Unit information: Italian for General Purposes Level 1 Grade 1 (ab-initio) in 2013/14

Unit name	Italian for General Purposes Level 1 Grade 1 (ab-initio)
Unit code	LANG11044
Credit points	20
Level of study	C/4
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Mr. Zhok
Open unit status	Open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Italian
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

An introduction to the Italian language for complete beginners, focusing on general structures and functions, and including practice in the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). This is an accelerated language unit aiming to bring students to GCSE standard in one year. By the end of the unit learners will be able to communicate in Italian in a variety of familiar situations, have a basic knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation and an understanding of the cultural context in which Italian is used.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will:

1. be able to communicate both orally and in writing with a reasonable degree of accuracy
2. and fluency.
3. be able to work with authentic material and retrieve necessary information.

Overall, students will attain a level comparable to A1/ A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages*.

Teaching Information

3 hours of teaching per week covering all four topics of Reading writing speaking and listening. Classroom based learning is supplemented by online access to resources delivered via Blackboard. Regular formative homework is set.

Assessment Information

The four skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing – are assigned equal weighting for the purposes of assessment (25% each).

For reading and writing there is a formal mid-sessional examination at the end of TB1 and a formal examination in the summer examination period.

• The mid-sessional reading examination comprises 12.5% of the overall mark. The summer reading examination comprises 12.5% of the mark. Both assess ILOs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
• The mid-sessional writing examination comprises 12.5% of the overall mark. The summer writing examination comprises 12.5% of the mark. Both assess ILOs 1, 2, 3 and 5
• Listening is assessed by both continuous assessment, consisting of a listening assignment which comprises 12.5% of the total mark, and by a final class test, which comprises 12.5% of the total mark. Both assess ILOs 1 and 2.
• Speaking is tested by continuous assessment, consisting of marked coursework (oral presentation, which comprises 12.5% of the total mark - assessing ILOs 1, 2 and 3) and an oral exam which comprises 12.5% of the total mark (assessing ILOs 1, 2 and 3).

The overall pass mark for language courses is 40%.

Reading and References

A course book, clearly identified for this level by the Language Director concerned. Reading and reference material will be provided on Blackboard.