General English 20

We have General English courses at the following levels:

Beginner / Elementary

Pre-intermediate

Intermediate

Upper-intermediate

Advanced / Proficiency

Please note that at quiet times during the Low Season we may not have a large enough group of students at Beginner or Proficiency levels. Please enquire first to make sure that we are running courses at these levels before applying.

The General English courses help students improve all their skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) and learn the grammar, vocabulary and cultural knowledge necessary for living in the UK and using English in an international context. There is an emphasis on practical, effective and natural communication.

Each course has a 12-week syllabus. Students can join the 12-week course at any time and they can study at the School for anything from a few weeks to a year. Therefore our syllabus is very flexible, and helps us teach you according to your needs. In each 12 week course, we cover a wide range of important areas. Here is a list of the areas and some examples of the things we often do in each area:

Language Area	Examples
Topics	life in the UK, technology, health, going out, music, personality
Grammar	tenses and verb structures, the grammar of phrases, modal verbs, determiners, conditionals
Vocabulary	collocations (words which naturally go together), phrases, idioms, phrasal verbs, affixes
Pronunciation	word stress, difficult sounds, natural pronunciation, intonation
The Four Skills	reading, writing, speaking and listening, to improve your communication skills outside the classroom
Effective Communication	formal/informal language and politeness, linking sentences together to form texts
Functional Language	agreeing/disagreeing, giving advice, giving opinions, suggesting

There are four morning classes in your General English course, making 20 morning classes of 45 minutes each week. Each class has a maximum of 12 students and you will normally have two different teachers on every 12-week course. The classes have a different focus as follows:

Class	Time	Focus
Morning Class 1	09.00 - 09.45	We use a general English coursebook, which has a balance of skills, vocabulary and grammar. You'll start the class with a Cultural Question, to help you understand the cultures of the UK and other students.
Morning Class 2	09.50 - 10.35
Morning Class 3	10.55 - 11.40	These classes have a grammar and vocabulary focus and we choose from a wide range of resources to suit each group of students. Every morning we also teach you a Phrase of the Day, to help you sound natural.
Morning Class 4	11.45 - 12.30

Please note that in special circumstances we may put an individual junior student (14 - 15 years old) in an adult class.

As part of a general English 20 course we'll also give you:

• a free coursebook for your first two classes of the day included in the price of your course;
• regular help with pronunciation;
• at least five pieces of language per class (on average) to help you improve your English;
• daily homework;
• suggestions about how to learn more effectively;
• practice with authentic materials (texts created for native speakers), so that you are learning real English;
• study room time with a tutor (from 16.00 to 18.00 on Mondays to Thursdays); you can use our huge range of resources or our tutor can help you do your homework, explain English grammar and vocabulary that you find difficult or give you advice about improving your English;

You can also come to our weekly conversation club on Fridays from 13.30 to 15.00 to practise your English with other students and teachers.

While General English 20 is a complete course in itself, you can add a number of supplement courses to a General English 20 course and have lessons in the afternoon as well. The following links will take you pages about the various afternoon supplement courses.

• Intensive English 30
• IELTS Exam Course 30
• Cambridge Exam Course 30
• One-to-One English