Intensive English Program

Who is it designed for?

The Intensive English Program (IEP) has primarily been designed for those who want to study degree programs in English, but whose language skills are not at the desired proficiency level yet.

Those wishing to learn English intensively, but do not intend to pursue their studies at one of the degree programs, also have the opportunity to enroll into any level of the Intensive English Program three times a year and become fluent in all language skills, as well as gain practical written and spoken communication skills and enrich their vocabulary.

Six Levels – Four Subjects

In order to achieve the required English language skills, a student can enroll (three times a year) in the Intensive English Program, where the program is delivered at six proficiency levels in four subjects:

• Grammar
• Reading Comprehension
• Writing
• Speaking & Listening Skills

Each level lasts one trimester and consists of 200 class hours (20 contact hours/week for 10 weeks). If a student is enrolled in the program from the 1st level—Beginner, the whole program lasts for 2 years and consists of 1200 class hours. The goal of the program is to prepare students for their studies at the bachelor level, which are usually run in English. Therefore, critical thinking skills and academic writing, along with other academic language skills, are a major part of the program. Students entering the IEP are placed in one of the six levels based on the results of one of the language placement tests.

Passing the Levels

Only through passing all the subjects in the current level with a grade of 75% and higher is the advancement into the higher level possible. Students with a grade lower than 75% in one or two subjects need to retake either the whole level or just the subjects with the failing grade, if the capacity of the class allows it. If the student has a grade lower than 75 % in three or four subjects, he/she has to retake the whole level.

A student who does not pass a level twice and is interested in repeating it again has to take part in a conference with the IEP manager, who will decide whether the student is elligible for an exceptional chance to repeat the level one more time. Otherwise, the student will be dismissed form the IEP program in all sites of Vysoká škola manažmentu / City University of Seattle.

In levels 1 – 4, the subjects English Grammar and Writing are counted as one subject (100 class hours). A student has to complete both subjects with a minimum grade of 75%. Otherwise, he/she has to repeat both subjects. Students who miss more than 4 class-hours in one subject need to retake the subject in the following term.

Upon a successful completion of all four subjects of the Advanced Level (6), students are awarded a certificate confirming the completion of the Intensive English Program of City University of Seattle and can automatically enroll into the BSBA Program.

Course Materials

Students of the IEP program can buy all books and materials needed for their studies directly in the school.

Course Descriptions

ESL 010 Writing and Grammar I
ESL 010 is a basic skills English grammar and writing course for non-native speakers of English at the beginning level. The Grammar component of ESL 010 introduces basic parts of speech, simple sentence patterns, simple tenses, and imperatives. An emphasis is placed on the usage of the verbs “be” and “have”. Learning these structures is reinforced through oral and written drills.

ESL 011 Reading Comprehension I
This course develops fundamental reading skills such as word grouping and direct (literal) comprehension of the readings. The course consists of vocabulary-controlled readings and dialogs on such topics as food, health, work, weather and leisure time. Class discussions further clarify and reinforce the material presented.

ESL 012 Speaking and Listening Skills I
ESL 012 is a conversation-based listening and speaking course for non-native speakers of English at the beginner level. ESL 012 uses short conversations, role-plays and other situational exercises to help students understand simple tenses, develop vocabulary, and gain confidence in their ability to interact with native speakers.

ESL 020 Writing and Grammar II
ESL 020 is a basic English grammar and writing course for non-native speakers at the high-beginner level. The grammar component of the course begins with a review of the elements covered in level 1. The course then focuses on basic modals, comparatives, possessive adjectives, noun forms and time expressions. The present perfect tense is introduced at the end of the course. Students will practice using simple and compound sentence patterns that include direct and indirect objects, in both statement and question forms.

ESL 021 Reading Comprehension II
ESL 021 is a high-beginning level reading course that enables students to improve their basic reading skills by reading passages on such general topics as education, sports, family, cities, and customs. In addition to reading comprehensibly, students learn vocabulary through the discussion of their readings.

ESL 022 Speaking and Listening Skills II
ESL 022 is a conversation-based speaking and listening skills course for non-native speakers of English at the high-beginner level. Students participate in a variety of situational activities to reinforce their understanding of simple tenses, develop vocabulary, and become accustomed to everyday interaction with native speakers. Further emphasis is put on the correct pronunciation of words, as well as the intonation of sentences.

ESL 030 Writing and Grammar III
This course is a basic English grammar and writing course for non-native speakers at the low-intermediate level. The writing component includes developing writing skills, writing topic sentences, and different kinds of idea development in the form of a paragraph. The grammar component of the course begins with a review of the simple and progressive tenses - past, present, and future. The perfect and perfect-progressive tenses are then introduced, followed by an introduction to modal verbs. Count and non-count nouns, gerunds and infinitives are a part of the course as well. An emphasis is placed on incorporating these structures into statements and questions.

