Abitur Exam Preparation

Age: 16-18
Level: B2/B2+
Suitability
This course is designed as preparation for the both the oral and the written Abitur, with the core modules focusing on skills and vocabulary needed by all students, and the optional modules allowing the course to be tailored to suit the final exam.
Sample ‘can do’ statements
- I can sustain a conversation by using starter questions, follow up questions and turn-taking questions.
- I can use a range of memory techniques for remembering works, spellings and prepositions.
- I can understand subtle differences in meaning between words.
- I can talk spontaneously and coherently about a quotation, using stalling or speculative language where necessary.
- I can construct and manipulate complex sentences using a range of conjunctions.
- I can use hedging language to be more cautious when making assertions.
- I can use appropriate terminology to describe the political systems of the US and the UK, and compare them with the political system of my country.
- I can solve problems and negotiate in a team and discuss issues related to global trade.
- I can discuss a series of environmental issues using a wide range of appropriate set phrases.
Why choose this course?
School leaving examinations are some of the most important assessments that students will have to undertake. For many students they will affect career prospects; for others the options for further study.
This course will provide students with an intensive period of examination preparation and practice with a native English-speaking teacher, helping them do themselves justice in their exam by providing practice in key areas, and by giving them practical strategies for optimizing their performance.
Learning activities include:
- One-minute speaking challenges
- Discussions and ranking activities
- Syllable pattern word matching activities
- Creating mneumonics and memory challenges
- Conversation mingles
- Word gap guessing
- Word races and sentence games
- Vocabulary booster games
- Summaries and analysis
- Problem Solving
- Quizzes
- Text analysis
CORE WORKBOOK LESSONS
- Course Introduction
- Functional Phrases for Discussions
- Physical Actions and Processes
- Memory Techniques
- Textural Cohesion
- Time, Cause and Effect
- Explaining Quotations
- Complex Sentences
- Objects, Structures and Materials
- Summarising Skills
- Using Contextual Clues to Guess Unknow Meanings
- Politics
- Creative Approaches to Problem-solving
- The Environment
OPTIONAL MODULES
DiscussionsThis module gives students the opportunity to develop and record ideas and examples on a range of topics relevant to the exam. It is important for students to have the opportunity to produce their own material based on their thoughts and opinions. Student will have plenty of opportunities for speaking practice and the module can be tailored to your own topic list. This can be a double module.
Reading SkillsIn this module students will practise important reading skills and strategies, from skimming and scanning, to guessing the meaning of words from context and identifying the attitude of the writer. Students will be reading in a number of genres, including essays, literature and newspaper reports.
Writing SkillsIn this module students will develop awareness of the range of a range of writing tasks including summary writing, letter writing, description and analysis of tables, graphs, bar charts and pie charts and process diagrams and flow charts, and argumentative, persuasive and discursive essays. Tasks and topics will be tailored to the requirements for each group and can include exam format work.
Formal DebateIn this module student students have the opportunity to formally debate two chosen motions. Students develop their vocabulary and language of debating, carry out research to find further arguments and examples and look at the structures and strategies for formal debates. Their work over the week will prepare them to participate in class debates and vote on the motions. Topics can either be chosen in advance to complement the exam revision or students can select the focus at the start of the course.
PresentationsThis workshop module gives students the option of developing their presentation skills in a real context by developing and delivering their own presentation. These can be individual or group presentations and can either be based on topics already selected and researched, or a new topic relevant to the syllabus. In the last lesson of the week the students can deliver their presentations to their peers, teachers and even parents.
GENERAL ENGLISH COURSES – WEEKLY PROGRAMMES OF STUDY
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
Lesson 1 | Lesson A Course Introduction |
Lesson D Memory Techniques |
Lesson G Explaining Quotations |
Lesson J Summarising Skills |
Lesson M Creative Approaches to Problem-Solving |
Lesson 2 | Lesson B Functional Phrases for Discussions |
Lesson E Textual Cohesion |
Lesson H Complex Sentences |
Lesson K Using Contextual Clues to Guess Unknown Meanings |
Lesson M cont. The World Trade Game |
Lesson 3 | Lesson C Key Vocabulary Physical Actions and Processes |
Lesson F Key Vocabulary Time, Cause and Effect |
Lesson I Key Vocabulary Objects, Structures and Materials |
Lesson L Key Vocabulary Culture, Politics and Society |
Lesson N Key Vocabulary The Environment |
Lesson 4 | Optional Modules: Discussions, Reading Skills, Writing Skills, Formal Debate, Presentations | ||||
Lesson 5 | |||||
Lesson 6 |