Language study in Bournemouth, England

22 January - 14 June 1996

Final Report

 

 

THE COUNTRY

The People

Britain is made up of four different nations: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The first real difference is their language. Although all of them speak English, I got into trouble the first time I tried to communicate with someone from Scotland and Wales respectively. Their dialect, I'm not talking about Welsh or Gaelic, differs so much from the so called RP (received pronunciation) accent, which is taught in the schools, that at first I had the impression that I was hearing an other language. Nevertheless I got used to it. Even though the "Queens English" was the predominant accent in Bournemouth, because of contacts with people from London and Liverpool I have almost no problems in understanding Cockney English or Scouse.

Although Bournemouth is regularly invaded by foreigners, or perhaps because of this fact, I didn't find any hostility against us. I was often warned of aggressive Brits before I went over. Once I arrived there I couldn't see much more of if than in Switzerland. This might be attributed to the better economic situation of the South as it doesn't seem to be so secure the further north you go.

The British people are, in general, more open than we are. To get in contact and talk with them is quite easy.

 

The Economy

Compared to other EU countries, Britain's economy is at the lower end of the scale. In the sixties it was one of the most balanced countries in Western Europe with regard to its wealth distribution. Nowadays the gap between poor and rich is one of the highest. (The situation has changed again in favour of England over the last few years, as many European countries have come under strong economic pressure due to the restraints introduced by the so called Mastrich Treaty.)

There is as well a huge difference between the northern and the southern part of the country. Compared to the North, the South is flourishing. One can see a clear difference in the standard of living, as well as in the cost of living, between these two parts of Britain.

During my stay in Bournemouth, the country went through the beef scandal. For months it was the number one topic in the news. The impact on the national agricultural industry was undoubtedly very serious. The world-wide ban, with the European Community as the main actor, led to the situation where Britain was unconditionally using their veto right in the European parliament in order to get the beef ban lifted. During all that time even most of the British population refrained from eating beef...

On the political side the Labour party, headed by Tony Blaire, are gaining more and more support. For the first time the Tory majority is in danger. If the Conservatives lose as many votes to the Labour in the general elections next year as they did in recent local elections, a major political turnaround might take place.

 

The Facilities

The transportation system in Britain has coaches in addition to our continental one. These bus services, run by private companies, are on the average 50% cheaper than the train. They are somewhat slower than the train but offer an excellent service.

British Rail, which has been privatised over the last few months, suffers on the other hand from frequent delays because of engineering work.

Numerous leisure activities are offered at very reasonable prices. A film at the cinema costs for instance £ 3.00 for students and on Sunday even for adults. The same is true for most sport activities like fitness centres etc.

 

THE SCHOOL

Out of the three recommended language schools, through CS-Zurich, I had chosen "Anglo-Continental". As it turned out, I had taken the right decision. The two others, "Eurocentre" and "Beet School" where crowded with Swiss German students which doesn't really incite one to speak English. At Anglo-Continental there were on the average 4-5 Swiss students and we almost never spoke a language other than English with each other.

A partial view of the school

 

My first day

The first day started with an entry test in order to establish our current level. It consisted of a written part (multiple choice and grammar) as well as of a listening comprehension exercise. A short guided tour through the city of Bournemouth and to Poole after the test gave us the first impression of the region we would live in for the next few months. Back from the tour we had lunch followed by a meeting with our class co-ordinators, who gave us more detailed information about the school and our classes.

 

The Facilities

With their 60 classrooms Anglo-Continental is one of the biggest schools in Bournemouth. A Multi-Media Language Centre, which is open from l pm to 5 pm is one of the main facilities the students can use outside their classes. It is equipped with a dozen computers with CBT programs, two video rooms and approximately 10 language laboratory places with special tape recorders for listening and speaking exercises. A library with all sorts of printed matter from English course books to novels and material on specific aspects of English was available as well. Two "Study Rooms" were we could quietly do our homework or other exercises completed the facilities of the MMLC. In case any questions came up during the afternoons at the MMLC we had a teacher available to help us.

