Course Description
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Course is an Upper-Intermediate level course designed for students who plan to take the Academic IELTS test.
The course develops the skills required to succeed on the Academic IELTS exam. Students can expect to practice their listening, reading, writing and speaking skills through common topics and examples found on the IELTS exam. Vocabulary, grammar and strategies to approach typical target test question types will be the main areas of study.
Resources
The IELTS course utilizes the Collins English for Exams series, published by HarperCollins in 2011. There are four books in the series, with each book targeting one section of the academic exam: Listening, Reading,Writing and Speaking.The twelve chapters in each book focuses on topics that commonly appear on the IELTS exams, the last chapter of each book being a practice test.The books all generally align with similar themes for each chapter, which helps students to thoroughly learn vocabulary and ideas on those topics which commonly appear on the exam. Practice tests are taken from Barron’s IELTS and Barron’s IELTS Practice Exams, published by Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. in 2013.
Entrance & Exit Requirements
Entrance into the course requires students to be at Level 5 of the General English Program with an overall average of at least 65%, or this level of English proficiency. For students who have not enrolled in the General English Program, an IELTS band score of at least 5 is required. Once this requirement has been met, students will be eligible to join the IELTS program when a new cycle begins.
Successful completion of the IELTS course requires all students to have completed all 4 weeks of the course with an overall average of at least 65%. Students can choose from Cycle A, B, C, or D of the course with their own personal goals for the band score they would like to achieve on the IELTS exam.
Assessment
The course weekly assessment adheres to the IELTS test band scores, on a scale from 1-9. Students will be given a practice test every Friday, which focuses on one of the four parts of the Academic IELTS exam.
At the end of Cycle B and D (Week 8 and 16), students will be given a complete mock exam, which will extend over four of the five days.The mock exam will cover all four parts of the Academic IELTS exam, providing a band score for the student. Speaking tests and feedback will be provided for each student over the course of the four days.
Weekly Overview
The IELTS course completes three Collins chapters per week over a four-day period, with eleven chapters in four books being completed over the course. Each Friday a practice test focusing on one section of the test will be conducted, excluding the end of Cycle B and the end of Cycle D in which one chapter is completed, followed by a mock exam.
Some sections of the test require longer study, which can be covered over a two-day period.The section that focuses on the final Practice Test of the week should be taken priority.
Students
Students requesting IELTS at our school are generally from Brazil or elsewhere in Latin/South America and have registered with us with the intent to pursue post-secondary education. However, students from any of our markets – such as South Korea,Turkey, Japan, and Europe – or students intending to take the exam for permanent residency or work-related purposes may request to join IELTS for their own personal goals
Class enrolment is limited to 12 students in order to ensure that the students in the program are receiving the best possible amount of instruction and feedback from their instructor about their individual progress.
Time
The Elective courses run Monday to Friday from 1:40 PM until 3:30 PM, including a 10-minute break at 2:30 PM. In IELTS, practice test days will usually delay break times.The total weekly instruction time is 10 hours completed over 16 weeks, not including tasks assigned for students to do at home.
Location
Our institution, Eton College, is situated in Vancouver. We are located on the 3rd floor of 333 Terminal Avenue.
Eton College is fully accessible and an easy commute on the skytrain.
