Comprehensive
The acclaimed programme trains students aged from 3 to 16. It guides them from novices to accomplished users of English. The programme is tailored to Hong Kong students' specific needs while the progression of the programme adheres to the British National Standard.
Comprehensive
The Key Elements
Listening
Listening is the first step to learn a language. We train students to listen with intent and accumulate vocabulary and expressions.
Speaking
A fluent English speaker must be able to articulate ideas with clear and coherent speech in a confident manner.
Reading
From early literacy to appreciation of English literature, the course helps our students builds up the essential reading skill.
Comprehension
From early on, all of our students are guided to understand and analyse text and speech, as well as to acquire inferential skill.
Writing
From writing powerful sentences to mastering stories and essays, our students learn how to be creative and organised.
Grammar
Grammar is the glue that holds a language together. Our students learn English grammar systematically from the start.
Levels
Suitable for K1-K2 students
Level 1 is suitable for new English learners who have yet to learn how to read and write. Through books, songs and interactive activities, children are fully immersed in an English learning environment. Our students quickly learn useful vocabulary and expressions that they can use in daily conversation, and build up the confidence to communicate in English. To prepare for independent reading and writing, students would learn basics of synthetic phonics. Our carefully selected books and activities cover topics that are relevant to the students’ developmental needs. The curriculum is based on the UK Early Years Foundation Stage.
Class duration: 60 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- have accumulated vocabulary and expressions to communicate confidently and effectively
- recognise all capital and lower case letters
- have a good understanding of letter-sound association
- have mastered letter formation with finger tracing
- have built social, creative, fine motor and reasoning skills
Suitable for K2- P1 students
Level 2 and 3 are suitable for English learners who start to learn how to read and write by themselves. Using phonics readers, our students are guided to read independently using synthetic phonics. Your child will practise speaking and listening skills in class discussion and learn comprehension skill as they answer questions about the book. They will also practise writing and spelling in every lesson. The curriculum is based on the UK Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1.
Class duration: 60 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- acquire vocabulary and functional language through native text
- be able to apply synthetic phonics and sight words to read and spell
- have mastered all the single sounds and acquired knowledge in common digraphs
- be able to articulate his or her ideas clearly in speech and writing
- understand a wide variety of text, including both fictions and non-fictions
- have learnt basic grammar including parts of speech, capitalisation and punctuation
- know how to write short phrases and simple sentences
Suitable for K3-P2 students
Level 4-5 are suitable for English learners who have acquired basic reading and writing skills. Using phonics readers, our students learn to read independently using synthetic phonics. Your child will practise speaking and listening skills through class discussion, presentations and videos. Students will learn how to analyse sentences and horn their comprehension skill. They are encouraged to write sentences using their own words. The curriculum is based on the UK National Curriculum – Key Stage 1.
Class duration: 60 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- be able to present his or her ideas confidently and effectively
- have good comprehension in both speech and text
- have mastered synthetic phonics, including alternative spellings and sounds
- have a good grounding in basic grammar and sentence structure
- have experience in reading a wide variety of texts, including stories, poems and non-fictions
- develop a habit of and a strong interest in reading
- achieve similar level of English as a UK Year 1 student
Suitable for P1-P3 students
Level 6 are suitable for English learners who can read and write on their own. In this level, students migrate from working mainly with phonics readers to other books. Your child will read a wide range of writings: from short stories, classic literature, traditional tales, poems to non-fiction on science, history, cultures and instructions. Students will discuss the text in details together and practise comprehension skill. They will also learn how to use a dictionary. Every lesson includes work to activate new vocabulary and refine writing skill. Your child will also learn grammar in details. The curriculum is based on the UK National Curriculum – Key Stage 1.
