English as an
Additional Language (EAL)

Learning another language lies at the heart of the UWC mission, as the international mindedness that it entails is a force to unite people, nations and cultures. Learning about other ways of communicating, behaving, relating, thinking and being, is an indispensable step towards understanding others and developing respect for cultural diversity. Honing communicative skills in an additional language, together with their related facts and concepts, also fosters intercultural understanding, open mindedness and empathy, which are essential parts of the skillset of a globally aware 21st century problem-solver. Along with its focus on language development, this course makes connections with other people and cultures, which is central to our mission statement and educational goals. Students will thus gain deeper intercultural insights, compassion and openness through learning about other cultures and some of their manifestations, such as customs and traditions, perspectives, artefacts and practices. While learners will find out about the cultures and countries where the target language is spoken as they explore a variety of texts, they will acquire the linguistic skills needed for successful global literacy.

• Develop both receptive and productive language skills as well as conceptual understandings in the target language in order to communicate effectively in multiple contexts, and for a variety of purposes

• Explore multimodal texts (written, audio, visual, audio-visual), artefacts, and different cultural perspectives in order to foster empathy and international mindedness

• Develop communicative and interpersonal skills, as well as information and cultural literacy, through inquiry and creative collaboration 

• Consider how the connections between languages, perspectives and cultures shape our identities 

In this course, intermediate level students will spend 4 lessons a week further developing communicative competence in listening, reading, speaking and writing, as well as their understanding of linguistic concepts that support language learning. As they expand their intermediate skills in the language, and through the study and production of spoken, visual and written texts, they will be able to communicate in authentic, real-life contexts and for a variety of purposes. Students will develop the competence to interact with others in the target language, in both familiar and unfamiliar situations. In addition, they will develop interpersonal skills through learning experiences and communicative projects that will involve thinking, research, creativity, collaboration and problem-solving.

Two lessons a week will be dedicated to the following units, whilst the other two lessons will focus on supporting the students in the development of their academic language and communicative competence in other subjects. For those preparing to transfer to English A the following year, this will also include skills preparation for the analytical and evaluative focus of the English Literature and Language A programme.

Grade 9 

Unit 1: My World, Our World (Identity and One's Place in the World)

Unit 2: What Does it Mean to be a Teen? (The Experience of Being a Teenager)

Unit 3: Living Forever (The Lives of Famous People)

Grade 10 

Unit 1: Footprints (Online Profiles and Footprints)

Unit 2: How do I Get Through School? (Language for School)

Unit 3: Where Do I Go from Here? (The World of Work)

• Reading relevant texts to improve text type knowledge and comprehension.

• Writing to produce texts needed in school and in everyday life.

• Listening for information and conversation.

• Speaking for fluency and accuracy in varied situations. 

• Text type production and reception to support global literacy.

• Communicative competence to reinforce all language skills in becoming fluent speakers.  

Assessment will take a range of forms, including end-of-year assessments (no formal exam), and will be balanced across reading comprehension, writing, speaking and listening skills.

1. What language levels are required for admission into the EAL course?

EAL requires the student demonstrate a lower-intermediate level of English for admission into the program.

2. How is English level determined?

Student English language levels are determined by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Lower-intermediate level students will test successfully at B1 on the CEFR scale. Those students who test successfully at B2 or higher will enter English A. CEFR based testing will take place at the beginning and end of every English B course, and periodically throughout each course to determine each student's level.

3. Is there a literature element in English EAL?

While literature will be part of the text types covered in EAL, there will be no literary analysis or assessment on literary devices in the EAL course units. Literature will be covered for the purpose of language study. For those aiming to transfer to A the following year, literary and linguistic skills analysis will be built into the course's support lessons.