Shafston International College-Sydney

General English

ㆍ25 Hours per Week

ㆍ7 Levels (Beginner~Advanced)

ㆍMorning Core Classes 09:00-12:15, Afternoon Elective Classes 13:15~15:15 General English prepares students for the kind of English they will need in everyday situations. Class programs are designed to effectively develop communication skills and fluency in speaking, listening, reading, writing and grammar (core skills). Our teaching styles encourage interactive language use so you will have many opportunities to practise the skills you are learning. In the morning, classes intensively focus on core skills. In the afternoon classes at Beginner to Pre-Intermediate levels focus on Speaking, Listening and Pronunciation. Students at these levels are given extra help to improve their spoken English and comprehension quickly and effectively. Afternoon classes for Intermediate to Advanced level students consist of a range of afternoon electives which allow students to concentrate on a particular area of need. We offer only focused intensive electives, not unproductive 'activities', 'self access' or 'videos'. We include activities such as these for free, after class in our Clubs program. Afternoon electives are only available at the Brisbane Campus. [ELECTIVES] Bignner~Pre-intermediate

ㆍPronunciation and Speaking

ㆍGrammar Focus

ㆍWriting Workshop

ㆍListening

ㆍTheme Work Intermediate~Advanced

ㆍCore Skills (Focus on Grammar, Speaking/Pronunciation, Writing)

ㆍEnglish for Business

ㆍIELTS Exam Preparation

ㆍTOEIC Exam Preparation and

ㆍTOEFL Exam Preparation Sample Homework

ㆍAre you a risk-taker? (from text book)

ㆍLanguage summary in text book

ㆍProject: Prepare interviews for Friday

ㆍPrepare writing exercise from text book for next Tuesday

ㆍLanguage summary in text book; Grammar check up Afternoon Clubs

ㆍCooking Club

ㆍMusic Club

ㆍPronunciation Club

ㆍSports Club

ㆍFilm Club

IELTS Preparation Program

ㆍ25 hours per week

ㆍStudents per class: 14

ㆍMock Exams: 1 per fortnight The Academic English program is a full-time IELTS test preparation course for students at intermediate level or above. This program thoroughly prepares the student for all aspects of the IELTS examination ? reading, writing, listening and speaking. A specific IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score is now required by many Australian and British universities and colleges as a qualification for entry into a formal program. It is a comprehensive test of English language proficiency designed to assess the ability of non-native speakers. It is highly recommended for those who need to use English in an Academic or Professional context. The program consists of sixteen modules of work, each with a particular functional grammar and topic area focus. The purpose of this is to expose students to a wide range of language, which is logically and cohesively organised. Within this format the following skills are taught and practised:

ㆍAcademic speaking skills; social and transactional conversation, discussion, giving oral reports, interview skills

ㆍAcademic listening skills; understanding lectures, social and transactional conversations, news broadcasts, TV and movies; note-taking

ㆍAcademic reading skills; scanning and skimming; identifying main ideas and details; summarising; identifying writer’s opinions

ㆍAcademic writing skills; constructing cohesive paragraphs; writing essays; writing summaries; describing tables and graphs; using academic writing functions such as explaining causes and effects, describing processes, comparing and contrasting Skills covered include:

ㆍListening and Note Taking

ㆍAcademic Reading and Writing

ㆍVocabulary Extension

ㆍStudy Skills

ㆍReport and Essay Writing

ㆍLibrary and Research Skills IELTS exams are held every four weeks in Brisbane, and Shafston can assist you to register for the exam. Each module of the exam is graded separately as a ‘Band Score’. The module scores are added together to provide an overall Band Score. Band scores range from 1 (non user) to 9 (expert user). Most universities and institutions of higher education will ask for an overall Band Score (generally between 5.5 for undergraduate programs to 6.5 for post-graduate programs). Students have regular exam practice sessions using past IELTS papers. They learn IELTS exam techniques and strategies for achieving the best possible result. Students can join this program on any Monday. All students are tested before joining this program. Sample Homework

ㆍAre you a risk-taker? (from text book)

ㆍLanguage summary in text book

ㆍProject: Prepare interviews for Friday

ㆍPrepare writing exercise from text book for next Tuesday

ㆍLanguage summary in text book; Grammar check up Afternoon Clubs

ㆍCooking Club

ㆍMusic Club

ㆍPronunciation Club

ㆍSports Club

ㆍFilm Club

Cambridge Exam Preparation Shafston is one of Australia’s largest providers of preparation programs for the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations Cambridge exams are highly valued by employers in many countries, especially Europe. Shafston offers a very wide range of Cambridge preparation programs including all levels of the main suite exam preparation programs (PET, FCE, CAE and CPE) as well as the Cambridge Business Certificate (BEC Vantage) exam preparation program. We guarantee to offer every Cambridge program that we advertise, and pride ourselves on delivering a first-class exam preparation program delivered by well-respected Cambridge specialists. Available Courses

ㆍPreparation Course for the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency Exam - CRICOS Course Code: 038097F

ㆍPreparation for Cambridge Business English Certificate - CRICOS Course Code: 070044G

ㆍPreparation for Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English - CRICOS Course Code: 070045G

ㆍPreparation for Cambridge First Certificate - CRICOS Course Code: 070043J

ㆍPreparation for Cambridge Preliminary English Test (PET) - CRICOS Course Code: 046000J Exam Success Shafston students consistently score highly on Cambridge examinations. Preparation is rigorous. Included in every program is a full day of mock practice exams once every month for all papers. There are three classes of passing grade available for the main-suite exams: A, B and C. If a candidate scores below a C but achieves good marks they may receive a certificate indicating language level. All candidates are provided with a Statement of Results which includes a graphical display of the candidate’s performance in each paper. These are shown against the scale Exceptional ? Good ? Borderline ? Weak and indicate the candidate’s relative performance in each paper. Passing candidates are awarded a certificate. Computer-Based Cambridge Exams Shafston students studying in a Cambridge exam course will sit the cutting-edge, computer-based exam at Shafston Cambridge Exam Centre right here on the premises. Course books and learning materials All students are supplied with the latest exam preparation course books and other supplementary materials for the course. Students are also encouraged to purchase an Advanced Learners Dictionary.

Shafston Flexi Cambridge Shafston Flexi Cambridge is an open course for students from B1 ? C1. It is ideal for students who would like to study a focused exam class and not quite ready to commit to the exam but keen to have a flexible start date and course length. Preparing strong upper-intermediate to advanced students with the language functions and skills to complete the CAE exam, focusing on reading and use of English, writing, listening, and speaking.