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English Program
Raffles Colleges have created a standardized English program across the system. The program is designed to provide students practice in English for general and academic purposes. It aims to improve the students’ English by working towards a recognized qualification, which provides proof of language level for entry to a university program or the job market.
The new ELP (English Language Program) has six levels. Each level consists of three subjects focusing on divided skills; Grammar, Integrated Reading & Writing, and Communications (ESP).
The program’s methods of assessment are both formative and summative. Formative forms of assessment include: midterm exams, weekly homework assignments, short quizzes and specific communicative tasks. They evaluate what students are able to do while the course is in progress. Summative assessment is used to evaluate whether learning outcomes have been achieved at the end of a course and can include comprehensive examinations, projects, and final presentations.
Program Learning Outcomes:
Linguistic Competence
Linguistic competence includes knowledge of spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, word formation, grammatical structure, sentence structure and linguistic semantics. It relates to the accurate understanding and usage of language form and meaning.
Pragmatic Competence
Language use must be appropriate to social context in order to achieve certain communicative goals. Learners need to appreciate the relationship between language and its context in order to become competent users.
Discourse competence
Proficient English speakers understand patterns of discourse and use appropriate structures to create unified, cohesive text, whether spoken or written.
Strategic Competence
Strategic competence involves the use of communication strategies and an understanding of their role in transmitting and comprehending messages successfully. Examples of such strategies include approximation, circumlocution, repetition, emphasis, asking for help, miming, avoiding problematic concepts, and abandoning an utterance already initiated.
Level 1: Elementary
Divided skills subjects:
Communications (ESP)
Reading & Writing
Grammar
An Overview
In Reading & Writing, as well as Grammar, the students develop their ability to deal with simple, straightforward information, and begin to express themselves in familiar contexts. As readers, the learners will also discover the general purpose, main ideas and some detail in short, authentic texts, as well as other, prepared texts with moderately demanding contexts of language use. This increased understanding of written texts, as well as a greater command of grammar and vocabulary, will enable the students to perform more complex writing tasks.
In Communications, which combines speaking and listening, students are streamed into Design or Business groups. In their separate Communications groups, these students have the opportunity to develop their speaking and listening skills in the context of either design or business topics and materials.
Level 2: Low Intermediate
Divided skills subjects:
Communications (ESP)
Reading & Writing
Grammar
An Overview
In this module, students are streamed for ESP in their Communications course, which combines speaking and listening. In their separate groups, Design and Commerce students have the opportunity to develop their communication skills in the context of either design or business related topics and materials. In the other skill areas, all students learn to deal with short, simple texts on familiar, concrete matters and basic topics that consist of high frequency, everyday language. Students are able to produce short, rehearsed presentations on topics in his/her everyday life, as well as short texts, letters, emails and notes asking for or conveying simple information of immediate personal relevance.
Levels 3 : Intermediate
Divided skills subjects:
Communications (ESP)
Reading & Writing
Grammar
An Overview
During these two intermediate modules, students are streamed for ESP in their Communications course, which combines speaking and listening. In their separate groups, Design and Commerce students have the opportunity to develop their communication skills in the context of either design or business related topics and materials. Students will be combined in the other skill areas of Reading, Writing, and Grammar. In reading, they continue to improve their ability to understand a variety of moderately complex, written texts. In writing, they learn to produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar, or of personal relevance. Students also begin describing experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions, giving reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Levels 4: Upper Intermediate
Divided skills subjects:
Communications (ESP)
Reading & Writing
Grammar
An Overview
During these two intermediate modules, students are streamed for ESP in their Communications course, which combines speaking and listening. In their separate groups, Design and Commerce students have the opportunity to develop their communication skills in the context of either design or business related topics and materials. Students will be combined in the other skill areas of Reading, Writing, and Grammar. In reading, they continue to improve their ability to understand a variety of moderately complex, written texts. In writing, they learn to produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar, or of personal relevance. Students also begin describing experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions, giving reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Level 5: Advanced
Divided skills subjects:
Intensive IELTS Preparation
Writing, Reading & Grammar
Communications (ESP)
An Overview
In this module, students are again streamed into Design and Commerce groups for ESP in their Communications course. Upon completion of this module, students are able to present and interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes interaction with native speakers possible without strain for either party. In the other skill areas, students are able to follow main ideas, key words and important details in authentic two to three-page texts on everyday topics as well as those related their area of expertise. They begin to demonstrate an increasingly fluent ability in performing more complex writing tasks.
Level 6: Upper Advanced
Divided skills subjects:
Intensive IELTS Preparation
Integrated Writing, Reading, Presentation Skills
An Overview
The Advanced English for Academic Preparation module is designed to prepare students for successful study in university degree courses. It covers academic research skills such as the reading of academic texts, effective note-taking, and summarizing and/or paraphrasing information. The module also prepares students for the rigors of academic writing, including significant practice with English academic writing style and standard referencing techniques. Learners at this level do an in-depth study of presentation techniques so that they can master the essential skills for presentations in their area of work.
