This course is offered in the second 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 III (1st term, 2nd year) and English Language V (1st term, 3rd year). It consolidates the C1 level skills acquired in English Language III, and brings the students up to a C1.2 level. It prepares the student for C2 level study 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 texts likely to be found in social, professional or academic life and shows understanding by answering correctly a number of content questions of different types.

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

-The student extracts information from long complex texts even when these are not clearly structured and establishes relationships that are only implied and not signaled explicitly.

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

-The student identifies, recognizes and uses productively a range of complex vocabulary items and expressions that appear in the texts they read.



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)

-The student gives a clear, well-structured presentation of a complex subject, expanding and supporting points of view at some length with subsidiary points, reasons and relevant examples.

-The student argues a formal position convincingly, responding to questions, comments and interjections fluently, spontaneously, and appropriately (which implies the use of appropriate vocabulary, grammar and register, among others).

-The student keeps up with debate easily, even on abstract, complex, unfamiliar topics.



WRITING (CM02/G001/G008)

-The student develops an argument systematically in clear, well-structured texts on complex subjects, underlining the relevant salient issues, expanding and supporting points of view at some length with subsidiary points, reasons and relevant examples, and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion.

-The student produces smoothly flowing texts showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

This is a skills-oriented course delivered through a series of lessons and activities that incorporate different contents. Academically appropriate communicative situations are presented using authentic materials in order for students to develop their speaking, writing, listening and reading abilities.

In parallel, Modules 4 (unit 14 and unit 15), 8, 11, 13, 14, and 15 from Foley and Hall (2012) are covered to strengthen grammar and vocabulary. (See Materiales de Uso Obligatorio below.)



Reading and listening skills as well as vocabulary acquisition will be worked on with the help of the Reading and Listening Materials bunch.

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



Classes are interactive and student-centered. Collaborative, but also autonomous, work will be encouraged. 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. Since the course focuses on project-based learning, writing and speaking activities dovetail into each other and constitute different steps along the road to achieve a final goal.

• Sistema de Evaluación Continua
• Sistema de Evaluación Final
• Herramientas y porcentajes de calificación:
  • Prueba tipo test (%): 60
  • Trabajos individuales (%): 20
  • Trabajos en equipo (resolución de problemas, diseño de proyectos) (%): 20

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



1. Writing: 20% (expository essay)

2. Speaking:20%

3. Exam (60% of the total grade)

- Listening: 10%

- Reading: 10%

- Use of English: 40%



ALL the students (continuous and non-continuous assessment) will have to do the SPEAKING TASK IN CLASS IN THE LAST WEEK OF THE COURSE. Students will have to register for the speaking task following the instructions provided by their professor in due course.



IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Students must do the two projects that will be carried out in class. Failure to do them will result in the deduction of 1 point per project from the final grade.



Final assessment: The final assessment will be taken by those students who withdraw from the continuous assessment. The final assessment will have the same structure as the continuous assessment.



1. Writing: 20% (expository essay)

2. Speaking:20%

3. Exam (60% of the total grade)

- Listening: 10%

- Reading: 10%

- Use of English: 40%





Exam marking criteria: The speaking and writing tasks will be graded using rubrics that will be included in the student guide.





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



Exam: The use of mobile or electronic devices, notes, and books is not allowed. Should a student make use of these devices during the exam, 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).



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 present the official withdrawal document to their instructor.



Students can withdraw within the first 9 weeks of the course, according to the academic calendar of their centre. The form that has to be filled in is available at the website of the faculty https://www.ehu.eus/es/web/letrak/idazkaritza



Withdrawal from an Exam Call: Withdrawal from a call will be assessed as “no grade reported” [no presentado/a, ez aurkeztua].



1.In the case of continuous assessment:

As the final exam is worth 60%, not sitting the exam on the official exam date will constitute an automatic withdrawal from the exam call. This also means that no grades from the continuous assessment will be carried over to the Second Call.



2.In the case of final assessment, not sitting the exam on the official date of the exam qualifies as an automatic withdrawal from the corresponding call.



The current assessment regulation is available at the following link:

http://www.ehu.eus/es/web/estudiosdegrado-gradukoikasketak/ebaluaziorako-arautegia

(i) Continuous assessment students:

These students have the choice to carry over the first call grades of any of the tasks that received a passing grade. In the second call, continuous assessment students must re-do each of the assignments in which they received a non-passing grade separately. If students do not re-do a task with a non-passing grade, the first call grade will be replaced by 0. They may also re-do any assignment that has a passing grade.



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. Otherwise, the first call grade will be carried over.



The writing task will take place on the exam day in the classroom.



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 is the same as that of the first call, and includes the same tasks and papers:

1. Writing: 20% (expository essay)

2. Speaking:20%

3. Exam (60% of the total grade)

- Listening: 10%

- Reading: 10%

- Use of English: 40%





(ii) Final assessment students (100% exam):

- Final assessment consists of the same parts as the continuous evaluation, but it is evaluated as a 100% block.

- No grades are carried over from the first call. Students must re-do all assignments in the second call.



1. Writing: 20% (expository essay)

2. Speaking:20%

3. Exam (60% of the total grade)

- Listening: 10%

- Reading: 10%

- Use of English: 40%



The writing task will take place on the exam day in the classroom.



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



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/exam:



Exam: The use of mobile or electronic devices, notes, and books is not allowed. Should a student make use of these devices during the exam, 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).



Withdrawal from an Exam call: Withdrawal from a call will be assessed as “no grade reported” [no presentado/a, ez aurkeztua]. Not sitting the exam on the official date of the exam qualifies as an automatic withdrawal from the corresponding call.

Course materials at the photocopy shop: Reading and Listening Materials bunch.
Foley, Mark and Hall, Diane. (2012). MyGrammarLab. Advanced C1/C2. Harlow: Pearson.

Bibliografía básica

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

Carter, Ronald, & McCarthy, Michael. (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) (3rded.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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

Bibliografía de profundización

Huddleston, Rodney, & Pullum, Geoffry. (2002). The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Quirk, Randolph, Greenbaum, Sidney, Leech, Geoffry & Svartoik, Jan. (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/