This course is offered in the first term of the second year of the English Studies degree. Its main goal is to provide students with the communicative skills necessary to achieve a C1 level. The course is a bridge between English Language II (2nd term, 1st year) and English Language IV (2nd term, 2nd year). It consolidates the B2 level skills acquired in the English language courses taken in the first year of the degree and brings the students up to a C1.1 level. It prepares students for C1.2 level study in English Language IV, and ultimately for C2 level in English Language V.



This subject is an essential step for mastering an adequate level of English for any student graduating from English Studies. A C2 level is the level expected in a professional of English language since any prospective job will involve being able to understand, read, write and speak fluently at a high proficiency level.

Module competences



This subject belongs to the Module M02 English Language. Specifically it contributes to the achievement of module competences CM01/CM02 at the end of the English Studies degree.

- CM01: To understand written and oral texts in English at C2 level.

- CM02: To produce written texts (including academic texts) and oral texts in English at C2 level.



Degree competences



Final achievement of the module competences above entails the fulfillment of the degree competences G001/G003/G008:

- G001: To be able to produce and understand any type of oral and written text in English.

- G003: To analyse, synthesise and explain the grammar and the use of English.

- G008: To be able to work autonomously and in teams, making use of the techniques and tools acquired.



Learning outcomes



The learning outcomes of the course are organized around the four skills which constitute the basis of language teaching and which will also guide the structure of the course: reading, listening, speaking and writing.



READING (CM01/G001/G003)



- The student reads long and complex factual and literary texts and shows understanding by answering correctly a number of content questions of different types.

- The student extracts information from specialized articles and follows longer technical instructions even when they do not relate to their field of study.

- The student will likewise identify the distinctions of style that define different types of texts.

- The student identifies successfully linking devices and other expressions and phrases that make a text cohesive.



LISTENING (CM01/G001/G003)



- The student listens to audios (including lectures, radio and TV programs, news reports, interviews, podcasts, etc.) and shows understanding by completing correctly a number of varied exercises on comprehension.

- The student deals with topics beyond their field without too much effort, even when speech is not clearly structured and relationships are only implied.

- The student identifies a wide range of idiomatic expressions, shifts in register, non-standard usage, and unfamiliar accents.



SPEAKING (CM02/G001/ G008)



- Students express themselves fluently, spontaneously, and almost effortlessly, with a broad lexical repertoire allowing for gaps to be readily overcome with circumlocutions,

- Students give clear, detailed descriptions and presentations on complex subjects, integrating sub-themes, developing particular points, and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion.



WRITING (CM02/G001/G008)



- The student produces a cohesive text that summarises the contents of complex academic texts identifying the most relevant ideas and using appropriate vocabulary.

- The student paraphrases sentences and short texts, showing command of a varied range of vocabulary.

- The student analyses paragraphs, identifying its constituent parts.

- The student identifies the characteristics of written language.

This is a skills-oriented course delivered through a series of lessons and activities that incorporate different contents. The course presents appropriate communicative and real-life situations using authentic materials in order for students to strengthen their mastery of main language components (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, speaking, writing, reading, and listening) and for the development of the speaking and writing tasks.



In parallel modules 2 (unit 8), 9, 12 and 17 from Foley & Hall (2012) are covered to strengthen grammar and vocabulary.



Reading and listening skills as well as vocabulary acquisition will be worked on with the help of the materials provided by the instructor.



Writing skills will be worked on with the help of the Academic Writing bunch (See Materiales de Uso Obligatorio below).

Classes focus on speaking, listening, reading and writing skills as well as vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. Each lesson consists mainly of tasks designed around a communicative situation to help students improve their command of these skills and language components.



Classes are interactive and student-centered.



Students will work both in the classroom (individually, in pairs and in groups) and at home.



Students will do out-of-class work in order to complete homework and tasks. This out-of-class work includes exposure to authentic language via extensive listening and reading.



Project-based learning: Students will prepare a poster presentation in pairs.

