Archive for the ‘CAE’ Category
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23
Nov
2009
Academic and Cambridge Exams
PACE
GEOS Gold Coast is an English college offering a range of English language courses for all levels. Among these, it offers a course in Preparation for Academic and Cambridge Exams (PACE). PACE is a twelve-week course designed for students at an Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate level that are looking to study at an intensive level. It helps those who want to improve all areas of their English skills quickly, but are not at an appropriate level to enter the IELTS or Cambridge Exam preparation courses.
This course will improve students’ skills so they can enrol in an exam preparation course, but will also help those wanting to improve their English to travel and work in Australia. Students are tested on a weekly basis on grammar and vocabulary, speaking, listening, reading and writing. Classes are held five days a week, with different topics each week ranging from cinema to science, relationships and travel. Apart from in-class work on interviews, writing reports, reading comprehension, negotiation, grammar and so on, homework is also assigned each day from research tasks to translation.
Academic English
Academic writing is a genre different to news articles, fiction novels or blogging. It involves not only a strong grasp of the English language in order to present your argument succintly, but also specific skills in paraphrasing, summarising, critiqueing and referencing. For example, in a literature review you will outline the main ideas of other authors, referencing their works, then comparing and contrasting to reveal strengths and weaknesses.
A well-written academic paper will also be structured logically, cohesively and coherently. Students must know how to write a strong introduction and conclusion, as well as being able to link the main points in the body with topic and linking sentences. Furthermore, most academic papers will not be written in the first person using ‘I’. Instead, the author’s voice should come across through perceptive analysis of the evidence.
19
Oct
2009
English Language Colleges
Why study at a language college?
While it is possible to learn another language on your own, or through a distance education course, or simply by immersing yourself in the language by going overseas, and English language college can give you the best of all these options.
GEOS English language colleges immerse you in English-language cultures all over the world, providing ample opportunity not only to practice your language skills, but also have a lot of fun exploring the country and meeting new people. Through regular weekday and weekend activities, as well as fun courses such as ‘English plus Surfing’, students get to experience much more than simply the classroom. Students will also get to make new friends within the college, with a mix of students from over 30 different countries.
On the other hand, spending time at an English language college will mean that you get a real grasp on the language- including reading, writing, listening and speaking. From the basics to advanced English courses, GEOS colleges offer a range of courses to cater for whatever level students are at. These include General English, Cambridge Preparation Programs, English for TESOL and much more. The courses are taught by highly qualified and experienced teachers who have lived and taught all around the world. In addition, these courses offer pathways to further studies, whether university or other tertiary institutions such as TAFE.
Learning English
GEOS Gold Coast, located 5 minutes from Surfers Paradise Beach, offers a range of English language courses. These include General English, Preparation for Academic and Cambridge Exams (PACE), IELTS Exam Preparation (IELTS), Cambridge Exam Preparation (FCE/CAE), Certificate IV in Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), the Joey Kangaroo Club (Young Learners Program), and the Study Tour Program.
The Study Tour Program offers students a range of custom made courses and programs, designed to combine English lessons with an area of interest. So this would mean combining an English language course (such as General English) with sports, sightseeing, adventure holidays and more.
19
Oct
2009
Origins of the English language
Origins of English
English is a West Germanic language brought to Britain from various parts of northwest Germany and the Netherlands in the 5th century AD. As England was made up of various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the language included a combination of various Germanic tribal dialects including the Angles, Saxons, Frisians, Jutes and possibly the Franks, known as the Anglo-Frisian dialects. The dialect that came to dominate was the Late West Saxon, which was then influenced further by Scandinavians who invaded parts of Britain in the 8th and 9th century. As a result, much of the grammar was simplified and the vocabulary enriched.
Then the Normans invaded in the 11th century, so Anglo-Norman developed with a more elaborate layer of words from the Romance languages (Latin-based languages: Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian and Catalan). Although invasion was not the only way that the Old English language was influenced. Trade with the Roman Empire influenced vocabulary long before Britain was invaded, including Latin-based words such as cheese, fork, linen, street and wall.
Old English
Old English came to replaced the indigenous languages of Britain, the Celtic languages. These were made up of the Brythonic and Goidelic languages. Goidelic languages included Irish, Manx and Scottish Gaelic. Brythonic langues included Cumbric, Welsh, Cornish and Breton. The golden era for Old English was during the period of the Anglo-Saxon kings, when it was used in legal, political, religious and economic arenas. It was during this period that new words were coined rather than borrowed from foreign languages.
The Old English era ended sometimes after the Norman Conquest in the 12th or 13th century, although about fifty per cent of standard modern English words have Old English roots, such as strong or water. Even English dialects such as Scots and Northumbrian English feature many characteristics of Old English vocabulary and pronunciation.