LESSON 1

Listening & Speaking

Lesson focus:

 Vocabulary: Learning
 Listening: Note completion
 Speaking: Use a range of vocabulary; IELTS Speaking Part 1

“The beginning is always today.”

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A. VOCABULARY

1.a. Match the words in the box with their meanings (1-10)

assignment course essay examination grade

presentation project report research term

1. a piece of work that someone gives you to do

2. a piece of planned work that is done over a period of time
3. an event at which someone explains an idea to a group of people
4. a piece of writing that gives facts about a situation or event
5. a mark that your teacher or tutor gives you
6. a spoken or written test of knowledge
7. a piece of writing about a particular subject
8. detailed study of a subject to find out new information 9 a set of lessons in a particular
subject
10. one of the three parts of a school, college or university year
b. Choose the correct options in italics to complete the text.
Midlands College International Foundation Course Academic English Module
The Academic English module aims to prepare students for higher education at an English-
speaking university. There are four 1 courses / assignments over three terms, followed by
two final 2 examinations / grades of three hours each at the end of Term 3.
Term 1
• Students write a 3 research / report based on information collected from a
questionnaire and interviews.
• Students write a 1,030-word 4 essay / research on a given topic.
Term 2
Students give an academic 5 essay / presentation on a subject of their choice.
Terms 2 and 3
• Students complete a group 6 report / project by carrying out 7 examinations / research
into a given academic topic.
• Students will receive their final results and 8 grades / assignments at the end of July.

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2. Choose the options in italics which cannot be used with the nouns in bold.
1. For your next piece of work, you need to write / do / carry out some research.
2. I'm going to do / make / give a presentation on my home country.
3. How many exams do you have to take / make / do this year?
4. I need to get / do / have very good grades to do a medical degree.
5. In the exam, we have to write / do / carry out two essays before the end of term.
6. Can you finish / complete / make your assignment by the end of this week?
7. It's difficult to produce / make / write the report without the necessary information.
8. You need to work together in order to complete / carry out / have this project.

3. Complete the collocations with the verbs in the box.

ask do give have prepare take

1 ____________revision 2 ____________for a test 3 ____________a discussion

4 ____________questions 5 ____________notes 6 ____________your opinion

4. Complete the sentences with collocations from Exercises 2 and 3.

1. I need to do research for my assignment.
2. Use phrases like I think and I believe to _____________________.
3. I am very nervous because I have to ____________________ in front of 50 people.
4. I find it difficult to __________________when I listen to a lecture.
5. I can't go out - I have to_____________ a maths ________________.
6. After my presentation, I asked the audience if they would like to _______________.
5. Choose the correct options in italics to complete the questions.
1. What do you do if you pass / miss a lesson?
2. How do you feel when you make / do a mistake when speaking English?
3. Would you like to do / get a course in a language apart from English? If so. which one?
4. What's the best way to make / do progress when learning a language?

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5. How many lessons or lectures do you go / attend every week?
6. What do you find difficult about making/doing assignments?
7. Have you ever failed / lost an exam?
8. What was the last exam you wrote / passed?

6.a. Work in pairs. Match the skills (1-6) with the examples of activities (A—F). Can you
think of any more examples?
1. practical skills A creating reports
2. management skills B using Excel
3. computer/IT skills C being a good listener
4. reading/writing skills D typing
5. people skills E speaking French
6. language skills F being a good leader
b. Work in groups and discuss the questions about the skills in Exercise 6a.
1. Which three skills do you think are important for success at work today? Why? Put
them in order of importance.
2. Which are your three best skills?

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B. LISTENING

Before you listen

1. Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
1. Which of these do you often have problems with?
• writing essays • preparing for presentations
• handing work in on time • revising for exams
• managing your study time
2. Who do you talk to if you have a problem with your studies?
• a friend
• a family member
• your personal tutor
• somebody else?

Predict answers
2.a. Look at the notes. What is the situation? Who are the two people talking?

