Course detail

Business English 1

FP-HA1PZAcad. year: 2019/2020

The course follows up on language studied at the secondary school. It requires good knowledge of general language at pre-intermediate level as minimum. The course is focused on characteristic features of business professional communication at B1 level. It provides students with the relevant specialist language and professional communication skills they will need in the workplace.

Language of instruction

English

Number of ECTS credits

3

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Learning outcomes of the course unit

The course is intended to deepen the student’s language skills that are essential for professional communication using relevant vocabulary. Students will learn basic economic terminology that enable them to understand professional economic texts.

Prerequisites

Good level of English at pre-intermediate level as minimum. Grammar: Nouns – articles, countable and uncountable nouns, expressing quantity; adjectives and adverbs – comparative and superlative, comparison; pronouns – personal, possessive, demonstrative, interrogative, indefinite; numerals – cardinal, ordinal; prepositions – local and time expressions; verbs – present simple, present continuous, past simple, past continuous, present perfect simple, present perfect continuous, future – simple, continuous, other expressions of future (going to, present continuous), past perfect simple, past perfect continuous, modal verbs, question forms, negative, short answers, passive and active voice, imperative, conditional, gerund; sentence – word order, there is/there are, question forms, complex and compound sentence – time clauses, conditionals, using of infinitive. Vocabulary: socializing, personal data, school, job, daily routine, leisure time, family, food and drinks, shopping, travelling, clothing, housing, health, public services (post, bank, authorities), environment, weather.

Co-requisites

Not applicable.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course it taught by means of language lessons that are focused on practicing language skills and developing vocabulary.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

Assessment consists of the following parts:

Credit requirements:
75% attendance and active participation in lessons
E-learning test exercises
Credit test
Exam requirements:
Listening comprehension
Reading comprehension

Course curriculum

The course focuses on the characteristics of Business English at B1 level. It provides students with the appropriate vocabulary and skills necessary for professional communication. The content of the textbook and individual lessons has been developed in collaboration with the Financial Times magazine, one of the world's leading business information sources. Students are introduced to topical business issues and develop the professional language and communication skills required for modern business.
1. U1: Brands – Favourite brands, Building brand, Words that go with brand, product and market.
2. U1: Brands – Present Simple and Present Continuous, Taking part in meetings.
3. U2: Travel – Travel Experiences, A hotel chain, What business travellers want, British and American Travel words.
4. U2: Travel – Future, Telephoning: making arrangements.
5. U3: Change - Attitudes to changes at work and generally, words describing changes, Managing meetings.
6. U3: Change - Past Simple and Present Perfect. Meetings - writing minutes.
7. U4: Organisation – Status within an organisation, A successful organisation, Words and expressions that describe company structure.
8. U4: Organisation – Noun combinations, Socialising: introductions and networking.
9. U5: Advertising – Authentic advertisements, A new kind of campaign, Words and expressions for talking about advertising.
10. U5: Advertising – Articles, Starting and structuring a presentation.
11. U6: Money – Attitudes to money, Investments, Words for talking about finance.
12. U6: Money – Describing trends, Dealing with figures.
13. Credit test.

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

The aim of the course is to develop students' language skills that are used in professional communication (reading, listening, speaking, writing), and provide them with basic terminology and specific structures of professional language with the focus on ability to understand professional texts and communication on professional topics.

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

Students’ attendance and their participation in lessons is systematically monitored.

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

COTTON, D.; FALVEY, D.; KENT, S.; MASCULL, B.; ROGERS, J. Market leader: intermediate: business English. 3rd ed. Harlow: Pearson Longman, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4082-3695-6. (EN)

Recommended reading

MASCULL, B.: Business Vocabulary in Use Intermediate, CUP 2010 (EN)
MURPHY, R. English grammar in use: a self-study reference and practice book for intermediate learners of English: with answers. 4th ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, c2012, x, 380 s. ISBN 9780521189064. (EN)
MANN, Malcolm a Steve TAYLORE-KNOWLES. Destination B1: grammar and vocabulary : [with answer key]. Oxford: Macmillan, 2007. ISBN 9780230035362. (EN)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme BAK-UAD Bachelor's, 1. year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional
  • Programme BAK-EP Bachelor's, 1. year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional

  • Programme BAK Bachelor's

    branch BAK-UAD-D , 1. year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional
    branch BAK-EP , 1. year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional
    branch BAK-EPM , 1. year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional

  • Programme BAK-PM Bachelor's, 1. year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional

Type of course unit

 

Language exercise

26 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer