Scope / semester hours per week

A total of 60 classroom teaching hours (4 SWS)

Prerequisites

Oxford online placement test (score 70 - 79) or participation in the course English B2.1

General information

The course is orientated towards the end of level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and is the second component of this level. The course teaches the skills of listening comprehension, reading comprehension, oral interaction, oral production and writing. Students deal with academic essays and other academic texts in a university context.

Learning objectives

Listening

Students can understand the majority of longer, moderately difficult oral utterances, provided that standard language is used. This may include recordings from the following fields:

- radio shows

- Interviews and (auto-)biographical narratives

- discussions

- lectures

Reading
Students can read various moderately difficult types of text relatively independently and analyse their content. They have a wide range of vocabulary, which enables them to read more complex texts; however, there are still limitations in understanding less frequently occurring idiomatic expressions. The reading comprehension activities include texts from:

- (subject area) newspapers and magazines

- non-fiction books

- academic journals

Oral interaction and production
Students will be able to interact relatively fluently and spontaneously in the target language, enabling conversations with a native speaker as long as the latter does not speak too quickly and in standard language. Students also learn to

- hold discussions with pro and contra arguments

- talk about changes

- explain problems and find solutions to them

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

- reports

- formal texts

- own opinions

Proof of performance through

- regular attendance (proof is provided by attendance lists)
- written exam lasting approx. 150 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

UNIcert® II

Passing the written exam and an additional oral exam of approx. 15 minutes for UNIcert® candidates