Class duration: 90 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- be experienced in reading different kinds of writing
- have the ability to analyse sentences and infer meanings
- be able to articulate ideas with rich vocabulary in speech and writing
- have a solid foundation in grammar and writing
- be able to write simple stories and narratives
- have learnt how to use functional language correctly
- have acquired a good understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
- be able to proof read his or her own work
- achieve similar level of English as a UK Year 2 student
Suitable for P2-P4 students
Level 7 are suitable for English learners who can read proficiently without visual hints. In this level, students migrate from working with books with illustration to text only readings. Your child will continue to read a wide range of writings: from short stories, classic literature, traditional tales, poems to non-fiction on science, history, cultures and instructions. Students will learn how to understand long text on their own by applying inferring skill. Class discussion would focus on important concepts, vocabulary and expressions. Every lesson includes work to activate new vocabulary and refine writing skill. Your child will also learn grammar in details. The curriculum is based on the UK National Curriculum – Lower Key Stage 2.
Class duration: 90 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- be confident to read and understand text only writing
- have gained a lot of experience in drawing inferences
- have the ability to summarise and articulate ideas with his or her own words
- have experience in planning and writing paragraphs
- have learnt and applied tenses correctly (simple present tense, present continuous tense and simple past tense)
- be able to discuss sentence structure using grammatical terminology
- have a good knowledge of common prefixes and suffixes
- use dictionaries to check the meaning of words that they have read
- achieve similar level of English as a UK Year 3 student
Suitable for P3-P5 students
Level 8 are suitable for English learners who have a solid foundation in understanding different kinds of writing and speech. Your child will be further exposed with different types of writing about different times and eras. Students will horn their inferring skill to understand characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence. They will also learn to predict outcomes from details stated or implied. Class discussion would focus on important concepts and comprehension. Students will also learn to compose stories and personal narratives while applying grammar they have learnt. The curriculum is based on the UK National Curriculum – Lower Key Stage 2.
Class duration: 90 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- be able to read and understand text that requires higher level of comprehension skill
- have gained a bank of diverse vocabulary from a wide range of reading materials
- be able to explain and analyse complicated ideas verbally
- understand shades of meanings among related words and use age-appropriate vocabulary
- have experience in planning and writing letters, stories, personal narratives, etc.
- [have learnt and applied tenses correctly (simple present tense, present continuous tense and simple past tense, past continuous tense)]
- be able to discuss sentence structure using grammatical terminology
- be able to edit and refine own writing
- achieve similar level of English as a UK Year 4 student
Suitable for P4-P6 students
Level 9 are suitable for English learners who have demonstrated very good reading and writing skill, and have age-appropriate vocabulary to tackle the reading materials in this level. Students will be challenged with more advanced reading and listening materials to widen their knowledge in the English language and culture. Class discussion would focus on comprehension, vocabulary and grammatical structures. Students will also learn how to organise their ideas and write quickly and effectively. The curriculum is based on the UK National Curriculum – Upper Key Stage 2.
Class duration: 90 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- be able to read silently, with good understanding, inferring the meanings of unfamiliar words, and then discuss what he or she has read
- be able to retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction
- be able to distinguish fact and opinion
- have age-appropriate vocabulary to learn various subjects in English academically
- be able to plan, organise, draft, write, evaluate and edit and finalise his or her own writing
- have learnt and applied tenses correctly (simple present tense, present continuous tense and simple past tense, past continuous tense and present perfect tense)
- be able to discuss sentences using grammatical terminology
- achieve similar level of English as a UK Year 5 student
Suitable for P5-S1 students
Level 10 are suitable for English learners who have demonstrated proficient reading and writing skill, and have age-appropriate vocabulary to tackle the materials in this level. Students will be challenged with advanced reading and listening materials to make sure they have the necessary English foundation for secondary education. Class discussion would focus on comprehension, vocabulary and grammar. Students will also practise writing with the aims of accuracy and precision. The curriculum is based on the UK National Curriculum – Upper Key Stage 2.
