Course syllabus

English Proficiency I – (preliminary) planning SEM 1
updated: 17.09.2025

 Week*

 Dates

 Session

 Module 1 – Skills****

 Module 2 – Grammar and Vocabulary
3 29/9 - 3/10 1 Introduction (M1, assessment, proficiency in English) - Creative Writing

Welcome + introduction to the course 
 

GR 1 : The English tense system (1)
4 6/10 - 10/10 2 Academic writing (register: formal alternatives)
Instructions: WT1

VOC 1: University & School

Source: Meritocracy in Singapore Schools: Can it breed inequality? – CNA insider  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8frwa5JdaQ   
 

Units** 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 13/10 - 17/10 3 Mandatory writing session: WT1 GR 2: The English tense system (2)
6 20/10 - 24/10 4 Structure

VOC 2: Language

Source : Scott Thornbury (2019) Learning language in chunks. Part of the Cambridge Papers in ELT series. [pdf] Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.  
: https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Learning-Language-in-Chunks.pdf 

Units** 92 93 94 95 96
7 27/10 - 31/10 5 Punctuation GR 3: The English tense system (3) 
8 3/11 - 7/11 6 Peer feedback + mandatory rewrite WT1 

VOC 3: Personality

Source: 16 personalities https://www.16personalities.com/  (online test) &  TED: Do personality tests work? (Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN7Fmt1i5TI  

Units** 8 9 10

9

10/11 - 14/11

7

Academic speaking: WPO1, 4, 7, 8

No class: WPO2, 3, 5, 6

GR 4: The English tense system (4) + SVA: WPO 1, 3, 4, 7, 2

No class -> self-study***: WPO5, 6, 8

10

17/11 - 21/11

8

Academic speaking: WPO2, 3, 5, 6

No class: WPO1, 4, 7, 8

GR 4: The English tense system (4) + SVA: WPO 5, 6, 8

No class -> self-study***: WPO 1, 3, 4, 7, 2
11 24/11 - 28/11 9

Classical argumentation 1

(pronunciation intermezzo 1)

VOC 4: Food

Source: Word of mouth: Eat My Words: How to Describe Food Flavours (podcast) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0938p81  

Units** 20 21 22 23 24 
12 1/12 - 5/12 10 Classical argumentation 2
(pronunciation intermezzo 2)
Instructions: oral exam		 GR 5: Talking about the future (1) 
13 8/12 - 12/12 11 Reserve week GR 6: Talking about the future (2) 
14 15/12 - 19/12 12 Speaking lab: mock exam Mock exam + exam preparation

* According to the VUB academic calendar
** Units to study in English Vocabulary in Use Advanced

*** Self-study for M2:

  • VOC 5: Travel

Source: Ooi, Natalie & Laing, Jennifer. (2010). Backpacker Tourism: Sustainable and Purposeful? Investigating the Overlap Between Backpacker Tourism and Volunteer Tourism Motivations. Journal of Sustainable Tourism.  

Units 25 26 27

  • GR 7: Verb patterns

**** For module 1, recall that you must reach a 70% participation rate for the continuous assessment component.