Certificate in English for Academic Purposes
| Intake Date | Programme Type | Course Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Click here to know more | Preparatory Programme | Click here to know more |
Introduction
English for Academic Purposes (EAP) involves teaching students to use language appropriately for study. It is a branch of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) which has expanded together with the growing number of international students undertaking tertiary studies in English.
As EAP has the broad aim of helping learners to study or research in English, it covers a wide range of academic communicative practice including lectures and classroom activities, tutorials, feedback, seminar discussions, journal articles, conference papers, grant proposals and assignments.
The starting point for EAP is the learner and their situation rather than the language; Secondly, the EAP course focuses more on reading and writing, whereas many general English language courses concentrate on speaking and listening; the EAP course teach formal, academic genres rather than the conversational and social genres taught on general English courses.
The EAP course is pre-sessional, which is taken by students before they start their main academic studies. It is designed to prepare lower level students for entry to higher education. It teaches study skills as part of course programmes and need to take into account differences in educational culture.
Course Structure
For students who have a basic command of English and who need English to cope with the language needs for social and everyday purposes. By the end of this level our students should be able to understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. They should also be able to introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Our students should also be able interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help. On an IELTS scale our students would be limited users of English with an IELTS score of 3.
For students who need to understand and express in speaking and writing – information, ideas, feelings, opinions and common functions about everyday situations in straightforward spoken and written language. By the end of this level our students are expected to be able to understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Our students should also be able to communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar matters. They should also be able to describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need. On an IELTS scale our students would be independent users of English with an IELTS score of 4.5.
Course Objectives
- Listening
Students will be able to- Listen to and follow short conversations, messages, announcements, and information services related to areas of immediate relevance in daily life.
- Identify the context of the spoken discoursea and the purpose of the speaker(s)
- Understand the gist of the spoken discourse
- Identify the general information in the spoken discourse
- Understand simple information and details in the spoken discourse
- Identify and extract the relevant information from the spoken discourse
- Reading
Students will be able to- Read and follow short written signs, notices and posters, directions, instructions and messages
- Read personal correspondence and other short, simple documents on everyday matters
- Read and follow the written version of spoken discourse on everyday matters
- Identify the context of the written discourse and the purpose of the speaker/s and writer/s
- Identify the gist of the written discourse
- Identify and understand general information in the discourse
- Identify and understand the specific information in the discourse
- Identify and extract the specific information in the discourse
- Follow the order and sequence of information in the discourse
- Writing
Students will be able to- Convey information related to their own background, locality and areas of immediate relevance in response to simple visual or written instructions
- reply to an invitation or suggested meeting in the form of simple application forms notes
- messages, e-mails, postcards and short letters
- describe and narrate on topics related to the scenario of the examination paper in the form of a description of a scene and narrative account
- Speaking
Students will be able to- Respond to and express greetings, introductions and farewell
- Respond to and express thanks
- Ask for and give information and directions
- Describe people including themselves, places and things
- Describe events and activities
- describe daily routines and habits
- Express likes and dislikes
- Express time
- Express ability
- Make and accept offers, apologies and requests
- Make future plans
- Instruct and direct people
- Express numbers, costs, quantities
- Listening
Students will be able to- Listen to and follow conversations, short talks, messages and announcements, telephone, traffic and tourist information, publicity and routine instructions and directions related to familiar matters regularly encountered in study, work, daily and leisure contexts
- Identify the gist of the spoken discourse
- Identify the context of the spoken discourse and the speaker/s and the purpose
- Identify and extract the main points in the spoken discourse
- Identify and extract the general and specific details in the spoken discourse
- Identify the feelings and ideas of the speaker/s in the spoken discourse
- Reading
Students will be able to- Read and follow short written discourse such as signs, notices and posters, directions, instructions, advertisements, brochures, leaflets, personal correspondence and informative texts from newspapers and magazines
- Read and follow the written version of spoken discourse from everyday situations
- Understand the gist of the written version of the spoken discourse
- Identify the context and the purpose of the speaker/s and writer/s
- Identify and obtain the main points in the discourse
- Identify and obtain the general and specific details in the discourse
- Identify and obtain the ideas, feelings and general opinions put forward by the speaker/writer
- Writing
Students will be able to- Visual or written instruction and write messages, e-mails, and postcards which might include directions and instructions
- Describe past events, and express ideas, feelings, personal thoughts and advice in the form of informal letters, diaries and stories
- Speaking
Students will be able to- Understand and describe events
- Ask for and communicate feelings and opinions
- Ask for and give instructions and explanations
- Ask for and make suggestions
- Ask for and give permission
- Give and accept invitations
- Ask for and give advice
- Give and receive orders
- Follow and narrate a story
- Ask about and describe events and occurrences
- Ask for and describe events and activities in one’s life
- Make complaints
Admission Criteria
This course is designed for full time foreign students who wish to advance their knowledge of English language for social, academic or professional purposes.
They are required to take a placement test prior to admission to the EAP course to determine what level their English is at when they arrive in Singapore.
Course Progression
Our EAP course at Beacon consists of two (2) language levels which are mapped directly with IETLS (International English Language Testing System) bands (scores) as shown below. Our students at Beacon are expected to pass each level of the English for Academic Purposes course and satisfy academic requirements before they can progress to Diploma and BTEC courses at Beacon.
| BEACON LEVELS | LENGTH OF COURSE | EQUIVALENT TO IELTS SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Level One Unit | 3 Months (180hrs) | 3 |
| Level Two Unit | 3 Months (180hrs) | 4.5 |
After taking our in-house placement test at Beacon the student will be placed one of the two appropriate unit level based on their English needs. The students are then assessed through a combination of course work and a final test at both levels. The student must obtain an overall score of 50% or above to progress to the next level.
Course Information
Course Length:
- Recommended Duration : 6 months (Full Time), 12 months (Part Time)
- Weekly teaching hours : 15 hours (Full Time), 9 hours (Part Time)
Certification:
After the completion of two levels of the English for Academic Purpose (EAP), students will be given a Certificate by Beacon International College.
Teacher-Student Ratio
Beacon maintains a maximum teacher-student ratio as follows:
Tutorial – 1:40
Lecture – 1:72
Course Details
Classes
The course is mainly conducted in the classroom via face-to-face learning which encourages student-teacher interaction. Students are encouraged to attend field trips organised by the school to encourage experiential learning.
Assessment
The English for Academic Purpose (EAP) will be characterized by both lectures and task-based activities. A student-centered approach will be employed to produce positive results. Emphasis will be placed on short presentations, focused exercises, role-play, student-interaction, pair-work, student tasks, continuous assessment, projects and final exams.
Lecturer Profile
Annabel Lim
Ms Annabel Lim has 16 years of work experience in the Semi-conductor and Furniture industry. Assisted in the management position handling various departments, especially the sales & marketing team.
