Page 9 - Student Academic Manual ELS Canada 2020

The ELS Curriculum and Testing

ELS Proficiency Bands
ELS Language Centers has 12 levels, 101-112. The ELS curriculum groups these
twelve levels into four proficiency bands:

Beginner 101-103

Intermediate 104-106
Advanced 107-109
Masters 110-112

You need to show that you can use the language learned in all three levels of a
proficiency band before you can move on to the next band.

Occasionally, students may study in a class that combines two levels, for example,
104 & 105. Combining classes like this does not affect how well each student learns
English. The language skills taught in 104 and 105 are all necessary for understanding
and using the language. Moreover, one skill or element may be taken before another
without causing any problems for the student.

One way to understand this is to think of each level as a “piece of pie.” All three
pieces of the pie must be eaten to finish the pie. However, the order in which the
pieces are eaten does not matter.

Placement Test
Before your classes begin, you will be given a Placement Test which will evaluate
your level of English. The placement test consists of three parts: Listening and
Grammar, Speaking, and Writing. You will be placed in one of our first nine
levels, 101-109, based on the results of your Placement Test. In order to receive
a Certificate of Completion of Masters Levels (110-112), you must study for a
minimum of 12 weeks and pass all three Masters Levels.

Objectives and Evaluation Criteria
You will receive Objectives and Evaluation Criteria (OEC) for every class you take
at ELS. Your teacher will give you the OEC on the first day of class.

You should keep the OEC in your notebook and refer to it often. This will help you
understand what you are learning and how you will be graded. A sample OEC is
on the next page.

9 | Student Academic Manual – ELS Canada