Preparing for IELTS

Course Coordinator: Dr Edward Chu Yuk Wo, BA (CityU of HK); Cert Ed, MA (HKU); EdD (Durham)

Course Developer: Philip Leetch

This is a middle-level course in several English-related degree programmes. It can be counted towards the 'free choice credit' component of most other degree programmes. The examination for ENGL E205 will be the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test, administered by either the British Council or IDP Education.

Aims
This course aims to help learners to:

• Become familiar with and apply examination techniques relevant to the question types in IELTS;
• Demonstrate that they can understand spoken English in both everyday life and formal situations;
• Comprehend written texts and identify required information quickly and accurately;
• Present ideas in formal essays and reports in appropriate styles;
• Express ideas orally on a variety of topics in effective ways.

Contents
The course covers:

• An overview of the IELTS test, examination skills and preparation for sitting the test
• Reading skills development and techniques for handling questions in the reading test; multiple-choice reading comprehension questions; matching; short answers; text completion
• Writing skills including interpreting data in charts and tables; drawing conclusions; expository writing: analysing problems and arguments; suggesting solutions; presenting and comparing opinions; evaluating views and ideas; organizing argumentative text
• Listening skills and strategies for tackling short-answer questions; completion tasks; multiple-choice; labelling; matching and classification questions
• Speaking skills and techniques for handling the speaking test: responding to general questions; talking about oneself and one's lifestyle; speaking at length; discussing abstract issues and concepts; gaining time; making suggestions; expressing opinions; explaining reasons; handling mistakes; signalling closure

Learning support
This course involves 150 study hours. There will be nine face-to-face tutorials.

Assessment
There are three assignments and the IELTS test is taken at the end of the course. Students are required to submit assignments via the Online Learning Environment (OLE).

Equipment
Students will need access to an audio recorder in either a computer or a mobile phone which can record their speeches in either MP3 or MP4 format.

Set book(s)
There are no set books for this course.

Students with disabilities
The audio components of the materials and assessment for this course may cause difficulties for students with impaired hearing or speech. You should seek advice from the Course Coordinator before enrolling on the course.

Note
To be successful in this course requires a reasonable level of proficiency in academic English.