• Exam Candidates
  • Oxford, England

Prepare for the Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) exam

Quatorial
class
class
Highlights
Academic Experience

Key points

Students train to gain experience and acquire the skills necessary to achieve a passing grade in their C1 Advanced (CAE) exam. 

Teachers coach 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. 

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

Small class sizes allow for close tutor attention, which provides students with confidence and familiarity in the exam format.

 

 

 

Goal
Objectives of the study

Objectives of the stay

To familiarise the student with all parts of the exam, and to provide them with the confidence, skills, and strategies required to achieve a high grade in the C1 Advanced (CAE) exam.

Programme

Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) preparation

The Quatorial programme - 20 hours per week

Lessons are devoted to developing the skills and linguistic abilities that are required to not only achieve success in the C1 Advanced (CAE) Exam, but that will also enable the student to operate in English with ease across cultural and linguistic borders. These lessons and workshops allow students to develop linguistic flair, as well as key 21st century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, resilience, and leadership.

The exam coaching lessons focus on how to apply these skills to exam  tasks in order to achieve a high grade. Students are equipped with strategies that allow them to display their skills to the best of their ability in all the papers of the C1 Advanced (CAE). 

Learners are coached in the content of the exam, and strategies for understanding and navigating the test questions are explored and practised.

  • Course content
    Flexibility for Use of English

    Students develop flexibility in their use of the English language by building their lexical and grammatical range. There is a strong focus on accuracy. The skills that are honed in this module are the foundation stones for the modules which follow it, as they equip the student with the language needed to express themselves clearly, accurately, eloquently, and with linguistic flair.

     

    Confidence for the spoken paper

    Students build the skills required for face-to-face interactions, with a focus on successful communication and articulation of concepts, effective discourse management, clear and effective pronunciation, and flexible and accurate use of structures and vocabulary. Developing the use of compensation strategies also allows students to maintain their confidence and communicative competence when faced with linguistic obstacles.

     

    Strategies for effective reading

    In this module, students are exposed to, and familiarised with, a variety of text types. Skills developed include: speed reading, understanding text structure, critical analysis, and determining an author’s position. The range of texts used includes newspaper articles, fiction, magazine articles, and non-fiction prose.

     

    Listening skills

    Preparation for the listening paper helps students build the skills to be able to follow and understand a range of spoken materials. These include radio broadcasts, interviews, presentations and talks, as well as everyday interactions. Materials such as TED talks and BBC broadcasts are used to develop the required skills, including: working out the meaning of unknown words, following the structure of speech, and summarising a talk.

     

    Written eloquence

    Students practise writing different text types, including essays, reports, articles and letters. They are trained to understand the differences between these types of writing, and to use their linguistic skills to reach their communicative objective in any style. There is a focus on how to structure a text clearly and logically, as well as planning, time-management, precision and clarity.

     

    Tutors set assignments for homework, and mock tests, taken under exam conditions, allow both tutor and student to monitor progress, as well as highlighting areas and tasks which may require a highly targeted focus or more intensive work. 

Attentes prévues
Expectations

Expected outcomes

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

  • Manage discourse effectively in face-to-face interactions
  • Articulate ideas and concepts clearly in both spoken and written English
  • Demonstrate flexibility in their use of language
  • Follow and comprehend a variety of written and spoken text types
  • Structure a piece of long form writing in a number of styles
  • Speak confidently with others in both one-to-one and two-to-one situations

 

Hébergement sur place
Accommodation

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.


 


 

Excluding accommodation

Should students wish not to stay in homestays and find alternative accommodation, the school is happy to offer recommendations on request.

Se déplacer
Oxford
Location

The experience of living in Oxford

For almost a millennium Oxford has been a hub of learning and academia. 

A small university city, Oxford is easily navigable and students are quickly able to settle in and feel comfortable. The city has a bustling centre, with numerous shops, restaurants and cafes, as well as opportunities to explore the rich history and culture through museums, galleries and theatres. The centre of the city is also close to several parks and open spaces, allowing students to spend time outdoors and enjoying nature. 

 

Activités
Culture

Cultural Programme

Oxford is a hub of history, culture and academia, and the school exposes its students to the best of the city. With over 1000 years of recorded history there is a wealth of culture for students to discover as part of the school’s cultural programme, including world-class museums and galleries, being inspired by the colleges of the university and exploring the historic streets. Students are also able to experience unique local activities such as punting, alongside trips to historic pubs and theatre and cinema trips. The school also organises walking tours to familiarise students with the city and give them a deep understanding of its rich history.

Price includes
Useful information

Price includes

 The price includes 20 hours of tuition per week and half-board accommodation in a homestay.

(Note: course fees do not include examination fees which will vary depending on the chosen exam and examination centre.)

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