Teaching directory
Course 2024-2025

English 3 (level B2) [EELVB390]

  • 3 credits
  • 30h
  • 1st quarter
Language of instruction: English

Learning outcomes

Students will develop the following English language skills relating to level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR):

The student will be able to...

    General reading comprehension :

Read with a high degree of independence, adapting the mode and speed of reading to different texts and purposes, using appropriate references selectively. If the student has a large and active reading vocabulary, he/she may encounter difficulties with infrequent expressions at this level.


    General listening comprehension:

Understand standard spoken language, either live or in the media, on familiar and unfamiliar topics normally encountered in personal, social, academic or professional life.

Understand the main ideas of complex formal and substantive discourse on a concrete or abstract topic using standard language, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation, and follow a speech of some length and a complex line of argument provided the topic is fairly familiar and the general outline of the presentation is indicated by explicit markers.

 

    In general oral production:

Give a detailed description and presentation on a wide range of subjects related to his/her field of interest, developing and justifying ideas with secondary points and relevant examples.

Explain a viewpoint on a problem, giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

Develop a presentation clearly and methodically, emphasising the main points, while being able to depart spontaneously from a prepared text to follow up interesting points raised by listeners, often demonstrating fluency and ease of expression.


    General written production:

Write clear, detailed texts on a wide range of topics related to his/her field of interest, synthesising and evaluating information and arguments from a variety of sources.


    Oral interaction:

Initiate, sustain and end conversations naturally and with effective turns of phrase.

Take part in a conversation of some length on most topics of general interest by actually taking part, even in a noisy environment.

Take the initiative in a conversation, expanding and developing ideas without much help or stimulation from the other person.

Take charge of a series of questions after a presentation, with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that does not strain either the audience or him/herself.



 

Objectives

    Main objective: To improve your oral skills so that you can express yourself fluently and accurately in a variety of situations. Particular attention will be paid to preparing oral presentations on technical subjects in front of the class, while the student corner system will continue to be applied. You will also be offered a range of oral activities to stimulate your creative communication skills. Particular attention will be paid to the skills required to give a high-quality oral presentation on a technical subject.


    Additional aims: To develop your writing skills by writing summaries of student corners and a technical presentation that you have attended as an audience member, and to extend your vocabulary by focusing on false friends, prepositions and postpositions, as well as vocabulary related to the world of work.

Content


1. written expression

    production of summaries or reports and drafting of personal opinions/analyses with critical distance (formative assessment) based on the oral activities proposed

2. oral expression

    The course will focus on three main areas
    Student corners (continuing on from block 2)
    a technical presentation in groups of three on a subject chosen from those provided by the speciality teachers (see Vademecum). The activity is graded and an individual mark is awarded to each student. A detailed debriefing will then be provided by your teacher.
    Various oral activities (such as news presentations or big debates) will be offered on a regular basis to enable you to practise your English in a variety of contexts.

3 Vocabulary

    One of the aims of the course is to develop lexical knowledge by focusing on false friends, prepositions and postpositions as well as on thematic vocabulary linked to aspects of professional life.
    This vocabulary should be studied on a self-study basis and will be the subject of three tests to be organised over the course of the term. To help you prepare for these tests, you will be given revision exercises the week before the test
    Reminders of grammar and vocabulary may be given from time to time on the basis of questions raised and problems encountered.

Table of contents

Le syllabus anglais 3 comporte les chapitres suivants :

    Expansion du vocabulaire
    Comment faire une bonne présentation ?

Exercises description

Formative assessment in the form of written and oral tasks to be completed during the year, with feedback.


Prerequisites

Anglais 1 (niveau B1+) [EELVB190]

Co-requisites

English 2 (level B1+ or higher) [EELVB290]

Teaching methods

The English 3 course consists of 24 hours offered in the first four months, two hours per week.

The method used in Block 3 is designed to increase student involvement and responsibility. Students will be asked to prepare a large number of activities outside class, to choose themes to develop and to work more independently.

Evaluations

For the English 3 course, points are awarded as follows:
1.FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Each student will be required to make a number of oral presentations and complete a number of written tasks during the term. The various written tasks as well as the written preparation for the various oral presentations will be included in the portfolio to be handed in for the oral exam in January.

Here are the details of the presentations and tasks to be produced:

    Selling a product (oral presentation + preparation page)
    Your own student corner (oral presentation + preparation page)
     2 News (presentation + preparation page)
     2 big debates (debate participation + 2 summaries)
    3 written tasks (200 words each) in different formats relating to your fellow students' student corners


The instructions and explanations relating to the different activities mentioned here are included in the Student Vademecum. Students can always ask their teacher for feedback on a written or oral task if they wish.

