- Home
- English Language Courses
- Price List & Term Dates
- Our English Courses and ILEP
- English for Work and Life (General English)
- Study and Work programme (General and Academic tracks)
- Academic English
- Academic English with IELTS 'Gateway to University Programme'
- Summer School 2024
- List of Summer courses, dates and prices
- Academic English
- English for Work and Life FT (General English)
- English for Exams
- Business and Professional English
- English for Work and Life 4H (General English)
- Business English
- Effective Writing
- Focus on Speaking
- Exam Skills (Cambridge C1 Advanced and IELTS)
- Irish Culture for English Language Learners
- English for University Studies
- One-to-One
- Summer School 2023 Brochure
- Pre-sessional Programmes
- International Master's Pathway
- Part-Time Courses
- List of part-time courses, dates and prices
- English for Work and Life (General English) 4-hour course
- Business English
- Effective Writing
- Focus on Speaking
- Exam Skills - Pass that English exam! (Cambridge C1 Advanced and IELTS)
- Irish Culture for English Language Learners
- Access to Academic English for University Studies
- One-to-One
- Courses for UCC Students
- Scholarship Programme for Asylum seekers and Refugees
- English Courses for university partners
- Teacher Training Courses
- Examinations
- How to apply
- News
- Collaborative Courses
- Accommodation
- Courses for UCC Staff
- New Students
- Get to Know Us
- Project 25, Celebrating 25 years of the Language Centre
- Open nights
- Terms And Conditions
Focus on Speaking

Course Name: Focus on Speaking
Day(s)/time of class: On Campus Wednesdays 6-8 pm (Irish time)
Course length: 6 weeks, 12 hours in class + self-study and assignments for teacher feedback
Course dates for 2023-24
Block 3: Wednesday 10 January to Wednesday 14 February 2024
Block 4: Wednesday 21 February to Wednesday 27 March 2024
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): B1+ and higher
Course cost - €150*+
*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 speaking skills. You will receive some input from the teacher on how to speak more fluently and have plenty of opportunities to practise speaking with your classmates and receive feedback from your teacher.
Learning objectives
By the end of this course, you will:
- Have received some general tips on how to improve the fluency of your spoken English.
- Be able to speak more clearly by improving your enunciation.
- Be better able to participate in group discussions.
- Have improved your ability to ask for/give clarification when needed.
- Have improved your ability to effectively respond to other speakers in conversation.
- Be better able to express your likes/dislikes.
- Be better able to agree and disagree appropriately with other speakers.
- Have learned some functional language chunks to help you when speaking.
- Have the opportunity to give your opinion on controversial issues (speaking critically).
- Be better able to make speculations.
- Be better able to discuss hypothetical situations.
Weekly course plan (may change slightly depending on class needs)
Week 1:
|
Expressing likes and dislikes Small talk |
Week 2: |
Participating in group discussions Speech clarity - enunciation |
Week 3: |
Common discourse markers for speaking Speaking for an extended period of time |
Week 4: |
Expressing a lack of understanding/asking for clarification Speaking critically |
Week 5: |
Making speculations ( in the present and in the past) |
Week 6: |
Speaking about hypothetical situations (in the present and in the past) |
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.
Minimum class numbers:
A minimum number of four students will be required for this class to run. If 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, 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