Senior Programme (age 15+)

(for our Junior Programme, please contact us or visit our website directly)

Course Details

• General 15 hours per week or Senior Programme 21 hours per week
• Age: 15+
• Morning (9-12:30): General English and Practical English
• Afternoon (13:30 – 15:45): 3 days of topic-based lessons and 2 days of activities in Oxford
• English level: A0 - C2
• Class size: Max. 12 students (average 6-9)
• Meal: Hot buffet lunch
• Activities: Oxford sightseeing, college visits, punting, cream tea, laser tag, etc (included in Senior Programme)
• Excursions (optional): London, Stonehenge, Cambridge, etc

You will have homework most nights and you will have a test at the end of each week so you can monitor your progress.

All course materials are provided.

You will receive a certificate at the end of your course stating your level according to the Common European Framework.

Course Description

Language lessons, General English (EFL)

9:00–11:15

In the first two hours of the morning, we follow a coursebook. The coursebook is designed to:

• Increase confidence in communicating in English
• Reinforce and expand on the lessons you attend in your country (grammar, vocabulary, listening, etc.)
• Spend time on improving specific writing techniques
• Engage in role-plays to simulate real-life experiences (asking for help, making enquiries, clarifying information, etc.)
• Learn how to express your opinion
• Provide tools for self-study and self-correction (make the learner more independent)

Language lessons, Practical English

11:30-12:30

This lesson focusses on the practical use of English outside the classroom. It is more communicative and practises the main skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing.

This course:

• Features thought-provoking topics relevant to students in higher education
• Includes strategies for communicating outside the classrooms
• Provides tips for self-study

Topic-based language lessons (EFL)

13:30–15:45

These classes are aimed at improving students’ fluency and communicative skills through discussions and project work on a variety of interesting topics. Students prepare presentations, events and performances which they share with the rest of the school on Friday afternoons.

You will:

• Practise your speaking skills including debating and discussion technique
• Improve your research and presentation skills
• Make cultural visits within Oxford, when appropriate (see appendix 3)
• Broaden your knowledge of topical English
• Increase your confidence and apply what you have learnt in weekly presentations

Lunch

Every day our students are provided delicious hot lunch in the dining hall. There is a selection of hot mains, sides, salads, desserts, and drinks.

Activities

Every week there will be two activities organised by CIE. These include themed walking tours (e.g. Harry Potter), college visits, cream tea, laser tag, boat cruises, punting, sports, etc

This is a great opportunity to explore more of Oxford and also to socialise with your classmates. The course director can also organise some extracurricular activities upon request, for example, photography or dance classes at a local adult learners college or local community centres.

Excursions

Oxford is well situated for visiting many of the UK’s popular cities and tourist attractions such as London, Bath and Stonehenge, and Stratford-upon-Avon – Shakespeare’s Birthplace. If you would prefer to go further away and visit more of the UK, then we can also arrange trips to Wales and the beautiful Snowdonia National Park, Liverpool – the home of the Beatles, or Scotland’s capital city – Edinburgh.

Free time

In your free time, you will have plenty of opportunities to practise English with your host family, meet up with other students from CIE, go souvenir shopping and explore the city of Oxford.