Class duration: 90 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- be reading an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
- have learnt to read for a range of purposes
- be able to discuss and evaluate how authors use language
-
be able to present ideas and arguments in formal and informal settings
- be able to adjust writing styles for different purposes
- have age-appropriate vocabulary to meet secondary education’s academic demand
- be able to assess the effectiveness of own writing
- [have learnt and applied tenses correctly (simple present tense, present continuous tense and simple past tense, past continuous tense)]
- be familiar with all grammatical concepts as outlined in Key Stage 1 and 2
- achieve similar level of English as a UK Year 6 student
Suitable for P6-S2 students
Level 11 are suitable for English learners who have met the general requirements of Upper Key Stage Level 2. Students will tackle challenging readings in an in-depth manner. Class discussion would focus on comprehension, vocabulary, figurative language and grammar. Students are introduced to writing essays and continue to work on various kinds of writing. The curriculum is based on the UK National Curriculum – Key Stage 3.
Class duration: 90 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- be able to read a wide variety of books for pleasure or information
- be able to read critically
- have experience in writing essays
- be able to write at length with a proper writing process
- be able to present in a logical and confident manner
- have a good understanding of English grammar and use it consistently in speech and writing
- have age-appropriate vocabulary to meet secondary education’s academic demand
- achieve similar level of English as a UK Year 7 student
Suitable for S1+ students
Level 12 and 13 are suitable for English learners who have the ability to read and understand challenging reading materials, and have the grammar and linguistic knowledge to learn English in an in-depth manner. These levels form the foundation before students move on to prepare public examinations and qualifications. The courses cover a wide range of topics and themes to give students exposure to how English is used in daily settings as well as in literature. The curriculum is based on the UK National Curriculum – Key Stage 3.
Class duration: 90 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- be able to read a wide variety of books and text for pleasure or information
- be able to read critically and appreciate literature
- be confident to plan, draft, write, revise and proofread writing at length
- be able to write both imaginatively as well as formal essays
- be competent in the arts of listening and speaking
- have a good understanding of how English is constructed and apply his or her learning consciously in speech and writing
- have learnt the main components of Key Stage 3
- achieve similar level of English as a UK Year 8/9 student
Suitable for S3+ students
Level 14 and 15 are suitable for English learners who have mastered the key components of Key Stage 3 and who are ready to learn advanced English. These levels prepare the students for public examinations and qualifications. The courses cover a wide range of topics and themes to give student exposure to how English is used in daily settings as well as in literature. The curriculum is based on the UK National Curriculum – Key Stage 4.
Class duration: 90 minutes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the level, your child will:
- be able to read challenging classic literature and extended literary non-fiction, such as essays, reviews and journalism
- be able to critically evaluate texts and make comparisons
- be able to write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in and for a
range of contexts, purposes and audiences
- be able to write for academic purposes
- be competent in the arts of listening and speaking – able to make presentation and participate in debates
- have a good linguistic understanding of English and apply it consciously in speech and writing
- have learnt the main components of Key Stage 4
- achieve similar level of English as a UK Year 10/11 student (GCSEs or other academic qualifications)
FAQ
Each class would have a maximum of 5 students.
Each level usually runs from September to June next year. New students can join mid year and would be placed at the appropriate level.
All students would be assessed carefully in an one-to-one evaluation before being placed. We take into account a student’s ability, academic needs and age in our decision.
Other than K1 children, all other potential students would need to take an evaluation before enrolling in this programme. This is to ensure your child would have a smooth transition and be challenged at the right level.
We only use native text for this programme, meaning the content is written as intended for native speakers and is not changed for other markets.
When our students meet the criteria of promoting to the next level, even in the middle of a school year, we would promote them to maximise their potential.
This programme covers all facets of English learning, which include grammar and writing. For grammar and writing class, we delve deep into these two areas, and spend little or no time in other areas.
Children are not required to have any prior phonics knowledge to join Level 1 and 2. For level 3 to 6, unless the students can read by sight without any phonics, we strongly recommend them to learn phonics in conjunction with this programme.
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