Bow Valley College

The International ESL program assumes students enter with an intermediate level of proficiency. To build further proficiency focused on academic success, we offer four different levels of classes: • Introduction to Academic English • Intermediate Academic English • High Intermediate Academic English • Advanced Academic English Students who complete this program will be able to: • Read efficiently and effectively in an academic context • Write clearly and accurately for academic purposes • Communicate information in discussions and presentations • Interact with confidence in a North American academic environment • Use technology appropriately to assist their learning Students are assessed upon entry and placed according to their ability. Placement tests take place the week before classes. Classes are full time from 9:00am to 3:15pm Monday through Thursday. Students who successfully complete Advanced Academic English with a grade of B or higher meet the language proficiency requirement for Bow Valley College's Early Learning and Child Card program or can proceed to the Post-Secondary Preparation Program for International Learners.

This 16 week program is designed especially for international students interested in pursuing academic programs at post-secondary institutions. The program features a combination of two classes, both of which are mandatory to successfully complete the program: • English for Academic Purposes – International and internationally education students will explore a series of thought-provoking themes and completing in-depth reports, research projects, and presentations to develop skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. • Success Skills – Students will develop key study skills and explore the academic success skills required for a Canadian classroom. The class schedule for English for Academic Purposes is 8:30am-2:30pm Monday to Thursday. For five Fridays of the semester students will attend the Success Skills class which is from 9:00am-12:00pm. Students will be required to write an assessment test to gain admission to the program. This test will be written the week prior to the start of classes. Students who are not successful on the admissions test may be able to study in the International ESL program instead. Students who successfully complete English for Academic Purposes with a grade of B or higher will meet the language proficiency requirements for Bow Valley College programs. Students who successfully complete English for Academic Purposes with a grade of B+ or higher will meet the language proficiency requirements for SAIT.