Course description

Title of the Teaching Unit

English C1+ (passerelles)

Code of the Teaching Unit

21PLG15

Academic year

2025 - 2026

Cycle

Number of credits

Number of hours

Quarter

1-2

Weighting

Site

Anjou

Teaching language

French

Teacher in charge

MOGAVERO Fabrice

Objectives and contribution to the program

From a linguistic perspective, the level to be attained is Full Professional Proficiency. A student assessed at this level should demonstrate the following characteristics:

• Able to use the language fluently and accurately at all levels, in line with typical professional needs
• Can understand and participate in any conversation related to their personal and professional experience with a high degree of fluency and lexical precision
• Would rarely be mistaken for a native speaker, but can respond appropriately even in unfamiliar contexts or situations
• Makes only rare and minor errors in pronunciation and grammar
• Can handle informal interpreting of the language

The language will be used as a tool for communication and management. The student will be prepared to communicate, both orally and in writing, in professional contexts (negotiating, conducting meetings, attending job interviews, describing trends, etc.) as well as in complex socio-economic contexts.

Furthermore, in line with the new curriculum reform initiated by ICHEC, which emphasizes soft skills, the English “passerelle” course will help students develop the following soft skills: learning to know and develop themselves better, communicating, collaborating, and exercising critical thinking.

In addition, the general objectives of this course unit contribute to the development of the final point of the teaching profile and learning outcomes for both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees:
“Being able to communicate orally and in writing in multiple languages.”

Prerequisites and corequisites

The "Minimal Professional Proficiency" level is required to take the course, as it will not cover the basics of the language. It is expected that students are already able to express themselves fluently, coherently, and with a good level of grammatical accuracy on a range of relatively complex topics.
Both classes (interactive and lecture-based) aim at perfecting the level.

Content

The course is divided into two classes:

1. Interactive classes in small groups:

This interactive class includes:
- A chapter reviewing basic business skills: presenting companies, presenting internships, etc.
- A chapter on presenting charts and results
- A chapter on conducting meetings and negotiations
- A chapter on job interviews
- Glossaries of work-related terms (self-study)
- Socio-economic English: the goal is for students to express themselves clearly and in a structured way on complex current topics related to the economy and the world of work. These topics will be presented in class.

2. Lecture-style classes in large groups:

Grammar:
- Learning or reviewing basic and advanced grammar:
- Tenses in English
- Passive voice
- Reported speech
- Modals & semi-auxiliaries
- ING/INF structures
- Phrasal verbs

Teaching methods

1. Interactive Classes (36 hours face-to-face in small groups)

Topics will be introduced in various ways:

- Watching videos
- Reading texts
- Debates and role-plays
- Vocabulary exercises
- ...

The goal is to encourage students to apply newly acquired skills through more complex tasks such as presentations, conducting meetings, job interviews, etc.

Self-study:

- Advanced vocabulary
- Videos to watch independently
- ...

2. Lecture-style Classes (24 hours face-to-face)

- In-class input from the teacher
- PowerPoint presentations with voice-over or video capsules to watch
- Weekly exercises to complete

Courses will be delivered exclusively face-to-face at ICHEC. Some activities may be organized on Teams for all students. Courses and activities will not be offered in a hybrid (comodal) format.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Course

Artificial Intelligence may be used as an assistant to:
- Generate ideas
- Search for information (similar to a search engine)
- Assist in organizing or revising a production
- Partially or fully develop a production
- Write content or perform analysis
- Serve as a learning assistant

Students must ensure they use AI transparently and critically (soft skill: critical thinking) and produce original and personal ideas. They must also follow citation rules regarding the use of AI. Depending on the type of exercises or tasks, teachers will indicate to what extent AI may be used.

Assessment method

. Continuous Assessment (before May 2025)

All tasks to be completed before May 2025 will be considered part of the continuous assessment, including:

- In-class assessment based on the quality of work provided by the student throughout both terms
- Professional presentations in class based on socio-economic topics
- Four grammar tests (two per term) conducted during lecture-style classes
- January exam: a written exam including (1) mainly open-ended vocabulary and grammar questions, and (2) a written text based on an unseen video intended for an English-speaking audience. This part of the exam may be scheduled in December or January.
Students who pass both grammar tests in the first term may be exempted from the grammar section of the January exam. Students who fail one or both tests, or are absent, must take the grammar section of the January exam.

Note: If a student is absent for any of these assessments, they will receive a score of 0/20 for that component, which will be added to the other continuous assessment scores and included in the final grade.

2. Final Exam (from May 2025)

The final exam includes the following components:

1. Oral Exam on Meetings: Conducted face-to-face. This exam may be scheduled in May or June.
2. Bilingual Job Interview Exam:
Students must take a bilingual job interview exam (in Dutch or German and in English). This interview will be conducted as a professional job interview, and students must use all the techniques learned in both language classes.
Students will receive separate grades for each language, but must retake the bilingual exam if they fail in either English or Dutch/German. Some sessions in the second term will be dedicated to this assessment. The schedule will be posted on Moodle in due time. Bilingual sessions may also be organized.

Preparation:
In class, students will work on their profiles to choose a suitable job ad. Based on the ad, they will learn to answer interview questions effectively in terms of both content and language. Various exercises – listening, reading, role-plays – will be conducted in class, so attendance is mandatory.

Exam Requirements:
Students will choose one job ad (same for both languages), write a CV and cover letter following textbook instructions, and create a bilingual video CV. Teachers will use these four documents to conduct the interview in both languages.
Deadline: June 2026

IMPORTANT: All documents are mandatory to take this part of the exam. Late submission (even by a few minutes) or incomplete files will result in the student having to retake both English and Dutch/German exams in August. Late or incomplete submissions are considered an incomplete exam session.

3. Written Exam:
Includes (1) mainly open-ended vocabulary and grammar questions, and (2) a written text based on an unseen video. This part may be scheduled in May or June.
Students who pass both grammar tests in the second term may be exempted from the grammar section of the June exam. Students who fail one or both tests, or are absent, must take the grammar section of the June exam.
Attendance Warning:
Students must be present for all parts of the final exam.

Absence from any component will result in a score of 0/20 for the entire course and 0/20 for both language courses in the student's academic record if they fail to comply with instructions for the job interview exam.
Choosing not to sit any of the four final exam components will lead to a score of 0/20 for the entire course or 0/20 for both Enlgish and Dutch/German if you don't take the job interview.

3. General Remarks
- To pass, students must meet the language proficiency criteria described in the 'Objectives' section. This means reaching a minimum threshold of skills and knowledge in English.
- Active participation in interactive classes (in-person or online) is encouraged, as overall production will be considered in the continuous assessment. Students must also complete the self-study program introduced during interactive classes.
- Exam formats may vary slightly between sessions. Students may be assessed by different language teachers due to organizational constraints. Exams will normally take place on ICHEC premises.
- Medical certificates will not automatically lead to rescheduling assessments. If rescheduling is impossible, the student will receive a score of 0/20 for the missed assessment (in continuous assessment) and 0/20 for the entire course if absent from any final exam components.
- Exams scheduled face-to-face will not be reorganized online.

References

Syllabus « English Master Passerelles », Laurence Echevin, James Todd; Nik List, Fabrice Mogavero
Sites de référence : www.economist.com, www.cnn.com, www.bbc.co.uk, www.time.com, www.bloomberg.com