Program Overview (Program does not require approval from PTIB)

This course builds on the language proficiency successfully gained in Intensive Academic Preparation 1. Students develop the ability to read and comprehend texts of moderate complexity, build on their knowledge of basic paragraph structure, grammar, and mechanics, and develop listening comprehension and speaking skills in both informal and academic situations.

Emphasis is placed on developing a comfort in the classroom environment by applying the four language skills in an interactive form, integrating the functions of grammar, mechanics, and punctuation, complemented by practicing the English language in workplace settings.

Intensive Academic Preparation 2  is designed for students to determine their skills and knowledge in preparation of their college studies, as well as for college students who desire more reinforcement in their English language skills as they apply to their education.  Successful completion of this intensive course will establish a lower advanced level of English language fluency similar to an IELTS score of 6.0.

The schedule and program end date are subject to change due to the student’s academic performance, course availability, academic breaks, additional electives, and study permit status.

Admission Requirments

  • Minimum score of 55% on the college’s entrance test, an IELTS score above or equal to 5.0 (general), or other equivalents.

For more information on language requirements where internationally-recognized tests and other equivalencies are accepted, see the specific appendix at the end of this program outline.

Learning Objectives

  • Locate information in workplace documents
  • Identify sequence words in texts
  • Use your own experience to decide if information is accurate
  • Identify cause and effect
  • Recognize a sequence of events
  • Distinguish between fact and opinion
  • Draw inferences and conclusions
  • Analyze characters
  • Choose sources for gathering reliable information:
  • Identify the tone of a text
  • Use an atlas
  • Apply pre-writing models
  • Generate ideas in a pre-writing strategy: select and narrow a topic, apply various strategies for getting started, imagine your audience’s needs
  • Develop strong, clear thesis statements
  • Organize ideas and write an outline
  • Compose a draft essay/text by writing body paragraphs, introductory and concluding paragraphs, develop relationships between ideas (sentence-level transitions and transitions between paragraphs and sections)
  • Complete detailed workplace forms
  • Write:
    • An opinion paragraph
    • Descriptions of events in an organized structure
    • A descriptive paragraph that describes an important place in your life
    • A narrative paragraph about a story from your childhood
    • An informal workplace email
    • A formal workplace email
    • A how-to paragraph about being a good listener
    • A cover letter to apply for a job
    • A paragraph about the advantages and disadvantages of divorce (or another social issue)
    • Multiple short essays or reports using what was learned about the writing process and the steps to develop an outline, draft, and revision.
  • Organize your writing in chronological order, an order of importance, and spatial order
  • Summarize information from a text
  • Use compound and complex sentences
  • Apply formulas and methods to write introductions, conclusions, summaries, paraphrasing, and quoting
  • Use sources correctly for crediting and citing in your writing to support ideas, document material, use quotes, and create a reference page
  • Use MLA to format documents, follow the four-step process for working with sources, and create works cited page
  • Use root words and affixes to understand words
  • Compare and contrast
  • Describe the purpose of persuasion, work with the structure of a persuasive essay, ways of being critical
  • Develop a convincing argument by coming up with a topic, use dialectics, organize your ideas, apply critical thinking and research, and write a persuasive essay
  • Develop ways to overcome writing anxiety and writer’s block while improving writing habits by practicing recursive writing, revise, learn how to use and fix procrastination
  • Apply methods of revision including higher and lower order concerns, reverse outlining, editing, document format, documentation style, proofreading, giving and receiving feedback, and conduct a peer review
  • Identify implied meanings in conversations
  • Distinguish between conversational and formal language
  • Clarify information
  • Discuss and respond to a story
  • Create oral summaries of information
  • Give a short presentation to a familiar audience
  • Use stressed syllables to sound out unknown words
  • Argue for and against something in discussions (and written assignments)
  • Use common prefixes, suffixes, and affixes
  • Identify the subject and verb in a sentence
  • Use pronouns correctly
  • Identify and correct sentence fragments, run-on sentences
  • Use subject-verb agreement
  • Use semi-colons in compound sentences
  • Use quotation marks
  • Use some common root words and affixes to build vocabulary
  • Use commas with introductory words and phrases, appositives, in a series
  • Use consistent verb tense
  • Know the rules for dividing words into syllables
  • Understand outcome
  • Apply knowledge gained about grammar and style, being aware of the most common errors, using a checklist, writing complete sentences, use proper punctuation, and access the best editing and grammar resources
  • Use apostrophes to show possession, in a contraction
  • Identify common Canadian workplace interactions and behaviors
  • Identify important personal management habits for Canadian workplace environments
  • Identify appropriate body language and eye contact for meetings and presentations
  • Practice dealing with complaints
  • Identify the key elements of a common feedback technique
  • Use a computer search engine
  • Tell the difference between fact and opinion

Program Details

APEN 102- Intensive Academic Preparation 2  | 80 hours