IELTS / TOEFL English Foundation Course

The English Foundation Course is specifically designed for secondary school students. The course is structured to fit your kids’ English level and learning needs and to strengthen their language skills and prepare them for the internationally-recognized English tests.

What is the IELTS/ TOEFL English Foundation Course?

The course is divided into two levels, based on the student’s proficiency which is determined by Kaplan’s pre-assessment test. Students get to practice and apply new skills, grammar and vocabulary they have learnt in class to real-world situations. Interactive activities based around the themes of Social, Culture, Work and Study help them to make the best use of the English they are using in everyday life.

Who should take the IELTS/ TOEFL English Foundation Course?

- Secondary school students who are striving to strengthen their English skills and/or with an assessment score of IELTS band 3-4.
- Students who are preparing to take IELTS / TOEFL and wish to enhance their language ability

Program Features:

• Comprehensive syllabus with complete grammar, vocabulary and skills work
• Taught through an interactive and communicative method (instead of one-way spoon-feeding) which makes learning fun as well as more effective
• Reinforces systematic vocabulary building which focuses on high-frequency, useful words and phrases
• Encourages fluency and confidence by applying skills to real-life tasks
• Tracks students´ progress throughout the course
• Develops speaking and interaction skills by providing continuous conversational practice opportunities with native-English speaking teachers
• Audio CDs are used together with the course book to help you practice the listening section
• Effective course materials

*IELTS 3.0; TOEFL iBT 13-36:  You can write and speak in familiar situations and have a fair knowledge of grammar but your vocabulary is limited.

*IELTS 4.0/4.5 TOEFL iBT 37-54: You can talk about everyday matters but with a limited range of style and expressions. You read and write fluently about familiar topics.

Learning Outcomes:
Achieve a solid foundation in English in these areas:

• Reading
  - Identify, locate and gather appropriate information from different texts to fulfill tasks
  - Understand texts of a concrete type which consist of high frequency everyday or job-related language
  - Recognize the line of argument and draw main conclusions in argumentative texts

• Writing
  - Write creatively about everyday aspects; describe activities and experiences, and feelings
  - Collate short pieces of information and summarize from several sources
  - Produce continuous writing with spelling, punctuation and layout accurate enough to be followed most of the time
  - Narrate a story

• Listening
  - Understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure etc.
  - Understand content of the majority of recorded or broadcast audio material on topics of personal interest delivered in clear standard speech.

• Speaking
  - Make and respond to invitations, suggestions and apologies
  - Express thoughts, beliefs, agreement/disagreement, and exchange ideas and information on different occasions
  - Enter unprepared into conversation of familiar topics
  - Be able to follow and respond to the main points of extended discussion and speech articulated in native English
  - Give short and rehearsed presentations on topics pertinent to everyday life, and explain for opinions, plans and actions.

• Grammar & Vocabulary
  - Communicate with reasonable accuracy in familiar contexts including family, hobbies, interests, work, travel,current events and news
  - Have enough ability to communicate with confidence, with sufficient vocabulary to express him/herself on familiar topics.

Demonstrating Progress

We evaluate students’ progress by a pre-assessment, mid-term test and a post-evaluation. Students will be able to measure the skills learnt by assessment tasks based on the course objectives.  On completion, it is recommended that students move on to the  IELTS/ TOEFL exam preparation courses where they will be taught in detail important exam-taking strategies and skills for all four sections of the test (speaking, listening, reading and writing).

A certificate with score will be issued at the end of each level if they have attended at least 80% of the classes. This record will contribute to your academic profile, providing documented proof of your improved language skills.