OVERVIEW

All students enrolling for the first time in undergraduate degree courses or 5-year single cycle degree courses in 2024/2025 are required to sit a level B1 English Assessment Test (EN B1 AT). Learn more about the English B1 level please on CEFR. If students hold an English language certificate, they must check that this is among those accepted by Unige. If their certificate is in the Unige list, they must upload it on the relevant Aulaweb page. If the certificate is validated, they WILL NOT have to sit the EN B1 AT. Depending on the degree course, passing the level B1 English Assessment Test may match one of the following:

• this is the English exam - with credits;
• this is just a part of an English exam - no credits;
• this grants you access to the English exam
• this allows you to access the English B1+ course/exam. If you fail the EN B1 AT, this is now an OFA that blocks your access to year 2 - only applicable to Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering

Need further information? Click here.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course provides the language skills defined by the Council of Europe in the B1 proficiency level

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Please see the CEFR level description below.

B1 - Threshold or Intermediate 

• Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.
• Can deal with most situations likely to arise while travelling in an area where the language is spoken.
• Can produce simple connected text on topics that are familiar or of personal interest.
• Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans

For further information on the various levels from A1 and A2 to B1, as well as higher ones, such as B2, C1 and C2, please check the British Council website either in Italian or in English.

PREREQUISITES

All students who attended the school system in Italy learnt English as a compulsory subject for 13 years, i.e. for 5 year at primary school; for 3 years while at middle school; and for 5 more years at high-school. Therefore, all students graduating from Italian secondary schools are expected to reach the B2 level before enrolling at university. The English B1 should be a pre-requisite that students already have control of and may simply need to revise.

TEACHING METHODS

The online English B1 course is a self-paced course and is available at the following link https://clim.aulaweb.unige.it/

The online English B1 course offers self-learning material, aimed at catching up with English B1 grammar and syntax structures and training to sit the PC-based English B1 test. As a self-paced trainer, the online English B1 course is meant to be carried out with maximum freedom to fit in with each student's own needs, learning pace, timetable, and other classes.

However, it is strongly recommended that the online English B1 course is attended consistently, that is, students should work on it at least 20/30 minutes each day. Consistency will allow students to progress more efficiently in their revision and get ready to sit the English B1 test.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Students who do not pass the English B1 Assessment Test (EN B1 AT) will receive an email to attend an online B1 English course on the Moodle platform. This is an online self-learning course that students can work on at their own pace with the support of tutors. The EN B1 course must be completed by a given deadline (more information will be offered when entering the course), in order to be offered the opportunity to sit the EN B1 AT again in March 2025. Students who do not pass the test in March will receive an email to attend a 40-hour interactive course, this is a synchronous course with a teacher whose attendance is monitored. Students who match with attendance requirements can sit the EN B1 AT again at the end of this course. Students who do not pass the B1 test after the 40-hour course will be able to re-take the EN B1 AT according to the schedule set out by their English lecturer.

The online English B1 course is available at https://clim.aulaweb.unige.it/ and it is made of four modules. The first three are exercises, activities and grammar focuses aimed at revising B1 level skills and abilities that learners should have already learnt at school. Module 4 is split in three sections and each is a mock test or exam practice that allows students to practice exam exercises and activities. 

The online English B1 course offers self-learning material, aimed at catching up with English B1 grammar and syntax structures and training to sit the PC-based English B1 test. It is a trainer course meant to offer students enough revision to be able to sit the English B1 test.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The online English B1 course is a self-directed learning course and is available at the following link  https://clim.aulaweb.unige.it/. 

Please find below, some further suggestions and useful free online resources.

• It is strongly recommended that students work on expanding their vocabulary and grammar in context, that is, they learn words and grammar structures inside a text. Here is a piece of advice: read as much as you can, for example paper and/or online newspapers, magazines, books. Also, listen to what you read as you read it (enable English subtitles whenever available), this will also offer you practice with the listening skills. Be consistent and devote some time to any activity in English on an daily basis.
   