The various written tasks must be included in the portfolio, which must be submitted no later than noon on Friday 15 December in the tab provided. You will need to upload it to WebCampus in PDF format.

2.CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT: TECHNICAL PRESENTATION (20%)

    Technical presentation by groups of three students on a topic chosen from those provided by the speciality teachers (see Vademecum).  An individual mark will be awarded to each member of the group and will be based on the following aspects: quality of English, body language, compliance with instructions relating to presentation techniques, interaction with the class, diversity and quality of interactive activities.

A detailed debriefing will then be provided by your teacher.

The mark awarded for this part will be final and will be included in the mark for the second session in the event of failure in the first session.
3.VOCABULARY TESTS (20%)

    3 vocabulary tests will take place during the course.

    Test 1 - week 4 - face-to-face: 20 sentences to be completed, including if necessary a preposition or postposition, the translation of which will be given to you - 5%.
    Test 2 - week 8 -- face-to-face: 30 sentences to complete, including an expression whose translation will be given to you in French. 7,5%
    Test 3 - week 12 - face-to-face: 40 sentences to be completed using a false friend, the translation of which will be given to you in French. - 12,5%

 

4.ORAL EXAMINATION (60%)

The oral exam will consist of a 15-minute discussion with your teacher. It is conditional on the submission of your complete portfolio before the start of the session (see Vademecum). The examination may cover the following aspects (see Vademecum for details):

    the technical presentations you have attended as a spectator
    your personal student corner and those you have attended as a spectator
    the two big debate sessions
    the various written tasks completed during the quad
    your news presentations
    the oral activity Selling a product

If the portfolio is not complete, you will not be allowed to take the oral exam and will receive a zero for it.

At least two subjects will be covered during the exam in a spontaneous interaction in which fluency, lexical and grammatical variety (idioms, structures, etc.), communicative attitude, body language and the ability to bounce back will be the key words.

Non-participation (e.g. unjustified absence) in any part of the continuous assessment and/or oral examination will automatically result in failure of the first session.

You are allowed to take notes with you to help you develop your ideas during the exam (key words, mind maps, etc.).

5.SECOND SESSION

In the second session, students re-sit the activities that were not passed during the year, with the exception of the technical presentation, for which the mark awarded in the course is carried over to the second session.  The distribution of points is therefore as follows
CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT: TECHNICAL PRESENTATION (20%)

The mark awarded to you for this part of the course is final and will be used as it stands in the mark for the second session.
VOCABULARY TEST (20%)

The test will cover all vocabulary, i.e. the following 3 parts: prepositions and postpositions, thematic vocabulary and false friends. See the vocabulary expansion section on WebCampus.

The test will consist of the following parts: a maximum of 40 sentences to be completed by including a false friend whose translation will be given to you in French, a maximum of 30 sentences to be completed by translating an expression linked to the thematic vocabulary and 20 sentences to be completed with a preposition or postposition, if necessary.

ORAL EXAMINATION (60%)

The oral exam will consist of a 15-minute discussion with your teacher. It is conditional on the submission of your complete portfolio before the start of the session (see Vademecum). The examination may cover the following aspects (see Vademecum for details):

    the technical presentations you have attended as a spectator
    your personal student corner and those you have attended as a spectator
    the two big debate sessions
    the various written tasks completed during the quad
    your news presentations
    the oral activity Selling a product

If your portfolio was complete in January and has therefore been validated by your teacher, you will start from this and do not need to produce a new version.

If your portfolio was not complete in the first session, you must complete it in order to sit the oral exam.

This portfolio must be submitted one week before the examination date (via WebCampus, homework tool).

You are allowed to take notes with you to help you develop your ideas during the exam (key words, mind maps, etc.).


Warning : please note that the success of this teaching unit does not lead to certification.

 

 

 

Recommended readings

    How to make a presentation? syllabus (available on WebCampus)
    The Grammar Bible (available on WebCampus) syllabus summarising basic grammar rules in simple French
    Vademecum de l'étudiant: a collection of advice and instructions relating to the various tasks and presentations to be carried out (available on WebCampus)
    Vocabulary expansion: exercises and corrected version (available on WebCampus)

Language of instruction

English

Location for course

NAMUR

Organizer

Faculté des sciences économiques, sociales et de gestion
Rue de Bruxelles, 61
5000 NAMUR

Degree of Reference

Undergraduate Degree