IELTS Curriculum Outline – Cycle A
| Week 1 – Speaking, Writing, Reading | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Speaking Ch. 1 – People and Relationships
Exam focus:What it means to know a word Ss will describe personality and talk about relationships; use tenses correctly; pronounce strong and weak forms of prepositions. |
Writing Ch. 1 – Gender Roles
Exam focus: Bar graphs, opinion essay Ss will learn an overview of the writing tasks and learn how to analyse the writing task questions. |
Reading Ch. 1 – Family Matters
Exam focus: Matching headings Ss will learn how to skim-read; understand the structure and function of a paragraph; and summarise paragraphs. |
Practice Test: Reading | |
| Week 2 – Listening and Writing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Listening Ch. 1 – On the Move
Exam focus: Form completion, matching, multiple choice Ss will learn how to predict answers and understand synonyms and paraphrasing. |
Writing Ch. 2 – Diet and Nutrition
Exam focus: Line graphs, opinion essay Ss will learn how to use tense and time expressions; take a position; generate ideas for an essay; and present arguments and reasons for their opinion. |
Listening Ch. 2 – Being Young
Exam focus: Completing tables, labelling a map, completing a flow chart Ss will learn how to follow instructions and understand word formation. |
Practice Test:
Listening
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| Week 3 – Speaking and Reading | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Speaking Ch. 2 – A Healthy Body
Exam focus: Planning your answer for Part 2 Ss will learn vocabulary associated with health, fitness, sport and diet; as well as expressing enthusiasm, opinions and collocations. |
Writing Ch. 2 – Diet and Nutrition
Exam focus: Completing tables and diagrams Ss will learn to work meanings of words; how to scan a text for information; and recognize synonyms and antonyms in a text |
Speaking Ch. 3 – Studies and Work Exam focus: Giving Ss will learn how to explain |
Practice Test:
Speaking
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| Week 4 – Reading, Listening,Writing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Reading Ch. 3 – Getting an Education
Exam focus: Short answer questions Ss will learn how to work out meaning from context; recognize key words in a sentence; take notes; and keep the word limit. |
Listening Ch. 3 – Climate
Exam focus: Classification, labelling a diagram, note completion Ss will learn how to understand the sequence of events; spell words correctly; and follow a conversation of more than two people. |
Writing Ch. 3 – Educational Goals
Exam focus: Bar graphs, opinion essay Ss will learn vocabulary and language of comparing and expressing quantities and numbers; how to describe a chart; and writing outlines. |
Practice Test: Speaking | |
IELTS Curriculum Outline – Cycle B
| Week 1 – Speaking, Writing, Reading | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Speaking Ch. 4 – The World Around Us
Exam focus: Using news articles to improve answers Ss will learn vocabulary and language about the environment and culture; as well as how to use cleft and complex sentences with subordinate clauses. |
Writing Ch. 4 – Biodiversity
Exam focus: Flow charts, essay offering solutions Ss will learn how to describe a process; use active and passive voice; signpost a sequence of events; and use cause and effect language. |
Reading Ch. 4 – Water
Exam focus: Matching sentence endings Ss will practice predicting answers and understanding main ideas in a text; as well as finding key words and paraphrased sentences. |
Practice Test: Reading | |
| Week 2 – Listening and Writing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Listening Ch. 4 – Family Structures
Exam focus: Short answer questions, sentence and summary completion, choosing from a list Ss will learn signposting expressions and vocabulary related to family. |
Writing Ch. 5 – Global English
Exam focus: Diagrams, opinion essay Ss will learn how to use reporting verbs and write introductions and conclusions. |
Listening Ch. 5 – Starting University
Exam focus: Labelling a map, form completion Ss will learn suffixes and predict content words and directions. |
Practice Test: Listening | |
| Week 3 – Speaking and Reading | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Speaking Ch. 5 – Communication
Exam focus: Giving yourself time to think Ss will study vocabulary related to languages; keeping in touch and globalisation; as well as making comparisons and expressing attitude. |
Reading Ch. 5 – Non-verbal Clues
Exam focus: Answering multiple-choice questions Ss will learn vocabulary related to body language; practice locating information in a text; and summarizing ideas. |
Speaking Ch. 6 – Technology
Exam focus: Coherence in Part 2 and 3 Ss will learn phrasal verbs related to new technology and the Internet; as well as the pronunciation of schwa. |
Practice Test: Speaking | |
| Week 4 – Reading, MOCK EXAM | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Reading Ch. 6 – Scientists at Work
Exam focus: Completing sentences and diagram labels Ss will learn the meaning of root words and affixes; as well as how to find information by skimming; and recognizing paraphrased sentences. |
MOCK EXAM | MOCK EXAM | MOCK EXAM | MOCK EXAM |
IELTS Curriculum Outline – Cycle C
| Week 1 – Listening, Speaking Writing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Listening Ch. 6 – Fame
Exam focus: Matching sentence fragments, multiple-choice questions, choosing answers from a list Ss will study vocabulary words with their common prefixes; and how to listen for paraphrased sentences. |
Speaking Ch. 7 – Hobbies
