95397 - English Language and Linguistic Exercises 1 - B

Course contents

Practical exercises (= Esercitazioni) in English with native English speaking teachers. At the beginning of the academic year, a Placement Test (OOPT) is held to form groups, based on the students' skills, from intermediate to advanced. In order to study English, it is obligatory to take the Placement Test on either of the following dates

• Tuesday 23 September 2025 (enrolments from 4 August 2025 at 1 pm to 18 September 2025 at 1 pm);
• Monday 27 October 2025 (enrolments from 24 September 2025 at 1 pm to 22 October 2025 at 1 pm).

The minimum passing score is 55.

Instructions to enrol for the OOPT are available here .

Students who have obtained one of the following certificates after 1 January 2023 (certificates issued before 1 January 2023 can’t be accepted) are not obliged to take the Placement Test:

1) Cambridge ESOL: PET with Merit o with Distinction , anyway with no less than 154 ponts; FCE and CAE, with no less than 154 points; CPE;
2) IELTS: 5 (or higher);
3) TOEFL iBT: 65 (or higher);
4) TRINITY (only ISE, or Integrated Skills Exam): ISE (II).

Students with certificates are required to email a PDF or JPEG scan of their certificate (Email subject: “Certificate”) either to sabrina.fusari2@unibo.it (for students whose surname begins with a letter between A and F) or to antonella.luporini@unibo.it (for students whose surname initial is between M and Z), from 23 September to 27 October 2025. It is not possible to have your certificate recognized outside this time slot.

Readings/Bibliography

Course book (all groups): Latham-Koenig et al. English File Advanced 4th edition, published by Oxford University Press.


Additional material will be made available on-line on the university platform Virtuale.

Teaching methods

Language classes (= Esercitazioni) with mother tongue English teachers throughout the academic year. Students will be divided into groups from the placement test, and will be trained in all four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students are divided into groups depending on the results of the OOPT.

Assessment methods

(1) A language written, based on the contents of the language classes held by native English speaking teachers. This tests the students' capacity to analyze, understand and use the English language at level B2 of the Common European Framework for Languages. This exam component is divided into separate sections on (a) Use of English (40 minutes), (b) Reading (20 minutes) and (c) Writing (60 minutes). The final mark is the mean of the scores obtained in the three sections. Passing the Use of English exam paper is an essential condition to pass the language exam. The text types used for this component of the exam are general interest texts (e.g. newspaper articles, reviews, interviews).

(2) A SAT (Speaking Ability Test), which tests the students' listening and speaking skills, and their capacity to communicate spontaneously, understand and make themselves understood in English, with a good command of grammar and a fairly wide vocabulary, on a variety of general, non specialized topics. This component of the exam lasts 8-10 minutes.

Regardless of which semester the theoretical (Functional Grammar) lectures are held in, students may take the practical (Esercitazioni) component of the exam only at the end of the academic year (May 2026), because the corresponding course lasts for the whole academic year.

Teaching tools

See also Prof. Fusari's programme for this course, as it also includes a linguistics part.

Students with SLDs or temporary or permanent disabilities: we suggest that you contact the relevant university office ( https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ), Prof. Fusari and Dr. O'Donnell to work together to find the most effective strategies for attending classes and/or preparing for exams. Any requests for accommodations must be made at least 15 days before the date of the exam, by sending an email to the lecturer and copying (Cc) the email address disabilita@unibo.it (in case of disability) or dsa@unibo.it ,for students with Specific Learning Difficulties).

Office hours

See the website of Sabrina Fusari