Academic Planner

JUE 100/2
PREPARATORY
ENGLISH
2015/2016 Academic Session

JUE 100 PREPARATORY ENGLISH

LECTURER : DR. GEORGE TEOH BOON SAI
E-mail address : georgeteoh@usm.my
Tel. No
: 04-6532275

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the School of Distance Education (PPPJJ)!
JUE 100 is meant for students who secured bands 1, 2 and 3 in MUET. It is a preparatory
English proficiency course which is offered by the School of Distance Education (PPPJJ).

This course adopts an integrated communicative approach as a mastery of English does

not only involve knowledge of its linguistic forms but also on the appropriate use of these
forms. Thus, this approach will help students make the transition from the linguistic
structures to the use of English in real life situations. It is hoped that this course will be a
lively and stimulating learning experience for you.
OBJECTIVES
This is a pre-intermediate course designed to reinforce and supplement students skills in
English. It will aid the students to acquire the necessary language skills which are useful
for their language improvement. Correct language use is important especially in daily
activities as well as in academic and job situations.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
At the end of this course, students should be able to:
i.

communicate in English with ease

ii.

speak with some degree of clarity, fluency and accuracy

iii.

read and comprehend a variety of texts

iv.

listen to and comprehend different types of discourse

v.

write with an appropriate degree of skill (with accuracy)

vi.

use basic grammar structures correctly

METHOD OF STUDY
The text book for this course is OUTCOMES (Pre-Intermediate Students Book) by
Hugh Dellar and Andrew Walkley. You are required to study and do the exercises in the
book on your own. By attempting the tasks provided in each of the 16 units in this book,
you can learn and practise English on your own. There is a pin code in the inside cover of
your book. The code provides you access to a wide range of online exercises. Please try
them! Moreover, the JUE 100 test questions will be similar to those found in the book.
Therefore, it is important for you do the exercises given in the book.

I will post lecture notes and other exercises on the PPPJJ portal (http://el.usm.my). Please
refer to these notes and try the exercises. Should you face any difficulty, do not hesitate
to get in touch with me. You are also encouraged to read other English texts or try other
exercises on your own and practise using the language as much as you can.

COURSE ASSESSMENT
A. Coursework (60%)
i. Writing Assignment

20%

ii. Oral Test

20%

iii.

20%

Continuous Assessment
a) Listening Comprehension &
b) Grammar

B. Final Examination (40%)

40%
Total

100 %

1. Writing Assignment (20%)

Information about your assignment and the due date will be posted in our portal. Please
check the portal regularly. Send your written assignment to the School of Distance
Education, USM. Make sure it reaches by 15 December, 2015.
2. Oral Test (20%)
We are planning to conduct the oral test for some students before the Intensive Course.
More instructions and the dates of the oral test will be posted in our portal. We plan to
carry out oral tests for students from Sabah and Sarawak as well as some other states
during the Intensive Course. Please start preparing for your oral test from now.
3. Continuous Assessment (Peperiksaan Berterusan) (20%)
This test will be conducted during the Intensive Course which will be held from 19
January 7 February 2016. The components of the test are Listening Comprehension,
and Grammar. The first section is on listening comprehension. You will listen to two
passages. Questions will be posed after each passage. The second section is on grammar.
You will be tested on the use of grammar points in your text book.
4. Final Examination (40%)
The components in the final examination are reading comprehension and also the
linguistic forms and functions that you have learnt in your text book.
INTENSIVE COURSE
The intensive course will be held from 19 January to 7 February 2016.
COUNSELING
You can contact me for clarifications, advice and academic counseling.
Postal address: Dr. George Teoh Boon Sai
JUE 100 Course Co-ordinator
Pusat Pengajian Pendidkan Jarak Jauh
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Please check the portal for updates on the course.
I wish you all the best in your studies. Good luck!
3

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 15 DECCEMBER 2015

All written assignments must be submitted to the School of Distance Education, USM by
15 DECEMBER 2015. Failure to submit on time will cause you to lose marks.

TIPS ON WRITING:
Finding a Theme (1)
A good essay has a theme or central idea in the introductory paragraph. If you choose
your theme carefully and make a good plan, the task of writing the essay will not be
difficult.

Your theme should be a single sentence which sums up the whole of your essay. Without
a theme, it is impossible to make a good plan.

Making a Plan
i.

Always plan the content of your essay. As a group, plan the content by discussing,
collecting and arranging the points. Planning is the most important stage in
writing an essay.

ii.

Base your plan on your theme. When you are making a plan, ask yourself
questions such as Why? How? and What does this show us? and Is there
anything else?

Arranging the Points

i.

When you have gathered your points, arrange them in a suitable order. You can
use one of these methods.
a.

Put the most important point first, and then arrange the others in descending
order of importance.

b.

Use a time sequence, going from a past events to the present and then to the
future. You can use this method when writing about bridges for example.

c.

Pick out the most striking or significant point (especially in a descriptive

essay) and work outwards from it.

d.

When describing a person or a place, deal with the outside first and then
with the inside. For example, if you are describing a building, you could
first give its general location, then describe its outside, and then deal with
the inside of the building.

e.

Arrange your facts in suitable groups in the same way as we arrange like
terms in algebra. Then arrange the groups in descending order of
importance or in any other logical sequence.

ii.

Make sure there is coherence (flow) between the ideas/points in each paragraph
and also between paragraphs. The use of appropriate transitions helps in linking
ideas. For instance, in describing an activity or process, one may use transitions
such as firstly, secondly, next, then etc. In pointing out contrasting points,
one may use however, but, in contrast. To add another related point,
transitions like furthermore, moreover, besides help improve coherence.
Exercises on transitions will be uploaded in the portal for your attention.

Please Note:
MUET (Malaysian University English Test)
MUET is a compulsory requirement in all universities. Without MUET results, you will
not be able to graduate. Your achievement in MUET will determine the English courses
that you have to take. If you have not sat for MUET, please register for it as soon as
possible. The test is held in March, July and November. For more information, log on to
www.mpm.edu.my
JUE100[PA+T]2015/16
5Ogos2015-GTBS