Scope / semester hours per week

A total of 60 classroom teaching hours (4 SWS)

Prerequisites

Oxford online placement test (score 60 - 69) or participation in the course English B1.2

General information

The course is orientated towards the beginning of level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and is the first component of this level. The course teaches the skills of listening comprehension, reading comprehension, oral interaction, oral production and writing. The focus is on introducing students to academic writing in English and deepening university-specific aspects of English.

Learning objectives

Listening
Students will be able to understand both concrete and more abstract topics, provided they are explained in standard language. This may include recordings from the following fields:

- Discussions on general or technical and university topics

- more complex, structured interviews with experts

- interactive radio interviews

- lectures

Reading
Students can read longer, moderately difficult written texts relatively independently and analyse their content. They have a broad range of vocabulary that enables them to read more complex texts; however, there are still limitations in understanding less frequently occurring idiomatic expressions. Reading comprehension activities include texts from the following categories:

- Daily newspapers and magazines

- non-fiction texts

- Contributions to discussions

Oral interaction and production
Students can interact relatively fluently and spontaneously in the target language, which enables them to converse with a native speaker, provided that the latter does not speak too quickly and in standard language. The course participants also learn

- talk about their personal experiences as well as current and past events

- present their point of view on various topics

- structure their arguments clearly and weigh up the pros and cons

Writing
Students will be able to write coherent texts on various topics in which they can formulate their thoughts clearly and link them together. The focus of the course includes writing

- coherent paragraphs

- academic essays

- formal texts

Proof of performance through

- regular attendance (attendance records are kept)
- written exam lasting approx. 120 minutes consisting of:

• reading comprehension
• listening comprehension
• Writing task(s)

- oral examination

ECTS points

Regular attendance and passing the written and oral examinations: 6 ECTS credits