Course Overview

At this school we have lots of courses to help you learn English fast. If you want to learn English, we have a course for you!

Student's comment:

"The warm atmosphere of the Castle School creates enjoyable studying conditions. Its professional teaching staff helped me in improving my English, so I could pass IELTS with 7.5. I have very good memories of this school." Tatiana Sapozhkova (Russian)

 

Lesson Timetable

Morning Lessons 1 & 2	Morning Lessons 3 & 4:
09.15 - 10.45	11.00 - 12.30
Afternoon Lessons 1 & 2	Afternoon Lessons 3 & 4:
13.15 - 14.45	15.00 - 16.30
Evening Lessons 1 & 2	Evening Lessons 3 & 4:
18.15 - 19.45	20.00 - 21.30

 
*Breaktimes: 10.45 - 11.00 / 14.45 - 15.00 / 19.45 - 20.00

*Lunchbreak: 12.30 - 13.15

 

Who is this course for?

Our courses are for students over the age of 16 and are suitable for students who wish to improve their General English for personal reasons, professional reasons, or for future studies in English. Castle School also offers exam preparation classes.

Information about courses:

• A placement/level test on arrival
• All our teachers are native speakers of English
• Regular homework
• Our teachers will correct your speaking and writing carefully
• You can talk to your teacher privately in regular individual Private Tutorials (two every 10-14 week term)
• Multi-national classes
• Maximum 12 students per class (some classes 15)
• A course book issued when you arrive (with a course at least 2 weeks long)
• Dedicated teachers
• Regular Progress Tests
• End of term examinations
• A Certificate of Achievement (Minimum attendance 80%)

What will this course teach me?

 

At Castle School we have 7 levels:	All our classes aim to improve your:
Elementary Pre-intermediate Early Intermediate Intermediate Upper-intermediate Pre-advanced Advanced	Speaking Pronunciation Listening Reading Writing Vocabulary Grammar

 

Elementary Level

English Skill	You will learn to:
Reading	Understand short texts in simple language and find specific information in timetables, menus and advertisements.
Writing	Fill in forms with personal details, write short notes and messages, holiday postcards and simple personal letters.
Listening	Understand basic personal information and information about the local area, e.g. shopping, travel and employment. To understand main points of clear simple messages and announcements.
Speaking	Ask and answer simple questions on familiar topics. To describe the place where you live, family members and people you know. To talk simply about education and jobs.
Grammar	Use Simple Present and Past Simple tenses, Present Continuous, Present Perfect. Possessives, Adjectives, Can/Can’t, Some/Any, There is/There are, How much/How many, Adverbs of frequency, Prepositions of place and time, Comparatives and Superlatives.
Vocabulary Topics	Use simple vocabulary connected with Travel, Food, Houses, Cities, Family, Possessions, Jobs and Education.
Other	Pronounce English sounds correctly and the correct pronunciation of vocabulary and verb endings.

 

Pre-Intermediate Level

English Skill	You will learn to:
Reading	Understand basic language and descriptions of events and feelings and wishes in personal letters.
Writing	Write personal letters describing impressions, feelings and experiences and to write simple sentences about familiar topics.
Listening	Understand the main points of radio programmes on current affairs and familiar topics when the speech is clear and slow, and to be able to understand clear speech on subjects such as Work, School and Leisure.
Speaking	Talk about familiar topics and to give explanations and reasons for opinions, past actions and future plans. Also to recount the story of a book or film and deal with most situations in an English-speaking environment.
Grammar	Revise and extend all previous grammar points plus Passives, Relative Clauses, Future forms, Used to, Active and State verbs.
Vocabulary Topics	Extend vocabulary connected with Leisure, Work and Employment, Entertainment, Travel, Home, and Money. Adjectives to describe character, relationships, feelings, opposites and negative adjectives.
Other	Use correct pronunciation of vocabulary.

 

Early Intermediate Level

English Skill	You will learn to:
Reading	Build and develop basic understanding of texts and to be exposed to different genres and purposes of the author.
Writing	Develop your ability in writing short, authentic pieces of communication.
Listening	Establish different listening techniques depending on the purpose of the extract.
Speaking	Discuss familiar topics with ease and focus on more complex topic areas that interest you.
Grammar	Revise and extend your current knowledge of English grammar.
Vocabulary Topics	Use vocabulary connected with Food, Travel, Feelings, Future Technology, Literature, the Weather, Art, Work and Travel.
Other	Build on your study skills and learner autonomy.

