Course Information
English Courses at ELC Bristol
English courses at ELC Bristol are designed to meet the needs of each and every student.
What can you expect?
- All courses include 21 full hours in class + daily homework. There are lessons every morning and on four afternoons a week - Friday afternoons are free.
- Average class size: 11. Maximum: 14.
- It is our aim to have no more than 15% of our students from any nationality or mother tongue but this may not always be possible and numbers may fluctuate a little when students from certain countries extend their courses or others cancel or postpone their bookings. Please note that students from certain countries may arrive at similar levels or all wish to follow the same exam class, so sometimes the percentages in specific classes can be higher. Most students come as individuals, although we do occasionally accept small groups.
- Minimum age: 16. Average age 23. No maximum age.
- The school operates on a continuous enrolment basis so there may be students leaving or joining your class every week.
- Students come for between 2 weeks and 1 year. The average stay is 8 weeks.
- You can start your course any Monday, apart from elementary students who should start their course on a main starting date.
- There are 7 main starting dates each year.
- The year is divided into 4 periods, the summer courses (14 weeks) and 3 other terms which last between 10 and 14 weeks depending on the examination dates. Usually a class completes a coursebook by the end of each of these periods.
- The week before you start or on the first day on main start dates and also in most of July and August, we test you so that we can place you in a class at the right level.
- There are 7 possible levels with sometimes more than 1 class at several levels. We don't run a beginners' class.
- The levels are Elementary (A2), pre-intermediate (A2), Intermediate (B1), Upper-intermediate (B2), Pre-Advanced (C1), Advanced (C1) and Advanced+/Proficiency (C2) and students can generally expect to progress by one level approximately every 3 months.
- As there is sometimes more than one class at each level, occasionally classes at the same level may merge.
- As a part of your course, you can prepare for the Cambridge English: First, Advanced, and Proficiency exams and the Academic IELTS exam (not General Training Ielts).
What is included in English Courses at ELC Bristol?
- Personal study programme.
- 4 hours per week of optional supervised self-study.
- ELC Bristol e-learning from the moment you enrol until 3 months after your course has finished.
- Access to the school's online Study Zone.
- Coursebook, file, supplementary teaching materials and a certificate when you leave.
- 2 hours of optional additional language activities each week such as Conversation Club, Job Club and Friday Film Club.
- Job Club (optional - subject to demand) runs in 3-week cycles with a one-week gap between each cycle. It aims to help students who are allowed to work in the UK find a job. We also offer some 1:1 support to help students with CVs and cover letters.
- Wi-fi and multimedia centre with free internet access.
Your progress
How quickly can you expect to progress? It depends on: how hard you work, how long you come for and how good you are at learning.
Students can expect to progress by one complete ELC level around every 3 months, or 1 sub-level every 4 weeks. We assess students on arrival and they will be put in a class at one of our 7 levels. For example, they might be in B1 (intermediate) but they might be a strong B1 (B1.3) or an average B1 (B1.2).
It is normal for students to have strengths and weaknesses in different areas. For example, they might might be an A2 elementary student who is strong in speaking (A2.3) but weak in writing (A2.1).
Policy Information
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy
We are committed to equal opportunities for all and will make any reasonable special arrangements we can in order to accommodate and support students who inform us of a disability or a learning difficulty.
Private Lessons
You can book private lessons in advance or on arrival at the school, depending on teacher availability.