Worked out by the faculty of English section of Kazakh Leading Academy of Architecture and Civil Engineering

ABSTRACT

 

This manual presents an additional course of teaching and assessing the English language proficiency on the

I level – Elementary mainly in the sphere of General English.It is designed for students of non-linguistic majors at universities, colleges, high schools and language courses. All materials of manual is systematized from the point of its practical, communicative importance for the students of non-linguistic majors, on the basis of accessibility and sequence of stating and gradual complicating the language knowledge and language skills. A great attention was made on materials of study in the class (collection of handouts) and materials for students’ independent work after classes (collection of tests and lexical materials).

This manual presents an updated version of Universal criteria of complex assessment of English language proficiency (2008) under edition of professor A.A. Kussainov on the basis of lasting and reach experience of teaching foreign language at non-linguistic departments, taking into account the guides of national language policy, requirements of state educational standards and the achievements of the native and foreign scholars and methodologists in this field.

CONTENTS

Preface
Part I. Universal criteria of complex assessment of English language proficiency 5-8
1.1	Theoretical block
1.2	Practical block
2.	Collection of hand outs
№	Grammar	Lexical theme	Pages
Module I
1.	verb to be+, pronouns: I, you, etc.	Greetings	9-12
2.	verb to be – and?	Personal information.	13-15
3.	possessive adjectives: my, your, etc.	About my friend.	16-21
4.	a/an, plurals, this/that/these/those	Our classroom.	22-25
5.	present simple + and -;	Typically British.	26-30
6.	present simple?	Meeting people.	31-34
7.	a/an, Present Simple+	Jobs.	35-39
8.	possessive s	My family.	40-45
9.	adjectives quite/very	Describing things and people.	46-49
10.	telling the time, present simple. Revising of Present Simple	Daily routine.	50-54
11.	adverbs of frequency	Healthy life.	55-57
12.	prepositions of time	Festivals.	58-61
13.	can/can’t. V: verb phrases: buy a newspaper, etc	Hobbies.	62-66
14.	Like+(verb+ing)	Free times activities.	67-69
15.	object pronouns: me, your, him	Life stories.	70-73
Module II
16.	Past simple of be: was / were	Famous people.	74-76
17.	Past simple. Regular and Irregular verbs –ed endings	Travelling.	77-80
18.	Irregular verbs, past simple	The way of life.	81-84
19.	there is/there are	My house/ flat.	85-88
20.	Present simple/ Present continuous	Neighborhood.	89-92
21.	Present simple/ Present continuous	Cities and directions.	93-98
22.	Countable/uncountable nouns. a/an, some/any.	Food around the world.	99-102
23.	To be going to, predictions, plans	Future plans and intentions.	103-106
24.	Comparative and superlative adjectives	The world around us.	107-111
25.	Would like to / like	Adventures.	112-115
26.	Common adverbs. Adjectives and adverbs	Looking good.	116-120
27.	Present Perfect	Have you ever…?	121-125
28.	Present Perfect or Past Simple	Films and books.	126-129
29.	Irregular Past Participles	Our Academy.	130-133
30.	Lexica - grammatical revision of the themes	My impression about the first term.	134-137
	Audio-scripts		141-150
Part 3. Collection of tests and lexical materials
3.1	Bank of tests	151-161
3.2	Practice on speech activities: Listening; Speaking; Reading; Writing;
3.3	Phrasal verbs
3.4	English proverbs and sayings	177-178
3.5	British-American guide

Preface

The given manual is designed for students of non-linguistic departments, who desire to master a foreign language during the period of study at university.

English language learning at non-linguistic departments makes the methodology of level education, oriented to formation of practical foreign language communicative skills very topical.

Nowadays the educational institutions of Republic of Kazakhstan have a definite experience of level teaching to English language which is divided into 6 levels of foreign language proficiency: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2 (Concept of foreign language education of the Republic Kazakhstan, 2007), accepted on the basis of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and adapted to the stages of national system of education.

