TOEFL iBT Preparation at Kings

COURSE FACTSHEET

TOEFL Preparation Who is this course for?

Included in the price

This course is ideal for students who want to prepare thoroughly for the TOEFL exam. In addition to developing TOEFL skills and strategies, students improve their overall academic English proficiency so that they are better equipped for studies at a US college or university.

à2 0 instructor-led TOEFL skills and strategies lessons (15 hours), 4 guided study sessions (3 hours), and 7 online practice sessions (5.25 hours) per week àW elcome Information Pack àP lacement test on arrival, weekly assignments, group participation, and progress tests àC ourse materials, including online Skills Trainer àG uidance and information on testing dates àU se of Computer Learning Center àA ccess to Classmate, the Kings online learning platform àW ireless internet in the Center àO ptional weekly lecture program àT wo free social activities per week à End-of-course certificate (90% or higher attendance required)

Key Facts Start dates: Every Monday 7 January – 9 December 2019; 6 January – 7 December 2020 Locations offered:

Please note that the exam fee is not included in the cost of the course.

Boston

About the TOEFL iBT exam

New York Los Angeles (Hollywood)

Level: Kings Level 5 (Intermediate) Length: Minimum 2 weeks Lessons: 31 per week (23.25 hours) (45 minutes per lesson) 20 instructor-led TOEFL skills lessons (15 hours), 4 guided study sessions (3 hours), 7 online practice lessons (5.25 hours) Minimum age: 16 Average age range: 18 – 30 Maximum class size: 15 Learning outcomes: à Fluency in all main areas of academic English à Development of specialized exam skills and strategies à Familiarity with exam format and question types

The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) assesses students’ ability to use and understand university-level English in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Taking the TOEFL opens the door to studying in the US and communicating globally. It is widely accepted by more than 10,000 universities and other institutions in over 130 countries as proof of

English level. The TOEFL is offered in nearly every country and on more dates yearly than any other language test. More than 30 million people from all over the world have taken the TOEFL test to demonstrate their English proficiency for universities, scholarships, and visa applications. The average English skill level ranges between Intermediate and Advanced.

Course structure and content The TOEFL iBT course is the standard TOEFL test preparation course at Kings. The course is 31 lessons per week: 20 instructor-led lessons, 4 Guided Study lessons to focus on individual work, and 7 online targeted practice sessions.

Each Kings lesson is 45 minutes long.

Key course features: à Students will improve their overall English language proficiency and academic vocabulary and enhance performance on academic tasks in all sections of the exam à Prepare for success at US colleges and universities

à Taught by experienced instructors with a track record of success à Teachers help students achieve the maximum TOEFL score by creating an individual study plan and by providing regular feedback à Classes may be supplemented by additional reading to strengthen vocabulary and comprehension skills à Access full-length practice tests to get comfortable with the exam’s online format and timing à Access thousands of online practice exercises in the computer lab on site with the assistance of a teacher Continued overleaf æ

Sample timetable (class times vary by location, timetable for guided study and online practice sessions is flexible) Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

9.00 – 10.30

TOEFL skills

TOEFL skills

TOEFL skills

TOEFL skills

TOEFL skills

10.45 – 12.15

TOEFL strategies

TOEFL strategies

TOEFL strategies

TOEFL strategies

TOEFL strategies

12:15 - 13:00

Lunch

Lunch

Lunch

Lunch

Lunch

Session 3 (3 flexible hours per week) Session 4 (5.25 flexible hours per week)

Guided study session

Guided study session Online Practice session

Online Practice session

Online Practice session

COURSE FACTSHEET

Course structure and content (Continued)

2. Multimedia Support This course uses interactive multimedia such as news videos, audio recordings, and presentations to assist students in building background knowledge as well as improving their comprehension of academic content.

3. Academic Word List Students are introduced to the Academic Word List (AWL) and have opportunities to practice these words which occur in high frequency in academic contexts. Studies show that students who master the AWL are more likely to succeed in an academic setting.

“

4. Online Skills Trainer Every student takes an online test preparation course in conjunction with his or her regular classroom hours. This allows students to train specific skills that they will need to succeed on the exam. This online component focuses study on the parts of the tests that students often find the most challenging, the speaking and writing portions. All practice tests are timed which assists students in getting used to the time pressure of the tests.

5. Authentic Practice The course content provides daily opportunities to practice for the test using authentic questions and listening and reading materials from actual TOEFL tests. Students also regularly practice under exam conditions to develop timed test-taking strategies. Students are able to practice speaking with a headset and microphone and are given many timed writing assignments.

I studied in GIE course and TOEFL at Kings approximately for one year. I thought I knew English Grammar well back in the past on the first day at Kings since I’d studied it in South Korea, but I realized that I couldn’t make a correct conversation with native speakers.

I believe that I’ve rapidly improved my speaking and writing, and my grammar and reading have been solidified at Kings with awesome teachers and staff.

”

Ryan Hur, TOEFL iBT Preparation student

Extra information àW e recommend that students begin training at least four weeks before they take the real exam. Depending on their level, some students may require longer periods of study before taking the TOEFL exam to reach their test goals àS tudents can request additional assistance on specific TOEFL skills during their Guided Study lessons.

Assessment Continuous assessment helps students check their progress towards their goal and see their own improvement on a regular basis. Students begin with a diagnostic test and are then assessed on a weekly basis with assignments, participation, and tests. They have online access to one full-length test per month during their course and hundreds of practice exercises.

Students can review their incorrect answers with detailed explanations of the correct answers.

“

The teaching at Kings was really effective. It really prepared me to do TOEFL, I didn’t have any surprise when I did the test because it was really what I saw in class. It was a bit easier than the actual test, but still I was prepared for that.

I enjoyed doing the writing part, or reading paragraphs and really finding the idea that mattered in the paragraph, or just being able to write in a concise way and expressing your ideas in a clear way, which in English wasn’t something I was used to — using more, different, vocabulary, not just the same words. That’s what I liked most about it.

We had max 10 people in the class, we didn’t have many. It varied each week and you could interact with other students any time. There were lots of exercises where you had to work in a group of 2 or 3 people and it was always good. We had people from level 5 to level 7, so we didn’t have all the same level of English so we were able to teach each other things. TOEFL is not really learning English, it’s about how the TOEFL works, so learning with higher level students can help other students to improve.

”

Samy Belakbir, TOEFL iBT Preparation student

1981 08/19

1. Context Embedded The TOEFL iBT preparation course is based on the communicative approach to learning and focuses on meaningful communication skills.

This motivates students to read, listen, speak, and write. A variety of different topics are used to teach test taking strategies and keep the classroom content engaging.