ESL 031 Reading Comprehension III
ESL 031 is a low-intermediate reading course that helps students develop reading skills by learning to read word groups and phrases, becoming familiar with the process of skimming and scanning, and analysing vocabulary. Many of the readings are based on cultural topics so the students can assimilate the information through discussions comparing and contrasting the American culture to their own native culture.

ESL 032 Speaking and Listening Skills III
ESL 032 is a conversation-based speaking and listening course for students at the low-intermediate level. It introduces students to the vocabulary and communication techniques necessary to discuss contemporary topics of general interest. An emphasis is placed on clearly expressing opinions in group conversations. The students are encouraged to express their thoughts and opinions to the group and to respond to other group members' opinions.

ESL 040 Writing and Grammar IV
ESL 040 is an intermediate level course in basic English composition and grammar. It stresses fundamental writing skills such as the basics of paragraph writing, and reviews the proper use of grammar structures, basic connectors, and combined sentences. Various kinds of essays are introduced. Emphasis is placed on using supporting examples to explain, argue, persuade, compare, and contrast. The major verb tenses are reviewed, and the differences between the tenses are emphasized. More sophisticated forms, such as the passive voice and different types of clauses are also studied.

ESL 041 Reading Comprehension IV
ESL 041 is a high-intermediate reading course that helps students progress to reading for the purpose of grasping general ideas of reading passages instead of reading word by word. Students learn to read faster, read for main ideas, and learn to interpret facts and to reach conclusions from the content presented.

ESL 042 Speaking and Listening Skills IV
ESL 042 is a conversation-based course for high-intermediate ESL students that enables them to further develop listening and speaking skills through the study of American English idioms. This course provides students with the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics in the situational contexts of work, emotions, and problems. These conversations are designed to increase the students' familiarity with the major structures of English including simple tenses, perfect tenses, reported speech, and major models.

ESL 050 Academic Writing Skills V
ESL 050 is a basic composition and developmental skills course in advanced English language structures and communication techniques. It includes the in-depth study of major structural models, exceptions to main structural rules, and relationships between structures and ideas. It also prepares ESL students for college level writing assignments such as expository essays, argumentative essays, analytical writings, and the process of writing a research paper.

ESL 051 Academic Reading Skills V
ESL 051 is an advanced developmental reading comprehension course for students who want to refine their reading skills and increase their vocabulary. Students learn to interact with written text in a logical, systematic manner by reading passages that are excerpts from college texts and popular news publications. This course helps students develop their reading and thinking skills and read more quickly so that they can successfully cope with more challenging material. Students learn to summarize paragraphs effectively and to identify the relationships between paragraphs.

ESL 052 Academic Speaking and Listening Skills V
ESL 052 is a conversation-based course for ESL students at an upper-intermediate level. This course enables the students to further develop listening and speaking skills through the study of culture. It also provides the students with the opportunity to discuss a variety of cultural topics and in doing so, helps them refine their skills in paraphrasing and self-expression. The course introduces the essential oral presentation skills through a variety of interesting topics and techniques.

ESL 060 Academic Writing Skills VI
ESL 060 is an advanced academic writing course for students whose first language is not English. This course explores the various methods and resources used in academic writing. The course includes a review of paragraph and essay development, and emphasizes supporting thesis statements and developing effective analytical writing techniques. The emphasis is on writing a research paper. Attention will also be given to the improvement of sentence structure and grammar.

ESL 061 Academic Reading Skills VI
ESL 061 is a comprehensive reading course designed to prepare students for the various kinds of readings they will encounter in a typical American university and/or business environment. This course provides practice in such skills as identifying main ideas, distinguishing between main and supporting ideas, recognizing the function of a particular text, scanning and understanding transitions, distinguishing fact from opinion, and drawing conclusions.

ESL 062 Academic Speaking and Listening Skills VI
ESL 062 is designed to improve students' listening comprehension and professional speaking skills. Emphasis is given to oral presentations of subjects related to the student's area of academic interest and to topics pertaining to North American culture. Students whose first language is not English have the opportunity to practice and gain confidence in giving oral presentations by participating in impromptu talks, group discussions and debates, interviews, and professional simulations.

ESL 063 Advanced English Grammar VI
ESL 063 is an advanced grammar reinforcement and utilization course, emphasizing both oral and written language skills. This course focuses on the major structures in English and also explores the various exceptions and nuances of these structures. Students will learn to understand and use the idioms of the English language naturally as native speakers.