There are eight levels in the English Language course:
- Beginners
- Elementary
- Pre-Intermediate
- Intermediate
- Upper Intermediate
- First Certificate
- Advanced
- Proficiency
Level 1: Beginners: Ideal for those students whose knowledge of English is very basic.
Level 2: Elementary: Just a short step up from Beginners for students who have a little understanding of English or as a progression from Beginners.
Level 3: Pre-Intermediate: Students in this class have their first serious opportunity to sit for an examination, either KET or PET.
Students who feel confident or want to sit the examination can rest assured that the three months leading up to the examination practice the examination is taken over a period of two days.
Level 4: Intermediate: Like Level 3 above, this class concentrates on work for KET and PET examinations.
Level 5: Upper Intermediate: The ideal class for students who have a good grounding in grammar, can speak fairly well and would like to prepare for first certificate examination. Unlike KET and PET which are held on two different days, the first certificate is held on three separate dates. Papers 1,2, and 3 one day, listening on another and speaking on a third. The teacher devotes three months leading up to the examination to study and practice for the exam.
Level 6: First Certificate: This level is not only suitable for first certificate students but for those who are considering taking the advanced examination.
Level 7: Advanced: Students should be familiar with all aspects of grammar as this class concentrates more on vocabulary building. the advanced examination is available for whose wishing to take it.
Level 8: Proficiency: Students are expected to be fluent both in written and spoken work. This class is mainly concerned with vocabulary and comprehension. The proficiency is available like advanced proficiency is taken on three separate dates.
Teachers for exam levels generally spend three months preparing and offer homework on a regular basis. (N.B. Students are advised to do homework, but not obliged to do so)
Students usually start from the beginners course. This level is mainly for students with no command of the English language at all. For such students therefore, the emphasis is on listening and speaking with attention to pronunciation and vocabulary. Gradually, as students progress, some grammar centred everyday encounters and situations is introduced.
After having started very simple written work in the elementary level, students are taken through the next six stages of the course, all the time increasing their command of the listening, reading, writing and speaking skills. In this process, the student is able to enlarge his vocabulary until it finally reach the proficiency level.
A pass in this exam (CPE) is recognized by most universities in Britain as an indication that the candidate has received a sufficiently high standard in English to make their usual entrance exam unnecessary. In a number of countries, a CPE pass gives entry to areas of employment where a thorough knowledge of the English Language is required.
At both of our colleges we are equipped with Multimedia labs, where the teacher improves the speaking and listening skills of each student. The Multimedia Lab in each of the college features an audio lab and are equipped with TV and Video.
Radcliffe College is a recognized centre for all main Cambridge EFL exams. There are five exams:
- Key English Test (KET)
- Preliminary English Test (PET)
- First Certificate Exam (FCE)
- Cambridge Advanced Exam (ACE)
- Proficiency (PCE)