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D E S C R I P T I O N O F C O U
R S E L E V E L S
LEVEL 1: BEGINNING
Students at
this level must be able to write the English alphabet and numbers.
Students in Level 1 focus on basic sight vocabulary and building
reading fluency through sound/symbol correspondence. Writing
includes work on basic sentence structure, paragraph form and
punctuation. Grammar emphasizes simple and compound sentences in
present, present continuous, and past tenses and the formation of
questions in these tenses. In listening/speaking, students practice
language appropriate for classroom interaction and limited
conversation with native speakers.
LEVEL 2: HIGH BEGINNING
Students build
on reading skills learned in Level 1 to increase vocabulary, speed
and fluency. They also begin to draw conclusions about and
summarize orally what they have read. In writing, students expand
paragraphs and begin to combine paragraphs into longer
compositions. Grammar adds future and past progressive tenses,
comparatives, gerunds and infinitives, and direct and indirect
objects. Complex sentences with adverb clauses are introduced. A
Level 2 student should be able to engage hesitatingly in social and
academic conversation.
LEVEL 3: LOW INTERMEDIATE
Students at
this level concentrate on critical reading skills and move away from
simply decoding. Students write longer compositions that have
English style and form with thesis statements and more development
of their ideas. Complex sentence structure, perfect tenses, and
modals are emphasized in grammar. Students begin to work on aural
comprehension and speaking in authentic situations where language is
less controlled for speed and vocabulary.
LEVEL 4: INTERMEDIATE
Students at
this level have an average command of English. Sentence structure
is under fair control with only occasional obscurity of meaning. In
both reading and writing, students will use critical reasoning
skills to give opinions and interpret new ideas. Grammar at this
level begins to focus on integrating all the structures learned into
a coherent whole. With the addition of noun clauses and passives,
students have been introduced to almost all of the structures in
English. Using authentic materials, students gain fluency,
grammatical accuracy, and sophistication in listening and speaking.
LEVEL 5: HIGH INTERMEDIATE
Students in
Level 5 have an above average command of English as evidenced in
ease of reading and writing. Compositions show an identifiable
progression of ideas with adequate support. Punctuation,
capitalization, and spelling should be good with only occasional
errors. Grammar show a command of tenses and clause structure in
addition to using modals, gerunds, infinitives, and conditionals.
Students should understand lectures and conversation with little
difficulty and speak fluently with only occasional idiomatic
imprecision.
LEVEL 6: ADVANCED
Students at
the completion of Level 6 should have a good command of English.
The skill areas are integrated so that students see the language as
a whole. They should read and write with ease in an interesting
style with good organization and support of ideas. The focus on
grammar is on self-editing and usage in the student’s own writing
and speaking. Students will learn research skills to aid in their
transition to college and university classes. Vocabulary should be
expressive with few errors in parts of speech. Advanced students
should be able to interact comfortably and effectively with native
speakers in most situations inside and outside the classroom. |