Download Progression Flow Chart
The new ELP (English Language Program) has six levels. Each level consists of three subjects focusing on divided skills; Grammar, Integrated Reading & Writing, and Communications (ESP).
The program’s methods of assessment are both formative and summative. Formative forms of assessment include: midterm exams, weekly homework assignments, short quizzes and specific communicative tasks. They evaluate what students are able to do while the course is in progress. Summative assessment is used to evaluate whether learning outcomes have been achieved at the end of a course and can include comprehensive examinations, projects, and final presentations.
Program Learning Outcomes:
Linguistic Competence
Linguistic competence includes knowledge of spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, word formation, grammatical structure, sentence structure and linguistic semantics. It relates to the accurate understanding and usage of language form and meaning.
Pragmatic Competence
Language use must be appropriate to social context in order to achieve certain communicative goals. Learners need to appreciate the relationship between language and its context in order to become competent users.
Discourse competence
Proficient English speakers understand patterns of discourse and use appropriate structures to create unified, cohesive text, whether spoken or written.
Strategic Competence
Strategic competence involves the use of communication strategies and an understanding of their role in transmitting and comprehending messages successfully. Examples of such strategies include approximation, circumlocution, repetition, emphasis, asking for help, miming, avoiding problematic concepts, and abandoning an utterance already initiated.
Level 1: Elementary
Divided skills subjects:
Communications (ESP)
Reading & Writing
Grammar
An Overview
In Reading & Writing, as well as Grammar, the students develop their ability to deal with simple, straightforward information, and begin to express themselves in familiar contexts. As readers, the learners will also discover the general purpose, main ideas and some detail in short, authentic texts, as well as other, prepared texts with moderately demanding contexts of language use. This increased understanding of written texts, as well as a greater command of grammar and vocabulary, will enable the students to perform more complex writing tasks.
In Communications, which combines speaking and listening, students are streamed into Design or Business groups. In their separate Communications groups, these students have the opportunity to develop their speaking and listening skills in the context of either design or business topics and materials.
Level 2: Low Intermediate
Divided skills subjects:
Communications (ESP)
Reading & Writing
Grammar
An Overview
In this module, students are streamed for ESP in their Communications course, which combines speaking and listening. In their separate groups, Design and Commerce students have the opportunity to develop their communication skills in the context of either design or business related topics and materials. In the other skill areas, all students learn to deal with short, simple texts on familiar, concrete matters and basic topics that consist of high frequency, everyday language. Students are able to produce short, rehearsed presentations on topics in his/her everyday life, as well as short texts, letters, emails and notes asking for or conveying simple information of immediate personal relevance.
Levels 3 : Intermediate
Divided skills subjects:
Communications (ESP)
Reading & Writing
Grammar
An Overview
During these two intermediate modules, students are streamed for ESP in their Communications course, which combines speaking and listening. In their separate groups, Design and Commerce students have the opportunity to develop their communication skills in the context of either design or business related topics and materials. Students will be combined in the other skill areas of Reading, Writing, and Grammar. In reading, they continue to improve their ability to understand a variety of moderately complex, written texts. In writing, they learn to produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar, or of personal relevance. Students also begin describing experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions, giving reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Levels 4: Upper Intermediate
Divided skills subjects:
Communications (ESP)
Reading & Writing
Grammar
An Overview
During these two intermediate modules, students are streamed for ESP in their Communications course, which combines speaking and listening. In their separate groups, Design and Commerce students have the opportunity to develop their communication skills in the context of either design or business related topics and materials. Students will be combined in the other skill areas of Reading, Writing, and Grammar. In reading, they continue to improve their ability to understand a variety of moderately complex, written texts. In writing, they learn to produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar, or of personal relevance. Students also begin describing experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions, giving reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Level 5: Advanced
Divided skills subjects:
Intensive IELTS Preparation
Writing, Reading & Grammar
Communications (ESP)
An Overview
In this module, students are again streamed into Design and Commerce groups for ESP in their Communications course. Upon completion of this module, students are able to present and interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes interaction with native speakers possible without strain for either party. In the other skill areas, students are able to follow main ideas, key words and important details in authentic two to three-page texts on everyday topics as well as those related their area of expertise. They begin to demonstrate an increasingly fluent ability in performing more complex writing tasks.
Level 6: Upper Advanced
Divided skills subjects:
Intensive IELTS Preparation
Integrated Writing, Reading, Presentation Skills
An Overview
The Advanced English for Academic Preparation module is designed to prepare students for successful study in university degree courses. It covers academic research skills such as the reading of academic texts, effective note-taking, and summarizing and/or paraphrasing information. The module also prepares students for the rigors of academic writing, including significant practice with English academic writing style and standard referencing techniques. Learners at this level do an in-depth study of presentation techniques so that they can master the essential skills for presentations in their area of work.
Download Progression Flow Chart