 

Our canteen

The canteen on the campus was managed by an Italian cook. Nevertheless the pasta were done in the typical English way - far too over-cooked. Otherwise we couldn't complain about the service.

Every evening during the week we had a video in the lecture room and twice a week the "Anglo-Club" met for an evening with music and games like tabletennis and table-foot.

For the sport fans Martin, the sports teacher at Anglo-Continental, and his assistant organised daily events such as football games, aerobics, swimming and bowling. It was really easy to stay fit.

Last but not least, the school organised many excursions over the weekends. Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, London and Scotland were some of the places they offered. Depending on the distance and the program these lasted between one and four days and the prices were quite competitive.

 

The Courses

During the five months I was in Bournemouth I followed two different courses. Both were 25 hours per week. When I arrived in England I had already passed the Cambridge First Certificate. As I had passed that exam two years before in Geneva my knowledge about English had got a bit rusty and my aim to pass the Cambridge Proficiency Exam seemed still far away. Even to start the exam preparation course I didn't yet have the required level and a general English course was the ideal solution.

 

General English course

General English courses exist for beginners up to advanced students. Based on the entry test I was put in the advanced class. One of the main differences between a general English course and specialised ones is that in the former new students are accepted every week. Therefore the method ("Distinction" for advanced classes, see Appendix B) the school is using is not progressive in the sense that you have to study the book from chapter 1 to 20.

The course focuses on the following points:

• Increasing the vocabulary

• More advanced grammar structures

• Communication and discussion skills

As most of the students only stay for up to four weeks in these classes the atmosphere was rather informal. This fact had a positive influence on the fluency of speaking, as nobody was afraid to say something.

The homework consisted mainly of some exercises in the Distinction Workbook. In general it was done in about half an hour.

 

Examination Course for the Certificate of Proficiency

Contrary to the general English course the CPE course had a fixed duration. The aim was to prepare the students in the following three months for the Cambridge Proficiency Exam.

The demand for this course was not so overwhelming. From initially four students we sized down to only two as the others found there was too much work after three days. This was great for us as we therefore had almost our own private teachers.

On our first day in the new class the teachers warned us already about the work facing us. The special feature of the CPE exam is that you don't really know what they are going to test. Our teacher compared it to the deep sea of which you never see the end.

The strategy our teachers had chosen was to give us as much information as possible. At certain times it was almost too much but in the end we had to admit that it was the right way to do it.

The main book we were working with was "Proficiency Masterclass" from Oxford University Press. A lively and colourful presentation of the different themes made it a pleasure to work with. Parallel to that book we were as well working with "Progress to Proficiency" from Cambridge University Press. Compared to our main book this one was much more demanding. Its interesting texts and lots of exercises made up for the disadvantage of its black and white presentation.

In addition to those two books we often referred to specialised literature concerning the grammar of the language, as this wasn't covered so much in detail in the main books or our teachers explained us the rules directly on the blackboard. Articles from newspapers and magazines gave us the necessary information about current affairs.

After two thirds of the course we started to work on actual exams. We did most of the practice exams from the Cambridge Proficiency Exam series four and five. The compositions especially were done under actual conditions, i.e. timed. In the last two weeks we did two complete exams as well including the interviews as mock tests. In other words, we were really well prepared.

Naturally, in addition to all the school hours, we also had every day plenty of homework to do. On the average it took me about 2-3 hours every day and over the weekends even 4-6 hours to finish it.

The Teachers

Our teachers were really great. Lorraine was our main teacher. Although she was only thirty-one years old she was one of the highest qualified teachers at the school. In fact she was one of the only teachers who was qualified as a teacher trainer.

Sue was our second teacher. She was thirty-four years old and not less competent than Lorraine. As we were such a small class quickly a close friendship sprang up and we spent some of our spare time together with them as well. They didn't always have an easy time with us as only two students in a class demand more attention than ten but now they are missing us anyway.

