English for Work and Life (General English) 4-hour course

Course Name: English for Work and Life (General English) - (part-time)

Day(s)/time of class: On Campus Mondays and Wednesdays 6 - 8 pm (Irish time)

Course length: 6 weeks, 4 hours per week + self-study and assignments for teacher feedback

Course dates for 2023-24

Block 4: Monday 26 February to Wednesday 03 April 2024

Block 5: Monday 15 April to Wednesday 22 May

Block 6: See our Summer School page.

You can continue from one block to another if you wish or blocks can be taken independently of one another. Please indicate on the application form which block(s) you wish to take.

Level(s): All levels from A2 and higher.

Course cost - €295

No classes on bank holiday monday 05 February and 01 April.

*Returning students receive a loyalty discount. Please email infolang@ucc.ie for details.

⁺UCC staff and students should email infolang@ucc.ie to enquire about special offers.

Course Overview:

This course will help you to improve your general English skills, particularly focusing on English for your daily work and social life in an English-speaking environment.

Interactive and communicative classes with specialised tutors focus on improving fluency and accuracy while integrating speaking, listening, reading, and writing practices. Furthermore, the course offers assistance and guidance on essential language areas such as pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, while receiving feedback from your teacher.

Materials used:

Language skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing) and systems (discourse, functions, grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary) are taught using a combination of published materials and supplementary resources. Significant classroom time is dedicated to the communicative practice and the development of skills based on the students’ specific needs. Materials are specially designed and selected to suit each lesson’s objectives and include authentic materials which take into account the individual needs of each unique student group.

Learning objectives:

By the end of this course, you will:

Have received general advice on how to improve your spoken English, along with reading and writing.
Be able to use productive skills (speaking and writing) better with a particular emphasis on work and daily life situations.
Be better able to participate in group discussions, reading emails, in both work and home environment.
Have improved your ability to ask for/give clarification when needed and effectively respond to other speakers in conversation.
Be better able to agree and disagree appropriately with other speakers in both work and home environment.
Have learnt some functional language (vocabulary and phrases) to help you when speaking and writing.
Have the opportunity to express your opinion on important issues (speaking and writing critically).
Be better able to make speculations and discuss hypothetical situations using appropriate grammar.

Weekly course plan: (may change slightly depending on class needs)

Week 1:	Expressing likes and dislikes, pros and cons, in Work and Life situations.
Week 2:	Practical English – correct use of grammar forms, past to future. Conditionals.
Week 3:	Common discourse markers, useful adverbs and adjectives for speaking and writing, for Work and Life topics. Pronunciation of vowel sounds and word stress.
Week 4:	Daily life and work-life vocabulary, ranging from telephone usage to attending meetings. Active vs passive voice.
Week 5:	Making speculations and predictions about hypothetical situations (in the present and the past) about common topics. ed/ing adjectives.
Week 6:	Attention to common collocations, phrasal verbs, idiomatic expressions, for Work and Life situations. Mini-presentations as part of the overall review summary.

Student Feedback/Assessment

Students will receive regular feedback from their teachers on their progress. Due to the nature of this course, there will be no formal end of course assessment, however, a final overall review can take place as an option.

Minimum class numbers:

A minimum number of four students will be required for this class to run. If at least four students do not sign up, you will be offered to transfer to another course (depending on level), postpone to another term, or a refund.

Attendance/End of course certificate:

Attendance will be taken in every class. If you attend 80% of your lessons or more, you will receive an end of course certificate. Please advise the teacher if you know in advance that you will be absent.

How to Apply

Open for applications. Part-time application form

Language Centre Lárionad Teanga