General English – Test of Interactive English

• Elementary                    (CEFR level A1-A2)
• Pre-Intermediate         (CEFR level A2-B1)
• Intermediate                 (CEFR level B1-B2)
• Upper Intermediate     (CEFR level B2-C1)
• Advanced                       (CEFR Level C1)

Academic Year courses consists of 25-weeks of English Language study:

• A day of initial placement testing and induction
• 24-weeks of General English classes
• 4 days of focused TIE examination practice and preparation which directly precedes the end-of-course external examination.

1. To develop the necessary skills to pass end-of-course external examinations. This involves improving the four skills of Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking as well as focusing on vocabulary development and grammatical accuracy.
2. To perform well in end-of-course external examinations.
3. To develop communication skills that enable learners to communicate in a multi-cultural environment. This includes developing some cultural understanding of both the local environment in Limerick, as well as the larger English-speaking community. This cultural understanding is linked to real-world contexts relevant when communicating in the English language.
4. To sustain interest and motivation over the length of the course through regular feedback and progress testing; as well as through the development of learner autonomy and by encouraging learners to partially negotiate their own learning.
5. To improve linguistic ability by two complete CEFR Performance Levels within the 6-month time-frame.

End-of-Course External Examinations

Learners embark on their 25-week course with the final objective of sitting an end-of-course examination: The Test of Interactive English from IELT. While learners prepare for their examination throughout the 25 weeks by improving their skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking in English, they also do a short course in final exam practice and preparation prior to the examination date.

End-of-Course Certificate
At the end of their stay, learners receive a certificate from Limerick City College stating their length of study and their current CEFR proficiency level.