Intermediate Level

English Skill	You will learn to:
Reading	Read authentic texts from many sources, such as newspapers, magazines and literature. Read quickly both for general understanding and for specific details, and also to read more thoroughly for better comprehension.
Writing	Write both formal and informal letters describing impressions and feelings, experiences and events. Write descriptive texts and narratives and reports on a range of subjects.
Listening	Listen to a variety of material from interviews with real people, radio programmes, songs and lectures. Listen both for general understanding and more detail.
Speaking	Discuss familiar topics in some detail and speak confidently with native speakers. You will also learn to give your own opinions and discuss advantages and disadvantages.
Grammar	Use a variety of grammatical tenses – Present and Past Simple and Continuous, Present Perfect Simple and Continuous, and Modal verbs. Conditionals and Reported Speech.
Vocabulary Topics	Use vocabulary connected with Sports and Leisure, Art, Music and Literature, the Weather, Travel and words connected with Birth Marriage and Death as well as formal and informal vocabulary.
Other	Use social expressions, and informal language, take telephone messages and make suggestions.

 

Upper-Intermediate Level

English Skill	You will learn to:
Reading	Understand complex literary and factual texts in different styles.
Writing	Write letters, essays and reports in appropriate style about complex subjects. Express your own point of view in a well-structured manner.
Listening	Understand most TV programmes and films in other accents and understand long and complex speech.
Speaking	Speak fluently and communicate effectively both socially and professionally. Relate your ideas and opinions to those of other speakers, develop arguments and talk about complex subjects.
Grammar	Review and extend previously learned grammar structures, plus Future Continuous and Future Perfect, Wishes, Quantifiers, Modals of deduction, Verbs + ing and the Infinitive.
Vocabulary Topics	Use vocabulary connected with Education, Crime and Punishment, the Environment, Business and Trade, Money, Entertainment, Phrasal verbs, Connectors, Exaggeration, Compound adjectives, Work and Business collocations, Colloquial words and phrases, Connectors, Synonyms, Homonyms and Idioms.
Other	Be better equipped to deal with real-world situations.

 

Pre Advanced Level

English Skill	You will learn to:
Reading	Be exposed to a wide range of authentic texts in a variety of discourse styles.
Writing	Establish the effect that style has on the reader.
Listening	Focus on forms of connected speech and how intonation and suprasegmentals affect pronunciation.
Speaking	Repair conversational breakdown and increase knowledge of authentic lexical chunks.
Grammar	Be comfortable with a variety of tenses and grammatical aspects and develop skills to fine tune your intended meaning.
Vocabulary Topics	Use vocabulary connected with Sport, Ethics, Hypothetical Future, Eco-tourism, Science & Technology.
Other	Build on study skills and learner-autonomy.

 

Advanced Level

English Skill	You will learn to:
Reading	Use a variety of texts including extracts from newspapers, magazines, non-literary books and brochures. Focus on exam tasks of multiple matching and gapped texts.
Writing	Write formal and informal letters, notes, messages, reviews, reports, brochures and articles. Transcribe from formal to informal and vice versa.
Listening	Understand a variety of listening texts, including announcements, radio broadcasts, telephone messages, talks, lectures, interviews and meetings featuring a mixture of native and non-native speakers.
Speaking	Discuss, agree, disagree, agree to disagree, language of approximation, compare and contrast, give opinions and problem solve.
Grammar	Review of all previously learned grammar and extend with Substitution/Ellipsis, Adding emphasis with inversion.
Vocabulary Topics	Use vocabulary connected with Science and Medicine, Competitive sports, Leisure activities, Business and Idiomatic language.
Other	EXAM FOCUS – exam practice.

 

Assessment

There will be homework set on a regular basis. Students are expected to complete this in their free time.

Teachers use informal progress tests to check and confirm students’ learning and progress during the course. These tests help decide if students are ready for the next level of classes, or need to study for more time at the same level.

You can also have classes that help you pass exams. For example:

• Cambridge First Certificate Exam Preparation
• Cambridge Advanced Exam Preparation
• IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

Our exam preparation classes have proven to be very successful.

Progression

Students are able to move between classes based on the availability of classes and only with the agreement of their teacher and/or the Director of Studies.

Castle School offers a University Placement Service and can give advice on progression to Further and Higher Education in the UK.

At this school you can also choose from our special options:

• Business English 
• Conversation and Pronunciation Club
• One to One lessons

 

Visit our Courses Page to view information on all of our courses.