A2 Preparing for Academic English: Integrated Skills

Course contents and teaching method
A2 Preparing for Academic English is a course for participants who aim to improve their language skills so that they can begin to use English in academic settings. The course focuses on developing participants’ speaking, reading, writing and listening skills (integrated skills). Examples of tasks include:

Speaking
You will be able to practice your speaking skills in every lesson. For large parts of the lesson you will work in pairs or small groups, speaking in English together to complete tasks. You may also be asked to:

  • Give a 1-2 minute presentation to a small group
  • Participate in small group discussions 
  • Participate in class debates 

Reading
We will use interesting academic texts, magazine articles (such as TIME magazine or The Economist) and internet articles to help you to:

  • Identify the main purpose and relevant information of a range of texts 
  • Understand a range of academic terms
  • Improve your note-taking skills 

Writing 
Through writing activities, you will be introduced to grammar and vocabulary related to general English (past simple, present continuous etc.). You will have the opportunity to develop your skills in writing small paragraphs.

Listening
We will use video and audio recordings from lectures and seminars to:

  • Develop your understanding of university lectures & note-taking skills 
  • Develop your ability to understand seminar discussions 


Workload and evaluation
There is no final exam for this course. Instead, participants will be asked to complete weekly homework tasks (approx. 1 hour) which will reinforce what is learnt in class. 

Attendance and regular participation in the course is compulsory. Participants must attend 80% of the classes to pass the course. 

Materials
Some lessons will use exercises from the textbook: Oxford EAP: Elementary/A2 (ISBN: 9780194002042). Participants are welcome to purchase this book, however, it is not obligatory. Participants will be provided with materials in class. 

Objectifs

By the end of this course, participants should be able to:

  • Understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to their immediate situation (basic personal information, information about the area of study etc.) 
  • Communicate in simple and routine tasks about the following: 
    • Events in the past (previous studies etc.)
    • Future plans (career, study etc.)
  • Ask and answer questions about university study
  • Present basic information to small groups using academic language of presentations
  • Compare and contrast different aspects of academic and everyday life
  • Describe and understand numbers and charts in academic texts
  • Understand the basic uses of the present perfect tense to talk & write about past and present experiences

Public-cible

Ce cours s'adresse aux personnes dont le niveau correspond au niveau A2 du Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues. Merci de vous inscrire uniquement si ce cours correspond à votre niveau. Les participant·e·s de nos institutions partenaires et les collaborateur·trice·s Unifr peuvent nous contacter pour faire un test de placement si elles/ils ne sont pas sûr·e·s de leur niveau. Les étudiant·e·s Unifr sont automatiquement redirigé·e·s vers le test de placement lors de l'inscription aux cours sur MyUnifr.

Prérequis

Les conditions générales de participation aux cours du Centre de langues s'appliquent.

Responsables et intervenants

Responsable(s)

  • Esmonde Chloe

Dates et lieux

Période Lieu
16.09.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16
23.09.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16
30.09.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16
07.10.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16
14.10.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16
21.10.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16
28.10.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16
04.11.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16
11.11.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16
18.11.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16
25.11.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16
02.12.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16
09.12.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16
16.12.2025 de 08:15 à 10:00 MIS 10 1.16

Inscription

Essentiels

Période d'inscription 01.09.2025 - 28.09.2025
Date(s)

Mardi 8:15 - 10:00 

Durée

15.09.2025 - 19.12.2025

Frais

GRATUIT pour étudiant·e·s et personnel Unifr ; CHF 500.– par semestre pour les membres des institutions partenaires

Type Séminaire / Cours - 3 ECTS
Langue Anglais
Code I04.00043-SA25

Lieu(x)

Université de Fribourg, Centre de langues

Contact

Centre de langues
 Email
 +41 26 300 79 99