According to the concept of foreign language education a teaching to foreign language at non-linguistic departments should cover the levels of B1, B2 and the courses of LSP – language for specific purpose (professional program) and LAP (Language for Academic Purpose).

However this model of foreign language education doesn’t correspond to real practice of students’ foreign language knowledge and skills, as by the moment of entering the university not all students master a foreign language at the level of A2. Many students come with the level A1 and sometimes with zero level of foreign language proficiency, but very eager to master it during their study at university.

That’s why an author group under edition of professor A.A. Kussainov on the basis of lasting and reach experience of teaching foreign language at non-linguistic departments, taking into account the achievements of the native and foreign scholars and methodologists in this field, and it’s own experimental work on language knowledge and skills assessment (Universal criteria of complex assessment of English language proficiency, 2008) suggests to single out 5 levels of language proficiency instead of 6 levels, expressed in percent measurement from 0% to 100%:

1. Elementary, which comprises also an introduction course for Beginners - А1-А2: from 0 to 20 %;

2. Pre-Intermediate - А2-В1: from 21to 40%;

3. Intermediate - В1-В2: from 41to 60%;

4. Upper-Intermediate - В2-С1: from 61 to 80%;

5. Advanced - С1-С2: from 81 to 100%.

Such subdivision into levels of practical English language proficiency allows to provide a systematic and indissoluble character, a sequence of foreign language learning at non-linguistic departments, compensate the faults of teaching to foreign language in schools and gives to students new opportunities to fill in the gaps in foreign language knowledge and skills.

Universal criteria of complex assessment of English language proficiency on above mentioned 5 levels presents a combined form of examination, including the assessment of theoretical knowledge of language (multiple choice test of grammar and lexis) and practical skills of communication (listening, speaking, reading and writing activities), providing an exactness, objectivity and transparency of the process of assessment.

Following the logics of improving the system of teaching English language the author group put forward an aim to develop a linguistic complex for each level of English learning at non-linguistic department, which comprises not only the materials of control and assessment as it was done in Universal criteria of complex assessment of English language proficiency (2008), but also the materials of study in the class and materials for students’ independent work after classes. That is why all material of manual is systematized from the point of its practical, communicative importance for the students of non-linguistic departments, on the basis of accessibility and sequence of stating, and the theory, concerning grammar is presented in doses and in minimum volume, and in such way paying more attention to the principle parts in English language learning. With it all the content of manual covers all aspects of learning foreign language: linguistic (phonetics, grammar, lexis), regional (Kazakhstani, British, American and other English speaking countries) and intercultural (differences in verbal and non-verbal communication) aspects.

So, this manual consists of three parts: Universal criteria of complex assessment of English language proficiency, collection of handouts on 30 grammar and lexical themes on each level, and a reader, designed for independent work of students after classes and preparation for examination.

The first part is dedicated to update and reedit Universal criteria of complex assessment of English language proficiency (2008) in accordance with changes of content and methodology of teaching and needs for developing students’ communicative skills and habits at non-linguistic departments.

The second part - collection of handouts was made up in accordance with four speech activities: listening, speaking, reading and writing, paying more attention to formation of speaking skills. The topics of handouts correspond to the requirements of Kazakhstani curriculum and syllabus and modern international requirements. As a contribution to the content of study a foreign language we have included the lexical topics, reflecting the culture, the way of life in Kazakhstan.

The third part – a reader consists of bank of lexical and grammar tests (120 multiple choice assignments for each level), bank of texts for listening and reading practice (10 texts on each of them), bank of tasks for speaking and writing practice.

At the end of a reader we placed additional materials where you can find the list of widely used phrasal verbs, table of English irregular verbs, proverbs and sayings, idioms, some lexis distinctions in American and British English variants, models of writing social letters: congratulation on different events, condolence and others. We also presented a collection of English texts for specific purpose on different specialties at university.

So, the content of this manual is composed on the basis of authentic resources, giving an opportunity to learn a real foreign language, using the communicative and interactive techniques of teaching and also developing the students’ skills of independent work in mastering a foreign language.