Prepare for the IELTS exam

Octorial^™

Academic Experience

Key points

Students train to gain experience and acquire the skills necessary to achieve their desired score in the IELTS exam- teachers push students to achieve to the maximum of their potential, and set milestones and goals for each student, with constant evaluation. This sets the pace for each learner to surpass their academic expectations and achieve more than they thought possible.

Students sit rehearsal tests under exam conditions. These are repeated as required to build confidence and familiarity with the exam.

Small class sizes also allow for a large amount of individual coaching, which provides students with the security of the knowledge that they are as prepared as possible for their exam, and with confidence and familiarity in the exam format.

All students who successfully complete this course are eligible for a Course Certificate. Completion consists of submitting the final course assignment.

Homework tasks are set daily to allow learners to reflect on and consolidate what they have learned in the day, as well as prepare for the next day.

Objectives of the study

Objective of the stay

To make the student familiar with the exam and to give the student the confidence and skills required to achieve the required score in the test.

The Octorial Programme: IELTS Preparation

25 hours per week.

The tutor coaches the learner in the content of the exam and guides them with strategies for understanding and navigating the test questions. Assignments are set for homework and during lesson time there is repeated work on essay writing, vocabulary, comprehension and speaking practice.

Course Content

Note Taking Skills
- Practice in taking notes and using notes to summarise listenings.
Skimming and scanning skills
- Search for a main topic, topic sentences, supporting details and concluding thoughts.
- Scanning for pertinent data such as names, dates, numbers etc.
Summarising and paraphrasing
- Students write 3 or 4 sentence summaries of a short passage.
- Students must paraphrase a set of sentences in their own words.
- Students practise identifying information and data from charts and graphs.
Mind mapping
- The use of the mind map to plan a piece of writing.
- Use of mind maps to plan the introduction to an essay.
- Developing the body of the essay.
- Understanding the importance of the controlling idea.
Polishing skills for the writing task and the speaking tasks
- Essay writing skills - checklist.
- Speaking test - final practice.

Expectations

Expected Outcomes

By the end of this course, the student is expected to be able to:

Take notes on a piece of listening.
Summarise and paraphrase an unfamiliar passage of text.
Plan, structure and write an essay of 500 words.
Report verbally and in writing the data/information shown in diagrams and graphs.
Speak in an interview situation for 5 minutes.

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 Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the breathtakingly beautiful capital of Scotland and an exciting place to visit at any time of the year. The city offers a vibrant cultural life with historic buildings and sites of historical interest steeped in Scottish culture and tradition, galleries and museums, and a vast selection of shops, restaurants and cafes.

A city of culture, Edinburgh is home to the three National Galleries of Scotland, contemporary and modern art centres, performance spaces for music, dance and theatre as well as hosting several other festivals throughout the year.

Edinburgh is also a perfect base to explore Scotland's highlands and islands, with their rugged coastlines, mountains, lochs and glens.

This course is operated by Basil Paterson Edinburgh School of English which is owned by OISE’s daughter company Instill Education Ltd and accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English, and is a member of English UK.

Culture

Cultural Programme

Popular activities include walking tours, visits to galleries and museums and partaking in local Scottish traditions. The school can help students to plan and book day trips at the weekends to famous castles and locations such as Loch Ness.