English Language Course -- Student Handbook

This page collects the material that is useful for students of the IIT English Language Course: how the course works (outline and grading), how writing is graded, which words to avoid, what to write at each level, and how vocabulary is studied.

Course Outline

The course takes students from the basics (A1) to an advanced level (C1), following the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), with emphasis on grammar, vocabulary, and writing.

Foundational Course (3 years / 6 semesters)

Target Students: IIT English Medium Students
Duration: 3 years (6 semesters)
Goal: learning the English grammar and vocabulary according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) emphasizing on grammar, vocabulary, and writing skills
Grammar Source:
- A1–B2: Test-English.com
- Grammar summaries
Vocabulary Source: Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries word lists
- American Oxford 3.000 by CEFR level
- American Oxford 5.000 by CEFR level
- Oxford Phrase List 750 phrases
- OPAL: 2420 words/phrases (~150/week)
  - Written Single words: 1200 (8 weeks)
  - Written Phrases: 370 (2 weeks)
  - Spoken Single Words: 600 (4 weeks)
  - Spoken Phrases: 250 (2 weeks)
Listening Source: Audiobooks: 3 h / week

Foundational Course Overview

The empty cells are components still under construction 🚧.

Semester	Grammar	Vocabulary	Audiobooks	Writing	Speaking	Pronunciation
1	A1	A1 words & phrases	🚧	Self-introduction	With teacher/partner Informal	Tongue Twisters & Reading Aloud
2	A2	A2 words & phrases	🚧	Describing personal experience	Small group Informal	Tongue Twisters & Reading Aloud
3	B1	B1 words & phrases	🚧	Simple Narrative	Bigger group Explanation	Tongue Twisters & Reading Aloud
4	B1+	B2 words & phrases	🚧	Essay, comparing opinions	Whole class Presentation	Tongue Twisters & Reading Aloud
5	B2	C1 words & phrases	🚧	Longer Essays on deep topics	On Camera	Tongue Twisters & Reading Aloud
6	C1 grammar, review of weak points	OPAL	3h/week + log	Longer Narrative, POV, Research	2 Presentations, 1 Debate	🚧

Per-semester details for the current semester: see Semester 6 Coursework – creative writing (research + story), academic writing (research + paper), grammar review, and the ongoing listening program.

Advanced Course (2 years)

Target Students: students who have completed the Foundational Course and aspire for mastery of the language, for teaching positions in IIT or outside, for studying, teaching, or living abroad in English speaking countries, etc.
Duration: 2 years
Status: still being designed – the outline below is provisional.
Goal: overall practice and application of the knowledge acquired in the Foundational Course, in various ways, to help students master different skills.

The Advanced Course makes the student practice and apply their knowledge in various ways, e.g.:

Teaching English Language
Writing: academic writings and narratives
Speaking: developing speaking skills (public speaking)
Video essays
Review of weak grammar points, etc.

Besides the common practice, the Advanced Course gives room for each student to emphasize the skills he wishes to develop more: some may prefer writing, others public speaking.

Advanced Course Overview

The empty cells are components still under construction 🚧.

Semester	Teaching	Writing	Speaking	Video Essays	Grammar Review	Other
1	🚧	🚧	🚧	🚧	🚧	🚧
2	🚧	🚧	🚧	🚧	🚧	🚧
3	🚧	🚧	🚧	🚧	🚧	🚧
4	🚧	🚧	🚧	🚧	🚧	🚧

As the Advanced Course design progresses, its details will be published here.

Grading Method

The grading system rewards:

Participation: graded based on the attendance, attitude, and homeworks. This is to encourage and reward continuous effort and dedication, not only for a test.
Academic Results: graded based on tests and final exams. This is to encourage and reward knowledge acquisition and content mastery.
Beyond-expected Results: Bonuses can be given for exceptional, beyond-expected results, such as perfect attendance and so on. This is to encourage and reward going beyond what is expected.
40 % Participation
- Attendance X Attitude: Sick and duty days are not counted
- Homeworks
- Listening Homeworks
60 % Academic Results
- Tests During Semester
  - Vocabulary Test
  - Writing Tests
  - Speaking Tests
  - Listening Comprehension Tests
- Final Exam
0-5% Bonus
- Perfect Attendance
- Perfect Test Scores, etc.

The ideal passing grade is a 70% Global Total. If you do not reach it, see the Repeat-Protocol below.

Writing is graded with a rubric: see Writing Grading System. Per-component weights may vary per student according to join date and attendance frequency (e.g. late joiners: mid-term 30% + final 70%).

Repeat-Protocol

If a student does not reach the ideal passing grade (70% Global Total):

Repeat the level if a teacher is available.
Remedial Lessons based on the weak lessons:
- Weak students teach the lessons they failed, and other weak students attend.
- Teaching a topic is one of the best ways to consolidate it.
Retake the exams after the remedial lessons.

Writing

Serious Writing Mistakes

These mistakes are heavily penalized in all writing. The full list with explanations lives here.

Incomplete Sentence: main clause left incomplete.
- Wrong: The man, whom I met yesterday.
- Correct: The man, whom I met yesterday, is called Robert.
Comma Splices: joining two independent clauses with only a comma.
- Wrong: I am a monk, he is a worker.
- Correct: I am a monk and he is a worker.
Missing Verb:
- Wrong: He good. I happy.
- Correct: He is good. I am happy.
Subject-verb Agreement:
- Wrong: He do. – Correct: He does.
Singular / Plural Agreement:
- Wrong: I see many dog there. – Correct: I see many dogs there.
Unclear Pronouns: it is not clear what the pronoun refers to.
- Wrong: The man came and took it from her. (what is “it”?)
- Correct: She had a book. The man came and took it from her.
Tense consistency: do not change the tense of the text.
- Wrong: …a man ordained as a monk and practices meditation.
- Correct: …and practiced meditation.
Wrong Tense / Aspect for the situation.
- Wrong: I am needing this. (stative verbs are not continuous) – Correct: I need this.
Mixing Direct and Indirect Speech:
- Wrong: He said that “I will go there”.
- Correct: He said, “I will go there.” / He said that he would go there.
2 Subjects:
- Wrong: John he did it. – Correct: John did it.
Lack of Capitalization: first letters, proper names, etc.
- Wrong: his name is john and he is from laos.
- Correct: His name is John and he is from Laos.

