Type of course

The course can be taught in-person or online. At 'timetable & registration' you find an overview of our courses.

In a classroom course, the teacher and all students are present in the classroom. To be able to participate online, you are advised to use a headset with microphone.To check that everything is working properly, please use: Quick Tech Check.

It is not possible to switch between courses once the course has started.

Course description

This is a practical rather than a theoretical language course which aims to involve learners’ thoughts, opinions and knowledge as they are practising. To this end, you will frequently work in pairs and groups, and there will also be a lot of student-teacher interaction in open-class discussions, as well as other fluency tasks. Pronunciation (Standard English) is practised together and individually in class with the help of the language laboratory equipment. The course material makes learning enjoyable, with thought-provoking texts and motivating practice activities, including interviewing, role-playing, participation in group discussions, and watching-and-listening exercises based on clips from films or recent television programmes. Fluency is practised individually, in pairs and groups. The language of instruction is English. 

The target level is C1 in accordance with the European Common Framework of Reference for Languages.

Course material

• Complete Advanced Student's Pack (3rd Edition) by Greg Archer, Guy Brook-Hart, Sue Elliot, Simon Haines; ISBN 978-1009162401

The course material is not included in the registration fee. Course participants are required to purchase course materials themselves.

Target group and admission requirements

This is an intensive English summer course at advanced level, designed to meet the practical language needs of learners who wish to practise and improve their communication skills and their overall command of the language in a relatively informal setting for work, study, and for socialising confidently in English.

This course requires knowledge of the English language. Participants who have obtained the certificate for the previous course at the Academic Language Centre can register directly. Other participants are strongly advised  to take a placement test in order to find out which level suits your current knowledge of the English language. You can simply complete the online placement test at home. When you are in doubt, contact us: 071 - 5272332 / talencentrum@hum.leidenuniv.nl.

Other information

• The maximum number of participants for this course is 18.
• The course load is 120 hours. On request a Course load declaration form can be issued. The student should enquire with their department whether course participation can be converted into credits.
• The holiday periods can be found in the Academic Language Centre's academic calendar.
• If classes are cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, they will be added on to the end of the course. Please take into account courses may end later than scheduled.
• The course level is indicated with the help of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.