• Sistema de Evaluación Continua
• Sistema de Evaluación Final
• Herramientas y porcentajes de calificación:
  • Prueba tipo test (%): 50
  • Trabajos individuales (%): 25
  • Pair tasks (%): 25

The type of assessment is CONTINUOUS. Students will be assessed according to their performance in the following testing tasks, all of which are obligatory:



a Individual writing tasks and individual writing paper: 25%

- Mock paraphrase on eGela [1]

- Mock summary on eGela [1]

- Individual writing paper in class: summary (10%), paraphrase (5%), academic writing bunch (10%)

b Pair writing task (poster): 5%

c Pair speaking task (poster presentation): 20%

d Use of English Midterm: 10% (grammar 5% and vocabulary 5%) [2]

e Reading paper: 10%

f Listening paper: 10%

g Use of English paper: 20% (grammar 10% and vocabulary 10%) [2]

h 4 Pair/group tasks [1]



IMPORTANT:

[1] The mock paraphrase, the mock summary and the 4 pair/groups tasks are obligatory. No points will be awarded in these tasks, but failure to do the mock paraphrase or the mock summary will result in a 10% deduction of the total mark for each task not done. Failure to do 3 out of the 4 pair/group tasks will result in a 0.5% deduction of the total mark.



[2] A mark lower than 50% in the grammar part of the Use of English paper in the Midterm (d) or in the exam in January (g) will result in a zero mark in the grammar. The same applies for the vocabulary part in the Midterm (d) or the Use of English paper in January (g).





FINAL ASSESSMENT (100% EXAM)

The final assessment will be taken by those students who withdraw from the continuous assessment. The final assessment will include the following:



a Individual writing paper: 25%

- summary (10%), paraphrase (5%), academic writing bunch (10%)

b Individual writing task (poster): 5%

c Individual speaking task (poster presentation): 20%

d Reading paper: 10%

e Listening paper: 10%

f Use of English paper: 30% (grammar 15% and vocabulary 15%)[3]



IMPORTANT:

[3] A mark lower than 50% in the grammar part of the Use of English paper will result in a zero mark in the grammar. The same applies for the vocabulary part.



Note that:

- The individual writing task (poster) will be elaborated individually (5%) and submitted via eGela by the official exam day.



- The speaking task (the oral poster presentation) will be individual (20%) and will take place in the instructor’s office on the exam day.



WITHDRAWAL FROM THE CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

All students have the right to be evaluated according to the final evaluation procedure independently of whether or not they have participated in the continuous assessment module. In order to withdraw from the continuous assessment, they must write the instructor responsible for the course expressing their desire to do so. Students can withdraw within the first 9 weeks of the course, according to the academic calendar of the Faculty of Arts. The form that has to be filled in is available at: https://www.ehu.eus/es/web/letrak/idazkaritza



WITHDRAWAL FROM AN EXAM CALL will be assessed as “no grade reported” [no presentado/a, ez aurkeztua].

In the case of continuous assessment, as the final exam is worth 30%, students can withdraw from a call until at least one month before the date of the end of the teaching schedule of the corresponding course. This withdrawal must be submitted in writing to the instructor responsible for the course.



Information on the use of resources and materials for the assessment tasks/papers:



In-class papers: The use of mobile or electronic devices, notes, books is not allowed. Should a student make use of these devices during the test, she/he will receive a zero (0) on the task.



Home-assignments: the work submitted by the students must be their own work and must have been written completely by themselves. The students must identify and include the source of all facts, ideas, opinions and viewpoints of others through in-text referencing and the relevant sources should all be included in the list of references at the end of their work. Direct quotations from books, journal articles, internet sources or any other source must be acknowledged and the sources cited must be identified in the list of references.Translating from other languages into English and presenting it as one’s own work is also plagiarism. Assignments containing plagiarism will receive a grade of zero (0) on the given task. (Capítulo II, artículo 11, 3; UPV/EHU’s Protocol of Academic Ethics).

