Introduction
The goal of IBU English Language School is to provide future IBU students with skills necessary to pursue academic studies at IBU, no matter their field of study. Instruction at IBU English Language School is carried out in English language only and is mainly focused on the development and mastery of the following skills:
Reading – extensive/intensive, scanning, skimming, using context clues and vocabulary strategies, recognizing sequence, fact vs. opinion, making an inference, identifying main ideas and supporting details, analyzing text, identifying purpose and tone.
Grammar – from elementary to upper-intermediate (by the standards of CEFR)
Listening – listening for gist and details, learning topic vocabulary to improve comprehension, for verbal clues, understanding speaker’s argument, understanding colloquial language, learning pronunciation, to summarize opinions, recognize lecture language that introduces the topic or the plan, that signals new ideas, transitions, definitions, examples, explanations, causes and effects, comparisons and contrasts, opinions, citations and quotations, non-verbal signals, note-taking.
Writing – how to write a paragraph, topic sentences, supporting details, concluding sentences; the writing process: prewriting, writing editing; organizing information by time, importance, space; essay writing: introduction, body conclusion; types of essays: process, division and classification, causes and effects, comparison and contrast, problem/solution, summaries, opinion essay, essays for undergraduate and graduate school applications, personal and business letters; punctuations.
Speaking – descriptions, retelling a story, practical English: in a shop, hotel, at the doctors etc. debates, interviews, giving a talk, discussions: show interest, enter a discussion, interrupt, ask for more information, agree and disagree, support opinion, connect your ideas with other people’s ideas, contribute your ideas, keep the discussion focused on the topic, encourage others to participate, bring to a consensus, learn to compromise, pausing, paraphrasing and quoting.
Vocabulary – personal information, food, health and medicine, houses and decoration, personality and appearance adjectives, family, body, money and economics, science and technology, education, shopping and traveling, entertainment, music, humor, history and politics, man and women, animals and conservation, crime and punishment, business, word-building, and all relevant specific fields connected to the academic vocabulary.
Study skills – Preparing to study, note-taking, strategies for reading textbooks/novels, using reference sources, oral presentations, projects, managing time, setting goals, preparing oral presentations, managing and participating in group projects, raising awareness, setting self-assessment criteria, developing autonomous learning and language use.