Levels
TSIE offers language courses for learners with different proficiency levels. The starting level will be determined by your placement test results and other language proficiency test scores (if any) you provided.
Level 1: Foundation:
This level is designed for students with limited or no knowledge of English. The focus is on building foundational skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will learn basic vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation needed for everyday communication. They will also work on understanding simple texts, writing basic sentences, and engaging in short conversations on familiar topics. Activities include role-playing, visual aids, and real-world scenarios to build confidence and ease in using English. Topics range from personal introductions to daily routines and basic survival language.
Level 2: Lower Intermediate
This level is designed to help lower intermediate level students. The listening and speaking part will focus on basic academic styles of presentation, vocabulary development, pronunciation, note-taking skills, and topics that will engage critical thinking. There will be a variety of listening and speaking activities using authentic materials, such as TED Talks. The reading and writing will focus on developing reading and critical thinking skills to understand main ideas and details of passages with authentic visuals and infographics. Students will also begin writing an academic paragraph with a structured topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentence. Topics for this course include a variety of real-world topics, ranging from technology, business, environmental studies, social studies, education, career readiness, human geography, and sociology.
Level 3: High Intermediate
This section of the course further develops four skills. For listening and speaking, students will practice different rhetorical modes of academic presentations, enhance subject-specific vocabulary, and improve pronunciation and note-taking skills. There will be a variety of listening and speaking activities using materials such as TED Talks. For reading and writing, students will enhance their reading comprehension with more advanced essays and selections and will work on comprehension of text through various assessments such as questions about main ideas, inferences, and details. Academic writing skills will be developed through practice with advanced paragraphs, basic essays, and compound and complex sentence structure. Course topics will range from health science, sociology, technology, natural science, psychology, education, architecture, and business.
Level 4: Low Advanced
This section of the course focuses on developing high-level skills in both listening and speaking as well as reading and writing. Students will work on various academic styles of presentation, vocabulary enhancement, pronunciation, note-taking skills, and topics that will engage critical thinking. There will be a variety of listening and speaking activities using authentic materials, such as TED Talks. Course topics will range from psychology, social studies, linguistics, business, and health. For the reading and writing component, students will work on enhancing their vocabulary, critical-thinking skills, and developing reading strategies to understand main ideas, details, and structure. Students will also focus on developing academic writing by working on organizational structure, rhetorical patterns, sentence types, and revision exercises. Reading and writing topics for this course range from behavioral science, technology, sociology, earth science, economics, and design.
Level 5: High Advance
This section of the course focuses on expanding students' skills in both listening and speaking as well as reading and writing. Students will work on enhancing their vocabulary, discussion, note-taking, and presentation skills. There will be a variety of speaking and listening activities using authentic lectures, reports, conversations, and TED Talks. They will have the opportunity to engage with abstract concepts and theories through a variety of topics ranging from media, health, sustainability, psychology, technology, and sociology. For the reading and writing component, the focus is on reading strategies, critical reading and thinking skills, and academic vocabulary acquisition. There will also be extensive practice in academic writing, developing a wide variety of sentence types and rhetorical patterns, and using appropriate writing and formatting conventions. Course topics will range from career studies, urban studies, sociology, global studies, anthropology, and economics.
All levels are integrated, which means you will improve your English grammar, vocabulary, listening, speaking, reading and writing skill.
When you pass each level, you will get a level certificate. When you pass the final level (level 5) you will get the TSIE certificate which allows you to apply for TXST academic programs as the substitute for the language proficiency test.