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

The students must re-do each of the assignments with a non-passing grade separately. The students will have the choice to carry the tasks that received a passing grade in the first call over to the second call.



If an assignment/paper of the exam is repeated for the second call, the first call grade will be replaced by the second call grade.



The speaking task will be done either before or after the exam depending on the time of the exam.



The structure of the second call includes the tasks and papers in (a) to (f), but bear in mind that:



- The writing task (poster) will be elaborated individually (5%) and submitted via eGela by the official exam day.

- The speaking task (oral poster presentation) will be individual (20%) and will take place at the instructor’s office on the exam day.



a Individual writing paper: 25%

- summary (10%), paraphrase (5%), academic writing bunch (10%)

b Individual writing task (poster)

c Individual speaking task (poster presentation): 20%

d Reading paper: 10%

e Listening paper: 10%

f Use of English paper: 30% (grammar 15% and vocabulary 15%) [1]



IMPORTANT

[1] Note that the student will have to redo BOTH the grammar and the vocabulary parts regardless of whether they got a passing grade in one of the parts of the Use of English in the first call exam. A mark lower than 50% in the grammar part of the Use of English paper (f) will result in a zero mark in the grammar. The same applies for the vocabulary part.



FINAL ASSESSMENT

No grades are carried over from the first call, as it is evaluated as a 100% block. Therefore, students must re-do all assignments in the second call.



The final assessment consists of the following papers/tasks:



a Individual writing paper: 25%

- summary (10%), paraphrase (5%), academic writing bunch (10%)

b Individual writing task (poster): 5%

c Individual speaking task (poster presentation): 20%

d Reading paper: 10%

e Listening paper: 10%

f Use of English paper: 30% (grammar 15% and vocabulary 15%)[1]



IMPORTANT

[1] A mark lower than 50% in the grammar part of the Use of English paper (f) will result in a zero mark in the grammar. The same applies for the vocabulary part.



Exam marking criteria: the marking criteria are the same as in the first call.



Information on the use of resources and materials for the assessment tasks/papers:



In-class papers: The use of mobile or electronic devices, notes, books is not allowed. Should a student make use of these devices during the test, she/he will receive a zero (0) on the task.



Home-assignments: the work submitted by the students must be their own work and must have been written completely by themselves. The students must identify and include the source of all facts, ideas, opinions and viewpoints of others through in-text referencing and the relevant sources should all be included in the list of references at the end of their work. Direct quotations from books, journal articles, internet sources or any other source must be acknowledged and the sources cited must be identified in the list of references.Translating from other languages into English and presenting it as one’s own work is also plagiarism. Assignments containing plagiarism will receive a grade of zero (0) on the given task. (Capítulo II, artículo 11, 3; UPV/EHU’s Protocol of Academic Ethics).

1) Academic Writing bunch, available at the at the photocopy shop.
2) Foley, Mark and Hall, Diane. (2012). MyGrammarLab. Advanced C1/C2. Harlow: Pearson.

Bibliografía básica

Alexander, Louis. (1988). Longman English Grammar. Essex: Longman.



Carter, Ronald, & Michael McCarthy. (2006). Cambridge Grammar of English Paperback with CD-ROM: A Comprehensive Guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.



Hewings, Martin. (2013). Advanced Grammar in Use (with Answers and CD-ROM) (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.



Swan, Michael. (2005). Practical English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bibliografía de profundización

Huddleston, Rodney, & Geoffry Pullum. (2002). The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Quirk, R Randolph, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, & Jan Svartoik. (1985). A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. New York: Longman.

Revistas

The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/
The New York Times Review of Books: http://www.nybooks.com/
The Times Literary Supplement: http://www.the-tls.co.uk/tls/
The Walrus: http://thewalrus.ca/

Direcciones web

BBC Radio 4: Radio Programmes: http://bbc.co.uk/radio4
BBC World Service: International News: http://bbc.co.uk/worldservice
CBC Radio: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/
TEDTalks: http://www.ted.com/