This course is for participants whose level corresponds to level B2 or C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Please only register if your level corresponds to the course. Participants of our partner institutions and Unifr employees can contact us to take a placement test if they are unsure of their level. Unifr students are automatically guided to the placement test when registering for a course on MyUnifr.

Target audience
B2-C1 Writing & Grammar Skills: Revision for English Academic Texts, is a challenging and interactive workshop-style course for students and employees of the University of Fribourg and partner institutions. This course is ideal for students who would like to develop their understanding and confidence in using grammar for written assignments.

Course contents and teaching method
This is a blended course that combines face-to-face classroom teaching with online materials. Participants are only required to attend in-person classes every other week. The final timetable is confirmed in week 3 of the course depending on the make-up of the group.

This course focusses on developing writing skills in a highly communicative environment. The main areas of focus include: review of English sentence structure; nouns and adjectives; verbs and adverbs; comparing and contrasting information; using more complex noun phrases; using the passive when describing processes; defining terms and concepts using relative clauses and key defining language; expressing degrees of certainty with modal verbs; sourcing ideas and information with a greater range of reporting verbs; summarising and paraphrasing; and more according to students' needs. Along the way you will also be encouraged to develop your critical thinking skills and to express your ideas more effectively and efficiently across a range of academic disciplines.

Workload and evaluation
Regular attendance and active participation is required to pass this course, as is the successful completion of all 4 formal written assignments (there is no final exam).

1. Combining sentences to write a unified text
2. Write a short text comparing and contrasting information
3. Write a description of a process
4. Write an academic essay including extended definitions

Materials
Handouts are provided and all the course materials are available on Moodle. 

By the end of this course, participants will have developed their ability to:

• employ the structure and conventions of a variety of genres, varying the tone, style and register according to addressee/reader, text type and theme.
• give clear, detailed descriptions on a variety of subjects related to their field of interest.
• produce clear, well-structured expositions of complex subjects, underlining the relevant salient issues.
• produce a detailed description of a complex process.
• produce an essay or report which develops an argument, giving reasons in support of or against a particular point of view and explaining the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
• synthesise information and arguments from a number of sources.

The General Conditions for Participation in Language Courses apply. 

Director(s)