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b. Decide what kind of information goes in each gap in Exercise 2a. Use the words before
and after each gap to help you.
A a date
B a time
C a name
D a place
E a topic
c. ®1.1 Complete the notes in Exercise 2a with the words in the box. Then listen and
check.

17 April 3.15 p.m. Dr Green exams Student Services

Test training
3. a. Read the test task. Think about what kind of information goes in each gap.
Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
for each answer.
Meeting with Student Services Advisor (Lin Wood)
Organise time: make a 1____________ for revision.
Practise past exam papers. Start a 2 __________ with other students.
Take regular study breaks: 3 ______________ every hour.
Make time for 4 ____________________, e.g. sport.
Lin's working hours: every morning and 5 _________________ afternoons
Contact number: 6 ________________________.
b. ®1.2 Complete the test task.

Task analysis
4. Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
1. Did the questions follow the same order as the recording?
2. Did you correctly predict the type of information for each gap?
3. Did you check the number of words you used for each answer?

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Further practice
1. ®1.5 Questions 1-8
Complete the notes below. Write ONLY ONE WORD OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Course options
• Engineering: need high grade in 1 ____________________
• Economics and business studies: need high level of 2 _________________
• Business studies course: three days of 3 ________________ and two days in a company
• Course organiser has contacts with local 4_________________
• Speak to Professor 5_________________ in Room 6 ___________________
• Business school talks by guest speakers: ring 7 ___________________to book
• Final decision by end of 8_____________________
2. R62-63 Questions 1-15
You will hear two interviews with people about work. Listen and complete the notes.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Alice works on (1) ________________ Wei Long works as a (8) ___________

-grows (2) _______________ -graduated in (9) _______________
-keeps (3) _______________, ducks and cows -ambition: earn living through (10)
-worst part of job - going out in winter to ____________

feed (4) ________________. - has own (11) ____________________

- likes working outdoors in the -sells (12) ____________________

(5) __________________. -(13) __________________ looks after the office

-trucks deliver to (6) _________________. -likes making own (14) _________________

- supplies (7) ________________ with milk - wouldn't like to work in a (15) _______________

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C. SPEAKING
The Speaking Paper tests your ability to communicate on a variety of topics and speak at
length on a topic. The test lasts 11-14 minutes and has three parts.

General advice
DO speak as much as you can. You have 11-14 minutes to
show the examiner all your skills, so use the best language you
can. Expand your answers by giving examples or reasons.
DO try to look confident even if you do not feel it. Smile, sit up
in your chair and take deep breaths.
DO speak clearly and try to sound interested.
DO try to speak fluently, without pausing too much.
DO give yourself time to think with phrases like Let me see or
by rephrasing the question.
DO speak as clearly as possible.
DO use intonation to sound more interested.
DO use a wide variety of language.
DO try to be as accurate as possible, but do not worry too
much about making mistakes.
DO use connecting words/phrases to join ideas together (e.g.
so, because, but, although).

Part 1: Introduction and general questions

Part 1 focuses on general questions about your life. It lasts 4-5 minutes. The examiner will
start by asking you to introduce yourself and will then ask further general questions.
Before you speak
Listen carefully to the questions. If you do not hear the question, ask the examiner to
repeat it.
While you speak
• Give yourself time to think with phrases like Let me see or That's an interesting question.
• Answer the question and then give extra information to expand the topic. This could be
two reasons why you enjoy something or a reason and an example.

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1.a. When you first meet someone, what do you like to find out about them?
• their home town • their work or studies
• their family • something else?
b. ®1.3 Listen to two students meeting each other. Which of the topics in Exercise 1a do
they talk about? What other topics do they discuss?
2. ®1.3 Listen again and complete the questions.
1 _______________you like the course so far?
2 ________________do you live?
3 _______________do you travel to classes?
4 _________________do you live with?
5 __________________you do a lot of sport?
6 __________________type of films do you like?
3.a. ®1.3 Listen again. Which of the adjectives in the box do the speakers use to describe:
 their course?
 their accommodation?
 meeting people?

boring cheap comfortable convenient difficult

easy expensive fantastic great hard
interesting modern quiet small

b. Work in pairs. Imagine you are just meeting each other. Take turns to ask and answer
the questions in Exercise 2. Try to use as many of the adjectives in Exercise 3a as
possible in your answers.