Lorraine, our main CPE teacher

 

MY HOST FAMILY

During my five months in England I lived with a host family. Dorine and Leslie were a couple in their sixties. They are both retired and spend their days gardening and working on their own house. Leslie is a member of the British Sugar Guild as well. To make ends meet he gives on about three evenings a week lessons on how to decorate cakes. People often ask him to prepare a wedding cake or one for an anniversary. It seems to be one of his greatest hobbies and he's really good in it. Two years ago he even won the first price in a world championship.

 

My host family: Dorine and Leslie Williams

 

To stay with a host family is always a good idea, especially if you have the chance to be in such a nice family as I was in. We often sat together in the garden or in the living room and talked about all sorts of things. For me it was always a pleasure and one of the best opportunities to use what I had been learning.

 

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APPENDIX A

Certificate in Proficiency of English (CPE - Cambridge Level 5)

The Certificate of Proficiency is at Level 5 in the Cambridge five level system.

The CPE indicates a level of competence which is recognised as fulfilling entrance requirements in English language by British universities and many other universities in other English-speaking countries, and by other institutions of higher education and professional bodies world-wide. In a number of countries the CPE provides exemption from local English language requirements or is a qualification for admission to courses or employment where thorough knowledge of English is required.

 

Matriculation Level

The combination of a pass in Proficiency with passes in the optional additional papers in Translation and Literature has equivalence, recognised by the Matriculation Board of the University of Cambridge, with one subject in the General Certificate of Education at Advanced Level, the standard examination in Britain for entry to a university course. A special certificate, recording this combination of passes gained at one or more examinations, is available on application.

 

Candidates must sit five question papers:

 

Paper 1 - Reading Comprehension

(1 hour)

This paper comprises two sections:

Section A: 25 multiple choice questions designed to test vocabulary and formal grammatical control, in discrete sentences.

Section B: 15 multiple choice-questions based on three or more texts, designed to test gist, detailed content, recognition of form, register and intention, etc. These questions are double weighted.

This paper carries 40 marks.

 

Paper 2 - Composition

(2 hours)

This paper requires candidates to write two compositions from a choice of descriptive, situational and discursive topics, including one based on the books listed under Paper 5.

Assessment is based on organisation and clarity of content, accuracy of grammatical control, fluency and range of expression.

This paper carries 40 marks

 

Paper 3 - Use of English

(2 hours)

This paper comprises two sections:

Section A: Open-completion or transformation items designed to test active control of the patterns and usage of English.

Section B: Questions on a passage designed to test ability to understand, interpret and summarise.

This paper carries 40 marks.

 

Paper 4 - Listening Comprehension

(Approximately 35 minutes)

In this paper, tasks of varying type (selection, re-ordering, blank-filling, etc.) are used to test accurate understanding of spoken English, based on recorded material.

This paper carries 20 marks.

 

Paper 5 - Interview

(Average 15 minutes.)

The interview is based on a picture stimulus, and related theme-linked material. It may, optionally, be based on one of the books listed below, and may be conducted, also optionally, in pairs (20 minutes) or groups of three candidates.

Fluency, grammatical accuracy, pronunciation, vocabulary and communicative ability are assessed.

One or more of the following may be read as background preparation for optional tasks for Paper 2 and/or Paper 5:

• Alan Paton, Cry, Beloved Country

• William Trevor, Two Lives

• Margery Allingham, Tiger In The Smoke

Results

Certificates are awarded in three passing grades A, B, and C on the aggregate of marks gained in the five compulsory papers, with results also in three failing grades D, E and U (unclassified).

Result slips for candidates in the passing grades A, B and C contain information about their overall grade and, where appropriate, about the papers in which these candidates achieved a high level of performance. Result slips for candidates in the failing grades D and E (but not U) contain information about their overall grades and, where appropriate, about the papers in which they achieved a particularly weak level of performance.

 

Appendix B – The Distinction School Book

Appendix C – The Proficiency Masterclass School book

Appendix D – The Progress to Proficiency School Book

Appendix E – The Result

 

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