General English Language Programme (GELP) - A1 Course

Program Overview

Text Book Description

Cambridge English Empower is a general adult course that combines course content from Cambridge University Press with validated assessment from the experts at Cambridge English Language Assessment.

The Starter Student's Book gives learners an immediate sense of purpose and clear learning objectives. It provides core grammar and vocabulary input alongside a mix of skills. Speaking lessons offer a unique combination of functional language, pronunciation and conversation skills, alongside video filmed in the real world. Each unit ends with a consolidation of core language from the unit and focuses on writing within the context of a highly communicative mixed-skills lesson. This version of the Student's Book does not provide access to the video, assessment package and online workbook. A version with full access is available separately.

Course Description

The course is designed according to the CEFR language descriptors below, and students at this level:
• Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type.
• Can introduce him/herself and others.
• Can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows, and things he/she has.
• Can interact in a simple way, provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
• Can follow speech that is very slow and carefully articulated, with long pauses for him/her to assimilate meaning.
• Can understand very short, simple texts a single phrase at a time, picking up familiar names, words, and basic phrases and rereading as required.
• Can interact in a simple way, but communication is totally dependent on repetition at a slower rate of speech, rephrasing, and repair.
• Can interact in a simple way but communication is totally dependent on repetition at a slower rate of speech, rephrasing, and repair.
• Can ask and answer simple questions, and initiate and respond to simple statements in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics.
• Can produce simple mainly isolated phrases about people and places.

Class policies

• Attend all classes, be on time, and be ready to begin work.
• Show respect to the instructor and other students.
• Do not cause any disruption in class.
• Turn off your cell phone.
• Speak only English in the classroom.
• Bring your own textbooks. Failure to do so may result in exclusion from the classroom.

Attendance policy

A student may withdraw from the program if he or she is absent for up to 25 percent of the course provided he/she does so within the time permitted for withdrawal which is during the first twelve weeks of the academic semester. If the absence exceeds 25 percent, a student will not be allowed to withdraw from the course and will not be permitted to attend lectures or sit the final examination and will receive a failing grade of 'F' on the course. The student shall be given at least one warning before being placed on the excluded list.

Assessment

Students must receive a minimum of 50% pass overall to go to the next level. The assessment is based on the following criteria:
• Classroom-based and Home-based assessment
• Progress Test
• Speaking Test
• Final Exam