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Test practice
Work or Study
1. Do you work or study?
2. Where do you study?
3. What is the name of your college/ university?
4. What is your favorite subject?
5. What is the best thing about your university/school?
Study and concentration
1. Is it difficult for you to concentrate? (Why?)
2. What affects your ability to concentrate?
3. Do you think you can do two things at the same time?
4. Do you prefer to study in a silent environment or in a place that has some noises?
5. What do you do if there’s too much noise and you want to study?
Study environment
1. Do you like studying? Why / why not?
2. Do you prefer to study alone or with others? Why?
3. Where do you prefer to go when you need to study? Why?
4. How do you feel if someone disturbs you when you are studying?
5. When is your favorite time in a day to study?
Language learning
1. Do you like learning languages?
2. Do you think learning languages is important?
3. How did you learn the languages that you know?
4. Do you think that all children should learn foreign languages at school?
5. Do you think that all children should learn foreign languages at school?

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HOMEWORK
1. Complete the words in the sentences. The first and last letters of each word are given.
1. My business c_ _ _ _ e at the University of Reading starts in September.
2. You have to pass an e_ _ m at the end of each term in order to go to the next place.
3. I have to do a lot of r_ _ _ _ _ _h to complete my essay. We need to include at least ten
sources.
4. I have to complete two written a_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _s before the end of term.
5. I have to write an e_ _ _ y – it needs to be 1000 words long.
6. We have one 12-week t_ _ m before the end of the year, and then one in the spring and
one in the summer.
7. I have to give a 15-minute p _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _n on an economic theory. That includes
questions from the audience at the end.
8. We have to write a r_ _ _ _ t on our research explaining exactly what we found out.
2. Complete the sentences with the words in the box.

ask complete do (x2) get give (x2) have

prepare take

1. Do you _____________ much revision for a test?

2. Can you give me some advice about how best to _______________ for my exams?
3. I find the best way to learn is to _____________________ lots of questions.
4. How do you always _______________ good grades?
5. I don’t ____________________ many notes. I prefer to listen.
6. I have to ______________ this project by Friday.
7. I’m always nervous when I have to _________________ a presentation.
8. I ___________________ my opinion very often in class.
9. There’s a lot of research to __________________ for this assignment.
10. I like lessons where we ________________ a discussion and talk about an interesting topic.
3. Choose the noun in italics that cannot be used with the verbs.
1. pass an exam/a test/a lecture
2. make progress/an assignment/a mistake
3. do lessons/assignments/exams

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4. attend lectures/lessons/progress
5. fail a mistake/an exam/ a course
6. miss a lecture/a lesson/a mistake
4. CWB 07 Listen to the conversation and complete the notes. Write NO MORE THAN
TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Magazine interview
Name: Tom 1__________________ Occupation: 2 _________________
Has written 3 _________________
Crossed Gobi desert in 4_________________
Title of latest book: "Has Anyone Seen 5________________?"
Has won "Travel Book of 6_____________" award.
Date of interview: Friday 7_______________
Contact number: 8__________________ (call to arrange time)
Place of interview: 9_________________, Summertown
See his 10________________ for more information.

5. CSB 11 Listen to the conversation and complete the notes. Write NO MORE THAN
TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Name: Sanjay 1_______________ Age: 2_____________ Occupation: 3___________________
Other expeditions:
• has crossed 4________________
• has climbed Mount 5_______________
Special skills:
• has done a 6_________________ course
• can speak 7____________________
Qualifications:
• degree in 8____________________
Free-time activities:
• 9_____________________ • keeping 10_________________________
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