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HD Level 2: English 175
English 175
English 175 is a general course in Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. It is about 8 hours a week.
(Note that in Level 2, you will be doing two courses (LSEC N101 and 175). See information for LSEC N101.
- Click for the English Level 2 Calendar. Please check this often.
- Assessment Spreadsheets
English 175 Weighting
The weighting of the various course components for Engl 175 is as follows:
| Percentage | |
| Tests (30%) | |
| Progress Test 1 | 15% |
| Progress Test 2 | 15% |
Coursework (70%) |
|
| Reading | 36% |
| Writing | 30% |
| Listening | 14% |
| Portfolio | 10% |
| Oral Assessment | 10% |
To pass the course you require an overall mark of at least 60%. The overall mark consists of coursework and progress test marks.
You will be given notice of assessment dates through this website. It is your responsibility to check the website regularly to find out any changes. If you miss any assessment you will receive 0%. In this case there is an Appeals Procedure you can follow. You have to go to Academic Services and get an Appeal Form which, once completed, is sent to the Supervisor. The Supervisor will either accept or reject the appeal. If your appeal is successful you will be given a date when the assessment can be taken.
You must attend all lessons. Ten percent (10%) absence means you will fail the course. Three lates = 1 absence.
Coursework
Reading 36%
There will be 3 assessed readings under exam conditions in the classroom. These reading assessments will have about 36 questions each taken from 3 passages.
Writing 30%
There will be 3 assessed writings under exam conditions. You will also have writing tests in the two progress tests.
Up to and including the first progress test a writing band of 5.75 is required for a pass mark of 67%. After the first progress test the band is raised to 6.0, which is the exit grade for level 2.
You can find more about writing bands here, and you can convert bands into percentages here.
The topics in writing for this semester are
Listening 14%
There will be 2 exam-length assessed listening tests given in class
Writing Portfolio 10%
This is a common assessment where the student should gather evidence of his/her own performance. A reflective essay on progress made during the course should be included.
Your teacher may ask you to produce first drafts in either hand-written or typed format, and may ask you to produce an online blog or portfolio of edited, rewritten drafts. Alternatively a traditional formal bound portfolio may be required.
You can get more information about how the portfolio will be assessed in the two files here: Portfolio Assessment Criteria and Guidelines (MS Word - right-click to download).
Progress Tests 1 and 2
These are major assessments, held in the auditorium under exam conditions. You will do a reading, writing and listening test. The test will take about 3 hours in total. To pass a progress test you must:
- get an average of 60% in all the subjects
- get above 55 in all subjects
- have a maximum of one subject below 60
The progress test marks are weighted as follows:
- Reading 40%
- Writing 35%
- Listening 25%
Although passing a progress test is not a course requirement they are a good indication of how well you can perform under exam conditions.
Assessed Tasks
It is very important that you do all classroom assessed tasks. You will be given notice of assessment dates, and it is YOUR responsibility to attend. Dates for these assessments can be found on this site in the calendar: it is your responsibility to check the dates of these assessments.
Absence for an assessed task, without proven medical evidence, will result in an automatic zero grade. If you miss an assignment and provide medical evidence you will still receive a mark of zero, but if this means you will fail the course you will be given the opportunity to sit the assignment. No other opportunities will be given: you MUST sit the assignment at the correct time.
English 175 Official Course Outline
- Click here for the official CMS English 175 Course Outline. (Logon to HCT portal required.
The highlighted paragraphs below are an extract from the official course outlines.
Official Course Description
This is the second of four courses which enable learners to improve their English proficiency in support of their chosen academic program. The course integrates listening, speaking, reading and writing in authentic general and academic contexts.
Course delivery includes a range of resources and techniques to cater to individual learning styles with a balance between language accuracy and fluency. A blended learning approach incorporating online coursework is encouraged alongside more conventional language learning approaches. This course continues the development of English proficiency towards B2 level (Vantage) of the Common European Framework (CEF).
Official Learning Outcomes
- Extract information from a range of general, academic and
program-related spoken texts at an appropriate level of performance.
- Give oral presentations and participate in one-to-one and group
discussions on topics relevant to program areas at HCT Speaking band 6.0
- Read efficiently and interpret a wide selection of general, academic
and program-related texts both paper-based and on-line at an appropriate
level of performance.
- Produce a variety of written texts relevant to program areas at an
appropriate level of performance (HCT Writing Band 6.0).
Textbooks
The textbook used in Level 1 (English 125), Focus on First Certificate, is continued in Level 2 (English 175).
Assessment, Progress Tests, Calendars
- Here is a weekly planner for Level 2. (These are just suggestions: your class content may be completely different.)
- Calendar (Dates may change)
- Assessment Spreadsheet