Pre-university studies in the historic city of Canterbury
Nationality:
Chinese
Course:
Foundation
Where is she now?
Wen gained a distinction in Electronic Engineering at the University of York, then moved into Accountancy. Now at Deloitte's while undertaking her professional examinations, her next step is a DPhil in Accountancy or becoming a practising Chartered Accountant.
Welcome to... English Language
Join a community of 510 million people - and counting...
With 510 million English speakers in the world, improving your English Language skills is a great way to open doors. Most of our students are aiming to enter a British university and to achieve this they need to gain a recognised qualification in English.
The most widely recognised qualification is the IELTS examination, organised by the British Council and Cambridge ESOL. This is not only the key to university entrance, it also provides a good focus for our courses enabling students to learn the academic writing, reading, listening and speaking skills which they need for higher education.
During their course, students will:
- discuss a wide range of topics
- take notes from lectures and videos
- give presentations
- learn essay-writing skills
- sit the IELTS examination.
Other students may follow English language courses on the International Baccalaureate programme, where study includes literature and topic areas such as Media and Culture or Global Issues.
Our English courses
IELTS & Academic English for University Foundation students: runs alongside subject courses. Find out more about University Foundation
Academic English programme: includes general English, study skills and introductions to subject areas. It is designed for students aiming to progress onto a University Foundation Programme. Find out more
International Baccalaureate English B and English A2: these form part of the IB diploma programme.
IGCSE English as a Second Language: usually taken alongside other IGCSE subjects by pre-Foundation or pre-A-level students.
Pre-Master's English: forms part of the Pre-Master's programme preparing students for entry on a Master's programme at a British university. It includes IELTS preparation and academic skills.
Improve your English and your social life!
There are lots of ways outside the courses themselves to develop your English while at the college. For example:
- join our Debating Club
- join our Drama Club
- make friends among the community of international students and communicate in English
- use self-study periods in the IT lab to go online and do interactive activities.
Here are three of the sites which University Foundation students at CATS Canterbury find useful:
Website of the IELTS examination. It gives information about the exam and also provides practice materials and advice.
A great site for any student wanting to study at university in English. There are exercises and advice on everything you need from essay writing to listening to lectures to avoiding plagiarism.
www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish
The BBC provides lots of interesting activities for EFL learners. This is a good place to develop your English and have fun at the same time.
Number of living languages: 6912
Number of those languages that are nearly extinct: 516
Language with the greatest number of native speakers: Mandarin Chinese (1.051 billion!)
Language spoken by the greatest number of non-native speakers: English (350 million non-native speakers)
Country with the most languages spoken: Papua New Guinea has 820 living languages.
How long have languages existed: Since about 100,000 BC
First language ever written: Sumerian or Egyptian (about 3200 BC)
Oldest written language still in existence: Chinese or Greek (about 1500 BC)
Language with the most words: English, approx. 250,000 distinct words
Love Actually
My Fair Lady
Educating Rita
Lost in Translation
Atonement
Anagram: word with the same letters in a different order e.g.
CAFE: anagram of FACE
In English, anagrams can be surprising!
ASTRONOMER
becomes
MOON STARER
THE EYES
becomes
THEY SEE
SLOT MACHINES
becomes
CASH LOST IN ME
ELECTION RESULTS
becomes
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT
SNOOZE ALARMS
becomes
ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S
ELEVEN PLUS TWO
becomes
TWELVE PLUS ONE
It can be difficult to read complete novels in a foreign language. Here are some worth the challenge:
To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
1984 by George Orwell
Catcher In The Rye by J D Salinger
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
Doctor Jekyll And Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Why Does The Caged Bird Sing? by Maya Angelou
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime And Other Stories by Oscar Wilde