voice to practise. Imagine the conversations you might have in different shops, or describe to yourself what you can see, or your opinions on topics from newspapers etc. Try to make a daily time to do this, e.g. when you re on the bus or metro, or walking home, or even brushing your teeth! Get out and about the more you go out into the English speaking world, the more you will hear and use English in your free time, and enjoy it! Check out our Facebook page for ideas and local activities www.facebook.com/actionlanguage Work with friends talking about what you are learning is a great way to make it clearer to both you and the other person. You might be able to help each other, but even simply saying things aloud can help them to stick in your memory. 15

OTHER INFORMATION IN CASE OF FIRE If there is a Fire Alarm you will hear a continuous bell ringing. Please follow your teacher and the appropriate signage to the assembly point CastleGate, Newcastle: Under the railway bridge and then right into the car park behind The National Trust Holy Jesus Hospital, via the marked fire exits. The Place, Sunderland: In front of the building, via the marked fire exits. In the event of an alarm please leave the building quickly but without running. Please do not return to the building until you have been given permission to do so by either the Fire Service or members of staff. RESTRICTED AREAS Action Language shares the buildings with other organizations and therefore you should only go to those areas that are identified to you. Please do not enter other areas or rooms unless you are invited. At the beginning of the course you will be shown where toilets are, and given information about where you can spend your breaks. Please note that the buildings are non-smoking smokers should go outside and either cross the road or move around the corner so as not to block the reception doors. COMPLAINTS If you re unhappy about something, please tell us. You can speak to your teacher, reception or management. If you prefer you can make a written complaint you don t have to put your name on it, it can be anonymous. You can also email us on info@actionlanguage.co.uk, or nicolabrooks@actionfoundation.org.uk. After a complaint, a member of management will talk to you about a plan of action to solve the problem. Please speak to your teachers about class problems, they will respect your feedback. If you think your level is wrong, or you would like to do more homework for example, please speak to your teacher. 16

LIVING IN TYNE AND WEAR Action Language classes are in the centre of Newcastle and Sunderland, and are easy to reach by public transport. The easiest way to plan your journey is here: http://jplanner.travelinenortheast.info/nexus You can also find car parking information here: http://en.parkopedia.co.uk/ Remember, cars drive on the left in the UK. Use crossings to cross the road when you are walking. Only cross when the green man is showing! While you are here you can also join the local library it s free and everyone is welcome! The biggest libraries are in city centres, but you can find out about all the libraries and the services they offer in your area here - https://www.gov.uk/join-library To find out about events in Tyne and Wear which you could enjoy, check out http://www.newcastlegateshead.com/whats-on or our Facebook page! Emergency numbers (free) 999 999 - Police, Fire and Ambulance Service (112 - emergency number for EU, including UK) UK Law: Read more about UK law on www.bbc.co.uk/crime/law You must be 18+ to buy alcohol and cigarettes. You mustn t smoke in public buildings and also many entrances. You mustn t use, possess or sell illegal drugs. You must not carry weapons (guns, knives, attack spray) 17

Stay healthy... If you feel too ill to come to school, email info@actionlanguage.org.uk or call the school. For non-urgent medical advice (for a stomach ache for example), you can ask a pharmacist/chemist (e.g. at Boots) or call the NHS (National Health Service) 24 hour helpline for free on 111 or visit www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk You may need to pay for NHS services. This depends on how long you stay and your visa; you can find out more here: http://www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/aboutnhsservices/ukvisitors/pages/access-services-in-england.aspx If you need non-urgent medical attention, you can go to; 1. A GP (local doctor s surgery) or a dentist You need to register with your local GP and dentist and book an appointment. If you are in the UK for less than 3 months, the surgery may accept you as a temporary resident. Take your I.D and proof of address (e.g. a house contract) to register. If it s an emergency, sometimes you may not need to register but it s better to register as soon as you can. 2. An NHS Walk-in centre You don t need an appointment but may need to wait a while to see the nurse or doctor. You can find your nearest walk-in centre here - http://www.nhs.uk/service- Search/Walk-in-centre/LocationSearch/663 There is also an walk-in dental centre in Newcastle, where again you may have to wait to see a dentist. Call 0191 2824664 (Dental Hospital, Richardson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4AZ) 18

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WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THE COURSE AND THAT IT LEADS TO A SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT AT THE IELTS EXAMINATION If you have any questions or are uncertain about any part of the course please do not hesitate to discuss these with your teachers. However, if you require further help or advice about any matter relating to the course or examination, or if you have any problems or complaints, then please contact Nicola Brooks, the Action Language Project Manager, who will be happy to help you. 20