Language Enrichment Programme

Quatorial^™

Academic Experience

Key points

Students train to gain experience and learn the necessary language skills at an appropriate level. Teachers
encourage students to reach their full potential and set goals for each student, regularly evaluating their
progress. This motivates learners to surpass their personal expectations and achieve more than they thought
possible.
The small class size allows for personalized learning, taking into account each student's needs, experiences,
and background. Individual coaching is principal in these small classes, helping students gain confidence and
proficiency in the language in a stimulating environment.
The course exposes learners to various real-life materials from different professional backgrounds, sparking
their curiosity and exposing them to diverse writing styles and vocabulary. Students engage in debates,
discussions, and analysis of these materials, leading to increased confidence, fluency, and improved critical
thinking skills.

Objectives of the study

Objective of the stay

Make a significant improvement in language skills and knowledge

The Quatorial programme

Taught in groups of no more than 4 students.

Outcomes-led. Proximity to tutors leads to a collaborative and interactive programme. Learners are participative, collaborative, engaged and make fast progress.

Aptitude: accurate use of the language in core skills lessons
- controlled practice in language structures and lexis development to achieve a good command of grammar structures, idioms, and vocabulary.
- activities to sharpen understanding of written text through reading exercises from a wide range of materials: reports, articles, case studies.
- coaching and practice in writing letters, reports, emails, presentations, articles
- formal listening exercises.
- public debate: societal issues are debated in a formal setting allowing students to fine tune their debating skills in English.
- project: working on an engaging task participants use the soft skills of analysis and problem solving, collaboration and research.
Attitude: confident use of the language through interactive sessions designed to develop leadership skills
- Spoken Assertiveness: a fluency skills session to help the learner overcome inhibitions and group communication anxieties.
- Critical Analysis: develops the participant’s ability to analyse, categorise and process information in their language. Students apply critical thinking skills by evaluating texts and offering cogent and well structured responses.

Expectations

Expected outcomes

Increased mastery of the language, students become bold and confident users of English whilst speaking with accuracy and fluency.

Accommodation

Half-board homestay

Staying in a homestay gives participants the chance to be fully immersed into the local culture of the destination, whilst also being able to practise the language in a relaxed and natural setting. Many homestays have been welcoming our students into their homes for many years, offering their hospitality and expanding our students cultural horizons. Homestay arrivals are on the Sunday before the course begins, and departures are on the Saturday after the course ends.

Location

The experience of living in Cambridge

Cambridge is home not only to one of the world’s great universities, its iconic buildings and colleges peppering the old town, but also to the dynamic high-tech hub sometimes known as ‘Silicon Fen’ (Microsoft Research, Amazon, Apple, ARM, CSR, Autonomy and several thousand more), and the largest biomedical campus in Europe.

The result is a rich mix of students and professionals, and an ambience of tradition, scholarship and innovation. The town is host to a myriad of cafes, restaurants and pubs (including The Eagle, in the front room of which Crick and Watson demonstrated the first model of the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953), and to innumerable buildings of great historical and architectural significance, such as King’s College Chapel, the Wren Library, the Mathematical Bridge and Trinity Great Court.

Compact, green and beautiful, the city is dominated by the historic university buildings and bound by the lovely River Cam. It offers a unique ambiance, where the charm of tradition blends with the conveniences of modern urban life. Cambridge is a prime location for committed English language study.

Culture

Cultural programme

A variety of social and cultural activities is available to students throughout the week, helping them to get to know Cambridge. Popular activities include walking tours, visits to galleries and museums and discovering highlights of the city, including the pub The Eagle, where in 1953, scientists Crick and Watson celebrated the discovery of DNA. Tours of the city and the university can also be organised.