• As grammar reference, use 'English Grammar in Use' by Raymond Murphy (get the intermediate version). 
   
• English B1 vocabulary and grammar can also be practised on Learning English choose the "Intermediate English" level. 
   
• English B1 vocabulary and grammar can also be practised on BBC - Learning English choose the "Intermediate English" level

• English B1 vocabulary and grammar can also be practised on the Cambridge Learning English series of activities and grammar focuses

• When looking for a dictionary try and use an English to English one. There is a very good online resource called  OneLook  that offers many different types of dictionaries. The one I suggest you use is the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, which always comes with phonemic script and audio.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

LAURA SANTINI (President)

CRISTIANO BROCCIAS

SANDRA CHRISTINE VLASTA (President Substitute)

ELISABETTA ZURRU (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

https://corsi.unige.it/en/corsi/8720/studenti-orario

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The English B1 exam is a PC-based test scheduled as other exam in the summer, autumn and winter exam session on https://cla.aulaweb.unige.it/.

The official test EN B1 assess students's minimum intermediate skills (see CEFR for EN B1 skills). It includes 6 different types of exercise. Here's a brief description

• use of English/reading comprehension - (a gapped texts with ten 4-option questions)
• reading comprehension on short texts or signs (multiple-choice)
• sentence transformations (add up to 3 words) 
• sentence completion (multiple choice) 
• reading comprehension (true/false and/or multiple choice) 
• listening comprehension activity (multiple choice)

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The English B1 exam is a PC-based test. The official test EN B1 assess students's minimum intermediate skills (see CEFR for EN B1 skills). It includes 6 different types of exercise.

Find below a more detailed description of the six types of exercise:

• use of English/reading comprehension - (a gapped texts with ten 4-option questions)
  This is a text in which some sentences need completing. Each gap has a drop-down menu with four options of which you need to choose the correct one. The grammar structures which are tested are the ones in the B1 syllabus and include tenses; progressive and participle aspect; vocabulary; prepositions; adverbs; adjectives; relative pronouns; active and passive voice; modal verbs; type 0, one and two conditionals; direct and indirect speech; verbs followed by the –to infinitive and/or the –ing form; prepositional and phrasal verbs, etc.
• reading comprehension on short texts or signs (multiple-choice)
  These are short texts, that is, a sign, a short message, a road sign, etc. and you are asked to answer one question for each by choosing the correct option out of three.
• sentence transformations (add up to 3 words) 
  You are given one sentence and are asked to rephrase it by completing a second sentence and trying to retain as much of the meaning of the first sentence as possible using no more than 3 words. There are about 5 tasks of this type (the number of sentence may vary).
• sentence completion (multiple choice) 
  You are given a sentence with a missing word, which you need to choose from a drop-down menu with four options. There are about 5 tasks of this type (the number of sentence may vary).
• reading comprehension (true/false and/or multiple choice) 
  You are asked to read a whole text, even more than once, with the aim of answering the five multiple choice questions at the end.
• listening comprehension activity (multiple choice)
  You are required to listen to a recording  and answer three three-option questions  at the end.

There may be an oral exam after the test if required by the lecturer. If necessary, students will be informed promptly or via email by the lecturer.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Find detailed information on the English B1 Assessment Test at the following page.

Find detailed information on the English B1 course and exam sessions on Aulaweb (Moodle), each year a new page for the ENGLISH LANGUAGE - 27975 is created and students need to sign up.

Special needs students and/or students with any learning issue should submit an application form to Settore servizi di supporto alla disabilità e agli studenti con DSA - unless they did so when they pre-enrolled. The admin staff will offer information about support offered while attending university courses - for instance longer time in tests/exams (a clear request must be sent via email to the lecturer and the person in charge in each department must be copied in); a peer-tutoring figure who can offer guidance and support in learning English (online and/or in presence course); etc. Please find further information at this link.