Importance

Importance

1. English may not be the most spoken language in the world, but it is the official language in a large number of countries. It is estimated that the number of people in the world that use English to communicate on a regular basis is 2 billion!
2. English is the dominant business language, and it has become almost a necessity for people to speak English if they want to enter a global workforce. Research from all over the world shows that business communication is most often conducted in English. Its importance in the global marketplace therefore cannot be understated, learning English really can change your life.
3. Many of the world’s top films, books and music are published and produced in English. Therefore, by learning English you will have access to a great wealth of entertainment and will be able to have a greater cultural understanding.
4. Most of the content produced on the internet (50%) is in English. So, knowing English will allow you access to an incredible amount of information which may not be otherwise available!

Although learning English can be challenging and time consuming, we can see that it is also very valuable to learn and can create many opportunities!

Aim

Basically, teachers of English as a Second Language at our school help students learn how to speak, read, write, and understand English.

Requirements

During the course of the year various topics are covered. Special effort is taken to further a pupil’s oral and written command of English. Homework and active participation in class is an essential part of every pupil’s work.

At the moment we use the following course books:

Classes 1-4: “More” e-book plus
Most English teachers take advantage of the e-learing platform that comes with it for extensive online practice material to help our students improve. Each pupil gets an account to practice individually at his/her own speed.

Classes 5-8: “English in Context, e-book2

Students of grades 1-4 have four written tests each year. These tests include listening and reading comprehensions, grammar exercises and a short written text.

Grades 5 to 8 have 3 written tests per year. From the 5^th grade on, they all last two to three hours.

At the age of 18 our pupils can take a final exam in English. This can either be an oral or/and a written exam.
The oral exam contains two tasks:
1. individual long turn (monologue)
2. paired activity (dialogue).

The written exam consists of 4 parts:
Listening, Reading, Language in Use and Writing.

Every year Prof. Oliver Riefler also offers elective English classes for grades 6-8.

Mag. Christa Ganzera (head of English department)
For all E-teachers