English for Pre-matriculation PRC (SM2) Students*
Objectives
This six-month intensive English course has been designed for Senior Middle Two (SM2) students from the People's Republic of China (PRC) whose English proficiency is equivalent to that of the local secondary-one students. The course aims to equip students with English communication skills at O level.
Format
Students are divided into small groups, each of which is taught by four or five teachers. Equal attention is given to (1) the four language skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing; (2) pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary; and (3) task-based assignments.
Towards the end of the course, there will be a Special Test to select students for the Accelerated Bridging Course (ABC) to prepare them for earlier admission into the university. Those not selected for the ABC have to continue with the lst phase of the course and move on to the Bridging English Course for two semesters.
* This is a non-university course conducted under the auspices of the Ministry of Education.
Intensive English for Pre-matriculation PRC (SM3) Students*
Objectives
This course has been designed for Senior Middle Three ( SM3 ) students from the People's Republic of China (PRC) whose English proficiency is equivalent to that of first year secondary EL1 students in Singapore. This course aims to raise the students' listening, speaking, reading and writing skills to an O-Level standard by
- improving their grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation; and
- exposing them to technical English so that they can cope with their university coursework.
Format
Students are divided into small groups each of which is taught by three or four teachers. Equal attention is devoted to the four language skill areas as students develop grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. Course assignments are task-based and carried out either individually or in collaboration with peers.
* This is a non-university course conducted under the auspices of the Ministry of Education.
Special Programmes
English Assist
Objectives
English Assist is a paid consultancy service, set up for NUS expatriate staff from non-English speaking countries. It has the following objectives:
- help clients maximise the clarity and effectiveness of their oral and written English for pedagogical purposes;
- help clients maximise the effectiveness of their lecture and classroom communication.
Format
Each programme consists of ten consultations of two hours each, spreading over a period of six months.
For the first consultation, the client and consultant analyse samples of the client's oral and written communication (videotaped or audio-taped lecture and samples of written text) to determine the client's pre-course language and communication profile. Items from the pre-profile become the basis for structuring the remaining consultations.
At the end of the programme, the client and consultant together draw up the client's post-course language and communication profile. If the need arises, this is followed up by a six-month post-course consultancy service when the client may call on his/her consultant for additional help.
The unique feature of English Assist is that it offers each client a personal language programme specially designed for his/her specific language and communication requirements.