Language and Study Skills 2

Module overview

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Language and Study Skills contacts

Phil Martin: Language and Study Skills Teacher and Module Leader - phil.martin@york.ac.uk
Christian Deverille: Language and Study Skills Teacher - christian.deverille@york.ac.uk
Alice Grix: Language and Study Skills Teacher - alice.grix@york.ac.uk
Eoghain Ormiston: Language and Study Skills Teacher - eoghain.ormiston@york.ac.uk

View Programme Handbook

Rationale

The main aim of LSS2 for Business, Law and Social Science and Humanities is to improve your English level to around IELTS 6.5 (minimum 5.5) and help you develop the study skills and learner autonomy that you need to succeed on your degree course.

You will develop your English language skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, focusing on the tasks that you will need to do as an undergraduate student. You will also develop academic skills, including research skills and critical thinking.

The course will include a variety of activities, using authentic spoken and written texts from a range of genres, participating in discussions and completing collaborative tasks. Although there are eight hours of class time each week, your language acquisition and development of academic skills will depend on you doing as much independent work as possible outside of class. This approach will help you develop the learner autonomy you need to study at degree level.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

Understand and take notes on the general meaning and important details in simple science-related academic or general texts, both written and spoken, to the standard of CEFR B2 level (lower), and aiming to reach the standard of B2 level (higher)
Produce generally clear academic writing and demonstrate speaking skills to the standard of CEFR B2 level (lower), and aiming to reach the standard of B2 level (higher)
Demonstrate basic research skills, in terms of literature research and designing and carrying out a simple investigation
Demonstrate the ability to critically analyse general topics related to business, law and social sciences

Assessment Overview

Term 1

Academic profile - a 750 word written assignment explaining the importance of an academic figure of your choice (pass/fail)
Viva discussion - a discussion with another student based on the written assignment (pass/fail)

Term 2

Argumentative essay - a 1,500 word argumentative essay (pass/fail)
Speaking exam (25%) - Seminar style discussion in small groups. See the 'speaking assessment' page for more information.
Writing exam (25%) - An essay written in timed conditions, based on a number of articles and extracts. See the 'writing assessment' page for more information.
Reading exam (25%) - Read articles and complete tasks. See the 'reading assessment' page for more information.
Listening exam (25%) - Listen to a lecture, take notes, and complete tasks. See the 'listening information' page for more information.

You must pass all of the pass / fail assessments to pass the course. You will not receive a % score for these, and the mark will not be used to calculate your language score for progression. You will receive one of the following grades for each pass / fail assessment:

Fail - You have not reached lower B2 level. You have not met the requirements to pass this assessment. You must work hard to pass the other assessments, and will need to complete reassessment at the end of the programme.
Pass - You have reached lower/mid B2 level. You have met the requirements to pass this assessment. However, to progress you will need show to show an average of mid or higher B2 level in the four skills exams, so you will need to improve your language skills in order to progress to your degree at the University of York.
Strong pass - You have reached upper B2 level (or higher). You have met the requirements to pass this assessment, and also the level you need to reach in the four skills exams to progress to your degree at the University of York. You should continue to work on your skills to do well in your degree programme.

Overall

The language and study skills module is designed to be challenging but achievable, and most of all, to help you prepare for university. Everyone on the course is capable of progressing with the right level of effort. Some guidelines for success are:

Attend all your live sessions.
Complete the preparation work before each session.
Participate in each session. Switch on your webcam, and contribute to discussions.
Complete homework, essay drafts and independent study tasks. The more you do this, the more practice you will get, and the more your language and study skills will improve.
Set boundaries around your study time. Social media, electronic translators and games kill your ability to concentrate and learn new information.
Take care of yourself.

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