UK Tel: 01209 211 800
Intl Tel: +44 1209 211 800
CESA House
Pennance Road
Lanner
Cornwall
TR16 5TQ
Great Britain
t: 01209 211 800
Intl t: +44 1209 211 800
f: 01209 211 830
Founder member of the Year Out Group and the International Association of Language Travel Agents.
Methodology
The college’s key concern is to get you to speak!
Of course you will cover the four core skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, with plenty of grammar and vocabulary work included in order to develop all the essential Spanish language skills.
The objective of the language courses is to help you express yourself more fluently in Spanish. To achieve this, the school have a team of experienced teachers who specialise in teaching Spanish to foreign students.
The Spanish language school's methods combine a traditional grammar approach with a more modern communicative focus in which greater importance is placed on practising grammar in communicative contexts that reproduce situations of everyday life. The classes are based on tasks and planned depending on the students’ needs and different styles of learning.
All classes are given in Spanish. The average number of students per class is from 6 to 10 and each class lasts for 55 minutes. Since the groups are small in number, the teacher is able to deal with the specific needs of each student on a more personal basis. The programme is also aimed at familiarising students with and integrating students into Spanish culture. Visits to cultural centres, museums, cities, etc. are arranged, in an attempt to ensure that all students are fully immersed in Spanish life.
First Day
On the first day you will need to be at school at 8:30hrs in the morning in order to do a placement test level and go to the introductory talk orientation where you will be informed of everything that can be useful. Once the test has been completed the school will assign students to different classes according to their language level.
Timetables for the Standard and Languages for Life courses are held either between 09:30 and 13:30 or between 14:30 and 18:30 from Monday to Friday. If you have conversation classes or private lessons the director of studies will inform you of schedule. The class schedule will be arranged after the test because class timings will depend on your level and class place availability.
Your course includes various social and cultural activities. Upon arrival you will receive a calendar of activities for the month. However, don’t forget to review the daily bulletin board at the language school, this is where staff will post updated information on the activities for each week.
Spanish Level Test
On the first day of class, students are given a talk about the programme they will be studying, and are required to take a Spanish language level test. Once the test has been corrected, they are incorporated into a class group. Students may change levels during the first few days or afterwards, if the student has made more progress than the rest of the group. At least once a month, a test is given in class to evaluate the student's progress.
Course Material
A textbook is used in class, together with diverse course material prepared by the the Spanish language school teachers. The enrolment fee includes the first book and additional material. When you change from one level to another, you must buy a new book or take out one on loan from the school library. The school places its library at your disposal so you will have plenty of opportunity to borrow reading and consultative material.
Course Certificate
At the end of their course, students are given an attendance certificate indicating the course taken, the number of hours of study and the level reached, in addition to a detailed report on their progress in each language area.
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The curriculum is structured on six theoretical language levels, with a natural duration of between four and six weeks at each level. There are classes in grammar, oral and written exercises, practice with video and audio material and conversation on subjects of general, social and cultural interest. Special importance is given to the communicative aspect of the language and its use in everyday life.
See the Chart of Language levels/ability for further information.
A student of average linguistic ability should allow six weeks to complete the Beginner level and six weeks to complete the Elementary level, covering basic grammatical structured knowledge to be able to communicate in the practical situations of daily life plus an introduction to Spanish customs.
Approximately eight weeks will be required to complete the Intermediate level with its emphasis on grammar with reference to the past tenses and development of conversation skills (and at Intermediate 2 level, the subjunctive).
Ten weeks cover the Advanced level (deepening grammatical skills, providing fluency in conversation and a deeper knowledge of Spanish culture, also written expression and the creation of texts.
In reality students chose to attend a short course or a longer “Languages for Life” course according to their linguistic goals, personal wishes and time constraints.
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