OVERVIEW

All students enrolling for the first time in undergraduate degree courses or 5-year single cycle degree courses are required to sit a level B1 English Assessment Test (EN B1 AT). Learn more about the English B1 level 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 at the following link - Aulaweb page. If their certificate is validated, students WILL NOT have to sit the EN B1 AT and they will received an email. Passing the level B1 English Assessment Test or holding a validated certificate, allow students who have "Lingua inglese 27975" in their study plan to have this English exam  recorded with credits (check the exam code). Student enrolled in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering must pass the EN B1 AT (or hold a valid certificate) in order to access the English B1+ exam (code 108707).

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AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The minimum level of English proficiency required is that corresponding to level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The acquisition of credits is subject to passing the B1-level Assessment Test (all information here). Alternatively, you can submit a B1-level English language certification from among those accepted by Unige (complete list here).

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 Council of Europe website 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 years at primary school; for 3 years while at middle school; and for 5 more years at high-school (any secondary school including vocational ones). Therefore, all students graduating from Italian secondary schools are expected to reach the B2 level (CEFR) before enrolling at university.

The English B1 level proficiency should be a pre-requisite that all students can master. It may be the case that some students may need to revise or catch up with this level.

TEACHING METHODS

Students who do NOT pass the B1 English Language Assessment Test or who do not present a valid certification (among those accepted by Unige) are invited via email to an online self-paced course within the "Progetto inglese".

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

Newly enrolled students who take the English B1 Assessment Test  (EN B1 AT) and do NOT pass the test are placed in the "Progetto inglese" (all information here) and are informed via email.

The first stage of the English Project for those who did NOT pass the EN B1 AT is a self-paced online English B1 course on Moodle platform (Aulaweb). Students are asked to work on this online self-paced course independently, according to their own timetable and needs. The self-paced online course must be completed by a deadline (normally by the second half of February) that is communicated through the Aulaweb platform via email. 

There are tutors to support students in completing this online self-paced course. Tutors encourage and offer assistance with doubts and questions. Also, tutors help students to better plan the course completion and remind them of the deadlines, giving guidance on what to do so as not to miss the deadline.

Those who complete the course will be able to retake the English B1 test in March. Those who do NOT complete the course will not be eligible for the next stages of the "Progetto inglese".
Those who do NOT pass the test in the March session will be offered a 40-hour English course in the second semester. The course is in remote synchronous mode and offered by an interactive teacher. Attendance in the course is monitored, i.e., a minimum percentage must be achieved to be eligible for the test at the end of the course.

Those who do NOT pass the test even after the 40-hour English course (Progetto inglese), may retake it on the exam sitting dates and in the manner specified by their English language lecturer. Booking for this official 27975 English exam sittings is available on the Unige online booking system as for any other exam.

The online English course on the Aulaweb/Moodle platform is organized into four modules. The first three consist of exercises, activities and grammar focuses at the B1 level of English that students should be already very familiar with (see the Prerequisites section). The fourth module is divided into three sections, each contains a mock exam through which students can face the types of exercises they will have to work on in the exam. 

Given the educational path described in “Prerequisites” (13 years of schooling in Italy means having done English for 13 years), the “English B1” online course offers a self-paced activity aimed at a review of English B1 level morpho-syntactic (grammar and syntax) and lexical (vocabulary) structures. The course is aimed at offering targeted preparation to sit the English B1 test. 

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The online English B1 course is a self-paced learning course and will be available to those students who do NOT pass the Assessment Test EN B1. These students receive an email with the link and information.

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

LESSONS

LESSONS START

No in-person teaching hours are scheduled. 

The address to access the online course will be sent via email to those students who fail the Assessment Test.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The English B1 exam is a PC-based test scheduled as an Assessment Test but also as any other exam in the summer, autumn and winter exam session.

The official test EN B1 assesses students's minimum intermediate skills (see CEFR for EN B1 skills). It includes 6 different types of exercise as follows:

• 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 (true/false and/or 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.

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. To have extra-time during the text, an email must be sent to the English lecturer and the person in charge of students with dyslexia in each department must be copied in. Please find further information at this link.