About the course

The General English Language course at LSCM is primarily designed for students who wish to develop their 'practical' English language for typical every-day social, personal, and work-related communication and interaction. The course specifically:

• Focuses on developing the four fundamental aspects of communication: speaking, listening, reading and writing. The course uses a range of real-life situations to develop these skills.
• Equips students with 'functional' and 'practical' English language for use in everyday situations, for example when travelling, shopping, studying and at work.
• Develops learners' confidence in using English, through the use of role play in small groups of students.
• Is tailored to individual students' level and capacity for spoken English. The tutors are able to support learners with little or no English language through to those with some basic grasp of English.
• Focusses on learners' developing fluency and accuracy in spoken and written English.
• Is delivered by highly experienced, supportive language experts.

Students achieving the General English Language certificate of attendance could* progress onto the Academic English programme.

*subject to interview.

Key Features

LSC Malta's General English course is designed for international second language learners and typically covers a variety of modules designed to improve learners' proficiency in different areas of language use. These modules help students become more confident and effective in using English in everyday situations.

Course Modules

Each module is 3 hours. The General English Programme Modules and Skills are:

1. Listening Skills

Focus: Developing the ability to understand spoken English in various contexts.

Content: Listening to conversations, interviews, lectures, or podcasts to improve comprehension. Students practice understanding main ideas, details, and specific information.

2. Speaking Skills

Focus: Enhancing verbal communication and fluency.

Content: Students practice pronunciation, intonation, and stress patterns, as well as improving their ability to engage in conversations, discussions, debates, and presentations. Role-plays and dialogues are common exercises.

3. Reading Skills

Focus: Improving the ability to understand and interpret written texts.

Content: Reading a variety of texts such as articles, short stories, emails, advertisements, and academic texts. Students focus on extracting key ideas, vocabulary, and the structure of texts.

4. Writing Skills

Focus: Developing clear and coherent writing abilities.

Content: Writing exercises range from short emails and letters to essays, reports, and creative writing. Topics often include grammar, structure, coherence, and cohesion.

5. Grammar

Focus: Understanding and using correct grammatical structures.

Content: Lessons on tenses, articles, prepositions, modals, sentence structure, passive voice, conditionals, and more. Grammar exercises help learners apply rules in context.

6. Vocabulary

Focus: Expanding the range of words and expressions used.

Content: Learning new words, phrases, idioms, and collocations. The focus is on acquiring vocabulary for various topics such as travel, business, technology, and culture, and understanding how to use them in context.

7. Pronunciation

Focus: Improving the clarity and accuracy of speech.

Content: Emphasizes sounds, stress, rhythm, and intonation. Activities may include minimal pair drills, tongue twisters, and practice with difficult sounds that may be different from the learner's native language.

8. Pronouns and Sentence Structure

Focus: Understanding how sentences are built in English.

Content: Introduction to word order, subject-verb agreement, questions, negatives, and using conjunctions and connectors. This helps with fluency and accuracy in spoken and written communication.

9. Cultural Understanding and Communication

Focus: Understanding cultural contexts and improving intercultural communication.

Content: Students are introduced to social norms, customs, and cultural differences that affect communication in English-speaking countries. They also learn how to navigate different registers and tones in conversations.

10. Real-life Situations and Communication (e.g., Survival English)

Focus: Preparing students for everyday use of English in practical contexts.

Content: Role-plays of situations like ordering food at a restaurant, asking for directions, making appointments, or traveling. Focus on useful vocabulary and expressions for real-world communication.

*The programme may have a different focus depending on the learners' needs and proficiency levels, ranging from beginners to advanced.

Entry Requirements

Any level. (We offer classes at 8 internationally recognised levels from beginner to advanced.)