ESL Upper-Intermediate Banner

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

ESL Upper Intermediate is a topic-based, integrated skills course designed to provide learners with language instruction to function naturally in an English language environment. Activities and materials are authentic, engaging and highly interactive. The course will provide opportunities to practice and review new language in realistic contexts using all 4 skill areas—speaking, listening, reading and writing. At this level, language instruction builds on intermediate-level communication including more complex language structures and richer vocabulary to discuss both familiar and unfamiliar topics. Assessment will be both summative and cumulative and also serve to reinforce learning.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Grade 12 graduate or mature student status (British Columbia 19 years or older)

CAREER OCCUPATION

This is a Language course and does not lead to a career path.

METHODS OF EVALUATIONS & COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS

  • Course grading is indicated on the course outline. Generally, the assessment will consist of quizzes, exams, and assignments.
  • Students must approve all courses with at least 60%.

Tuition Fee

Program Organization

A final course grade of 60% is required to pass this course.

Admission Requirements

  • Grade 12 Graduate or a mature student
  • Meet the Language proficiency requirements as listed below:

Prior to acceptance applicants must meet at least one of the following language proficiency requirements:

  • Provide verified results for one of the English language proficiency tests listed below.

    • Test results must be dated no more than two years before the start date of the program.

    1. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic: overall score of 5.5 or higher.
    2. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) IBT: overall score of 46 or higher
    3. Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Test: overall score of 40 or higher
    4. Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP): Listening 6, Speaking 6, Reading 5, and Writing 5
    5. Duolingo English Test: overall score of 95 or higher
    6. Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic: overall score of 43 or higher
    7. Cambridge English Qualifications: B2 First exam (FCE): overall score of 160 /"C" or higher
    8. Cambridge Linguaskill: overall: B2 level or higher
    9. LANGUAGECERT Academic: B2 level or higher
    10. The Michigan English Test (MET): B2 level or higher
    11. iTEP Academic: overall score of 3.5 or higher
    12. EIKEN: placement of Grade Pre-1 or higher

Mature student applicants:

  • Completion of 3 years of full-time secondary education (Grades 8-12) or 2 years of secondary education (including English 10 and 11 with a grade of 'C' or higher) from a country where English is one of the principal languages(This may be demonstrated by providing a high school transcript, completion of a BC Adult Graduation program or providing international education credentials recognized through WES, ICES, or IQAS.), or
  • Completion of 2 years of full-time post-secondary education at an accredited institution where English is the language of instruction (Language development courses (i.e., ELL courses) cannot be included in this calculation), or
  • Evidence that a language standard defined and accepted by a third-party regulator has been met. This may include minimum language standards or testing options set by a third-party regulator (e.g., Health Colleges, Public Registries, Transport Canada, etc.).
  • Applicant is 19 years or older at the start of the program and is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who cannot access is their educational records or provide sufficient evidence of secondary or post-secondary education as outlined above:
    1. Reading: 235
    2. Writing: 235
    3. WritePlacer: 4

Language development courses (i.e., ELL courses) cannot be included in this calculation. Accuplacer may not be used to demonstrate that a student meets an admission requirement other than language proficiency. For example, Accuplacer may not be used to demonstrate that a student meets a Math 11 admission requirement.

Upon completion of this course the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:

  • Understand and produce the intermediate Headway 3 verb tenses required in a wider number of contexts, which includes becoming familiar with and using with some success both simple and continuous verb tense forms
  • Understand and use an increased amount of vocabulary related to everyday life situations,(food, hobbies, travel) survival skills, (at the airport, doctor’s) functions, (greetings, invitations, talking on the phone), and be able to hold conversations on both familiar and abstract topics
  • Be able to read and understand higher level articles in newspapers, magazines, short stories and biographies for both general and detailed information
  • Be able to understand greater detail in authentic recorded interviews, news broadcasts, announcements and songs
  • Be able to produce practical writing tasks, such as formal and informal letters, emails, narratives, a variety of descriptive texts/genres, and pro/con discursive essays Students will have learned a wider range of sentence types and be able to link sentences together with a wider variety of connectors.

Program Duration

Total instructional hours 240
Total Co-op hours 0
Total program hours 240
Total program length (weeks) 12

Delivery Method

This program can be delivered in different methods,

  1. On Site

    The program will be delivered 100% in person*

    Courses may be offered in a different order as long as prerequisites are met. Prerequisites are indicated in each course outline.

  2. Distance

    The program will be delivered 100% in an asynchronous** style except for the integrated work experience i.e practicum or co-op

    Content of courses may be available at the same time OR in a different order as long as prerequisites are met. Prerequisites are indicated in each course outline.

  3. Combined (Hybrid)

    In this method, 50% of EACH COURSE of the program is delivered in person and the other 35% to 50% percent is delivered in synchronous** style and 0 to 15% in asynchronous*** style.

NOTE:

In this method, EVERY course of the program is delivered both in class and online. Courses may be offered in a different order as long as prerequisites are met.

Prerequisites are indicated in each course outline.

Students may ask SEA in writing if they want to take different percentages in class or online. Upon SEA’s approval, an amendment to the enrollment agreement must be signed.

*In person – means all classes of all courses are conducted on campus and students and instructors are on the same schedule and in the same physical location.

**Synchronous is when students and instructors are on the same schedule but can log in to a virtual class at the same time, only from different physical locations.

***Asynchronous is when students are on their own schedule and log in to the school management system at their own time, submit assignments on their own schedule and within a specific timeframe and are in touch with instructors via email and not necessarily at the same time and/or time zone.

Not all courses may have textbooks. Textbooks are listed on the course outline. Textbooks may not be available through the college.