Writing Grading System

Writing is graded with the same components across all levels, but the weights shift by level: earlier levels focus on grammatical accuracy; as students advance, the focus moves toward organization, reasoning, insight, and originality.

Level A (A1–B1)

Component	Weight
Grammar (serious mistakes + grammar according to level)	50%
Organization / structure of sentences, paragraphs & text	10%
Follows instructions	15%
Minimum length	10%
Legibility	5%
Content: reasoning, insight & originality	10%

Level B (B1+–B2)

Component	Weight
Grammar	35%
Organization / structure of sentences, paragraphs & text	15%
Follows instructions	15%
Minimum length	10%
Content: reasoning, insight & originality	25%

Level C (C1)

Component	Weight
Grammar	25%
Organization / structure of sentences, paragraphs & text	20%
Follows instructions	15%
Minimum length	10%
Content: reasoning, insight & originality	30%

A late submission deducts 10%.

Writing Topics According to Level

A1 (Beginner) – Kind of writing: short sentences, lists, simple forms. Topics: introducing oneself, daily routines, basic needs, describing a simple picture.
A2 (Elementary) – Kind of writing: simple paragraphs, short emails/messages, describing personal experiences. Topics: hobbies, family, holidays, shopping, directions, simple past events.
B1 (Intermediate) – Kind of writing: simple connected text, personal letters, short narratives, expressing opinions. Topics: travel experiences, future plans, job applications, reviews of films/books, local events.
B1+ (Upper Intermediate) – Kind of writing: more detailed narratives, short reports, argumentative essays with simple justification, expressing feelings. Topics: social issues (healthy living, environmental protection), giving advice, comparing options.
B2 (Upper Intermediate) – Kind of writing: clear, detailed text, essays, reports, formal letters, opinion pieces, summaries. Topics: advantages/disadvantages, abstract topics (e.g. technology’s impact), complex problems, cultural differences.
C1 (Advanced) – Kind of writing: well-structured, detailed text, complex essays, professional reports, academic papers, critical reviews. Topics: specialized fields, abstract and complex issues, synthesizing information from multiple sources, nuanced arguments.

Tabooed Words

Purpose: to push students towards more sophisticated and precise language. The goal is not to eliminate these words entirely, but to encourage students to seek out more precise synonyms, vary their vocabulary, and avoid overreliance on generic terms.

Good / Bad: vague and overused.
- Good: excellent, outstanding, beneficial, favourable, positive, commendable, effective, advantageous, superior, pleasant, admirable, remarkable, high-quality.
- Bad: poor, detrimental, negative, adverse, harmful, unpleasant, inadequate, inferior, flawed, unsatisfactory, severe, dire, appalling.
Happy / Sad
- Happy: elated, glad, joyful, rapturous, zestful, delighted, pleased, satisfied, cheerful, comforted, at ease, blissful, euphoric, felicitous, joyous, gleeful, jubilant.
- Sad: despondent, grieving, depressed, downtrodden, discouraged, frustrated, disheartened, moody, sorrowful, disappointed, miserable, unhappy, dejected, in low spirits.
Very + adjective: a stronger adjective makes the sentence more impactful and concise.
- Very big: enormous, colossal, gigantic, vast.
- Very small: tiny, minute, microscopic.
- Very hungry: ravenous, famished.
- Very tired: exhausted, fatigued, drained.
- Very important: crucial, vital, essential, paramount.
- Very often: frequently, regularly, constantly.
- Very interesting: fascinating, captivating, compelling, engaging.
Big / small
- Big: huge, monumental, immense, great, tall, enormous, gigantic, oversized.
- Small: minute, short, little, mini, pocket-size.
Thing: the ultimate generic noun; nearly always has a more specific alternative.
- A new thing: development, phenomenon, trend, innovation, concept.
- This thing is important: issue, matter, aspect, element, factor, concern, object, item.
- Many things: various elements, numerous factors, several aspects, countless items.
Stuff: very informal and sometimes slightly condescending.

Vocabulary

Studied from the official Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries word lists, in this order:

Oxford 3000 – the 3,000 most important words to learn in English, organized by CEFR level.
Oxford 5000 – the 5,000 most important words to learn in English, organized by CEFR level.
Oxford Phrase List – 750 of the most important phrases to learn in English.
OPAL – Oxford Phrasal Academic Lexicon: 2,420 words and phrases for academic English (see OPAL below).

OPAL – Oxford Phrasal Academic Lexicon

OPAL contains 2,420 words/phrases, studied at approximately 150 items per week over 16 weeks, in the specified order:

Part	Items	Weeks	Weekly target
Written Single Words	1,200	3–10	150/week
Written Phrases	370	11–12	185/week
Spoken Single Words	600	13–16	150/week
Spoken Phrases	250	17–18	125/week

Method:

Go through the list and mark the words you already know; focus on the unfamiliar ones.
Pay attention to the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
Create flashcards and write example sentences for each new word.
For spoken items: focus on pronunciation, listen to examples, and use them in conversation.

Alternative Vocabulary Source

4,000 words with definitions and stories (YouTube playlist)