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ACADEMIC PREPARATION PROGRAM

Program Description

In the Academic Preparation program students have the opportunity to gain the skills necessary for success in an English language university and/or work environment. The program consists of three levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Students enter the program at their level of skill. Upon entering Dorset College, students are given an English Placement Test and placed in the appropriate level. Each level of the program can be completed within one semester (4 months); the full program can be completed in three semesters.

Classes are Monday to Friday and deliver 25 instructional hours per week for 14 weeks. Students are awarded a Certificate upon the successful completion of each level. All levels of this program have been approved by the registrar of the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills & Training.

Program Length

4 months each level

Program Requirements

Beginner

Successful completion of a secondary program (High School) OR be at least 19 years of age by the first day of the first semester of attendance.

• English requirement (student must have one of the following): CLB (4), TOEFL PBT (400-416), TOEFL CBT (97-106), TOEFL IBT (32-34), IELTS (4.0), or Dorset College English Proficiency Exam score of 50%.
• Duolingo English test score of 55 - 64
• Versant English Placement Test score of 32 – 36

Intermediate

Successful completion of a secondary program (High School) OR be at least 19 years of age by the first day of the first semester of attendance.

• English requirement (student must have one of the following): CLB (4), TOEFL PBT (417-432), TOEFL CBT (107-119), TOEFL IBT (35-39), IELTS (4.5), or Dorset College English Proficiency Exam score of 51-59%.
• Duolingo English test score of 65 - 74
• Versant English Placement Test score of 37 – 40

Advanced

Successful completion of a secondary program (High School) OR be at least 19 years of age by the first day of the first semester of attendance.

• English requirement (student must have one of the following): CLB (5), TOEFL PBT (433), TOEFL CBT (120), TOEFL IBT (40), IELTS (5.0), or Dorset College English Proficiency Exam score of at least 60%
• Duolingo English test score of minimum 75
• Versant English Placement Test score of minimum 41

Program Courses

Beginner Level — one semester (4 months)

• Students gain strong foundational English language skills.
• Courses include fun and instructive class excursions to such places as Future Shop, Chapters Bookstore, and Starbucks.
• The Reading and Writing component helps students learn basic grammar and sentence structure, develop vocabulary, apply reading skills to basic texts, and practice writing.
• The Listening and Speaking component involves intensive speaking practice and exposes students to CDs, videos and pod casts to develop comprehension of spoken English.

Intermediate Level — one semester (4 months)

• Students gain strong intermediate English language skills.
• Courses include fun and instructive class excursions to such places as the Cypress Community Garden and Granville Island.
• The Reading and Writing component helps students continue learning sentence structure, tenses, increase vocabulary, construct sentences with new words, and apply increased reading skills to various English texts. Students practice writing paragraphs. They also practice critical thinking skills.
• The Listening and Speaking component involves students in focused discussion to develop increased fluency. Students are exposed to CDs, videos and pod casts to develop comprehension of spoken English.

Advanced Level — one semester (4 months)

• Students  gain  strong   Advanced  English  language  skills.
• Courses include fun and instructive class excursions to places such as the Vancouver Public Library and the Museum of Anthropology.
• The Reading and Writing component helps students gain the English language reading and writing skills necessary for college or university study. Students gain enhanced knowledge of sentence structure, acquire more expansive vocabularies related to various topics, and learn to recognize various structures in academic reading. They practice writing developed paragraphs, effective thesis statements for academic essays as well as brief academic essays.
• The Listening and Speaking component helps students gain the language listening and speaking skills necessary for university study or work place.