Exam focus: Sounding polite Ss will practice talking about likes and dislikes when describing their hobbies; express frequency; and speaking the the present perfect. |
Writing Ch. 6 – The Internet
Exam focus:Tables, opinion essay Ss will learn vocabulary for expressing and highlighting key points; how to identify important information on a table; and planning and organizing an essay. |
Practice Test: Writing | |
| Week 2 – Writing, Listening, Reading | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Writing Ch. 7 – Consumer Spending
Exam focus: Summarizing two visual prompts, essay offering solutions Ss will learn how to make correlations between multiple visual prompts and develop supporting examples. |
Listening Ch. 7 – Alternative Energy
Exam focus: Flow chart and summary completion, short-answer questions Ss will learn how to use reporting verbs and identify opinions and attitudes of speakers. |
Reading Ch. 7 – The Job Market
Exam focus: Completing summaries, flow charts Ss will learn vocabulary about job sectors and industry; how to predict answers; follow exact instructions; and locate answers. |
Practice Test: Reading | |
| Week 3 – Speaking, Reading, Listening | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Speaking Ch. 8 – Youth
Exam focus: Improving fluency Ss will learn about collocations and phrases related to remembering; pronouncing -ed endings and diphthongs; and talking about the past. |
Reading Ch. 8 – Twenty – Somethings
Exam focus:True/False/Not Given questions Ss will learn about negative and positive connotations related to age; as well as how to identify the right information; and improve speed reading. |
Listening Ch. 8 – Migration
Exam focus: Labelling diagrams, classification, table completion Ss will learn vocabulary and phrases related to societal change; and stresses of words and syllables. |
Practice Test: Listening | |
| Week 4 – Writing, Listening, Speaking | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Writing Ch. 8 – Children and Parents
Exam focus: :Tables, opinion essay Ss will learn vocabulary and expressions to describe rights and responsibilities; how to link and support examples; how to use correct verb forms; and how to write conclusion paragraphs. |
Listening Ch. 9 – At the Gym
Exam focus: Completing a form, answering short-answer questions, labelling a diagram Ss will learn about adjectives with dependent prepositions; practice moving on from missed questions; and focusing on labels. |
Speaking Ch. 9 – Home
Exam focus: Clarifying, paraphrasing, giving examples Ss will practice describing places and comparing now and then; as well as learning how to form suffixes; and using passive and causative forms. |
Practice Test: Speaking | |
IELTS Curriculum Outline – Cycle D
| Week 1 – Reading and Writing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Reading Ch. 9 – Community Spirit
Exam focus: Matching information Ss will learn vocabulary related to communities; learn to identify sections of a text; and summarize a paragraph. |
Writing Ch. 9 – An Ageing Population
Exam focus: Line graphs, essay giving reasons Ss will study expressions related to population; learn to use cohesive devices; use punctuations effectively; and how to write topic sentences. |
Writing Ch. 10 – Fame
Exam focus:Tables, opinion essay Ss will learn how to avoid repetition by using synonyms; recognizing words that are often confused; and use appropriate vocabulary. |
Practice Test: Writing | |
| Week 2 – Listening, Speaking, Reading | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Listening Ch. 10 – At the Office
Exam focus:Table and summary completion, classification Ss will practice spelling and vocabulary related to employment and finances; recognize paraphrasing; and writing accurate responses. |
Speaking Ch. 10 – Culture
Exam focus: Predicting questions Ss will learn vocabulary to talk about festivals, historical locations and heritage; and pronunciation of words linked together and future forms. |
Reading Ch. 10 – On the Move
Exam focus:Yes/No/Not Given questions Ss will practice working out the meanings of unfamiliar words; identify paraphrases; and understand the difference between fact and opinion.organizing an essay. |
Practice Test: Reading | |
| Week 3 – Speaking, Reading, Listening | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Speaking Ch. 11 – On the Move
Exam focus: Identifying types of speakers Ss will learn vocabulary and language related to holidays and tourism; practice giving short answers; give indirect descriptions; give extra stress to words and ideas; and show cause and effect. |
Reading Ch. 11 – Cultural Differences
Exam focus: Matching features Ss will learn how to identify facts and opinions; practice skimming and scanning; and understand paraphrases and synonyms while reading. |
Listening Ch. 11 – Local Languages
Exam focus: Answering multiple-choice questions, labelling a map/plan, selecting from a list Ss will practice listening for adverbs and adjectives to express opinion; and practice listening to connected speech. |
Practice Test: Listening | |
| Week 4 – Reading, MOCK EXAM | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI |
| Writing Ch. 11 – The Car
Exam focus: Multiple charts, essay offering solutions Ss will practice using correct vocabulary in its context; learn how to become aware of and correct common errors; and practice proofreading. |
MOCK EXAM | MOCK EXAM | MOCK EXAM | MOCK EXAM |
Tuition & Fees
| Details | International | Domestic |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $3,500 | $3,000 |
| Student application fee | $150 | $150 |
| Course material fee | $100 | $50 |
| Textbook fee | $100 | $100 |
| Administrative fee | $100 | $50 |
