General English Courses

You will have practice in the four main language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. The main focus of our General English courses is on developing speaking and listening skills, and increasing vocabulary.

The aim of the course is to help you to use English effectively in general, everyday situations, such as at the post office, out shopping, at the train station, or at the bank.

You will study with a course book and your teacher will also use other teaching resources in your lessons, for example interactive whiteboard, overhead projector, audio CD, DVD, magazines and newspapers. You will need to buy a copy of your Course Book, which costs around £19 new, or you may be able to buy a second-hand copy from the College Library.

When you start your course, we will test your current knowledge of English, to make sure you are placed in a group at the right level. There are 6 General English levels, from A1 on the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework for modern languages (Beginner)  to C1 (Advanced). It normally takes around 180 classroom hours to complete a level and move on to the next one.

You will have a monthly tutorial (counselling session) with your teacher to discuss your progress. The tutorial is also an opportunity to discuss your strengths and weaknesses in English, and recommendations for further study. You will also take a Progress Test at the end of each month, to test your speaking, reading and writing skills.