Elementary

Locations Newcastle (Callaghan Campus)
Sydney CBD
Duration 10 weeks
Contact hours 25 hours per week (Monday - Friday)
Overview The Elementary English program focuses on the development of basic communication skills for educational and social needs.
Entry requirements To enter the Elementary Course, students must have:
  • completed the Language Centre Beginner English Course; or
  • equivalent results in the class placement test given on entry to the Language Centre; or
  • an overall test score of 4.0 in the International Language Testing System (IELTS)
Expected outcomes Reading
  • Scan for specific words, figures and times.
  • Read slowly and carefully to extract specific information.
  • Infer the meaning of an unknown word from context.
Writing
  • Describe people and objects.
  • Write a short narrative in the past tense.
  • Write a short narrative using adverbs of frequency.
  • Make comparisons using superlatives.
  • Request and give information.
Listening
  • Listen to and follow oral direction.
  • Understand the gist of a conversation.
  • Listen for detail and specific information.
Speaking
  • Provide personal and non-personal information.
  • Contribute to small group discussions on a familiar topic.
  • Express likes and dislikes.
  • Be able to give short instructions.
  • Report information about a third party.
  • Give a brief but sustained talk on a chosen topic (related to Australia) in the form of a 5-6 minute oral presentation.
  • Be able to hold a short conversation with a teacher or peer.
Course content

The course has an integrated syllabus which is predominantly skills-based, with grammar and culture components, and is organized into more than ten unit themes. Each unit theme is used to practise language skills as learners carry out tasks.

Reading
  • Predicting from headings, pictures and prior knowledge
  • Inferring
  • Skimming
  • Scanning
  • Chunking
  • Understanding vocabulary in context
  • Understanding cohesive devices – referents
  • Developing speed in reading
Writing
  • Vocabulary extension
  • Conjunctions
  • Sentences - Simple to complex
  • Asking questions
  • Recognising a paragraph
  • Form filling
  • Simple descriptions on topic
  • Simple directions e.g. cooking
  • Short narrative
Listening
  • Listening for gist
  • Listening for detail
  • Inferring
  • Predicting
  • Listening for text structure
  • Listening for key information
  • Understanding discourse markers – intonation and stress
  • Listening for tone
Speaking
  • 1 min. impromtu talk
  • 2 min. formal speech
  • Discussion in small groups on personal topics
  • Questions and answers
  • Role-play
  • Using appropriate language
  • Pronunciation and stress
Grammar
  • Articles
  • Nouns (Countable/uncountable)
  • Adjectives (Comparative/superlatives)
  • Prepositions
  • Adverbs of frequency
  • Tenses: Present (simple/continuous/perfect) / Past(simple/continuous) /Future
  • Question formation
Textbook

Cunningham, S. and Moore, P. New Cutting Edge: Pre-Intermediate Longman. ISBN 9781 405 852 289
Assessment Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking skills are assessed. Marks are weighted as follows: 25% assessment tasks in week 7; 25% class marks; 50% end of course assessment tasks.

Passing the course

Students must obtain 65% or more in three of the four skills. One may be in the 60-64% range. Each of the four components is of equal weighting. Students who pass the course are eligible to commence the Intermediate Course.