ENGLISH

Why English?

The English language, spoken all over the world, is a universal language. With globalisation and resulting elimination of cultural borders, relations between countries have gained momentum. Today Turkey has intense relations in such fields as trade, education, tourism with England and the United States. Many people would like to work for multinational companies, study abroad and follow the world through the internet, the language of which is English. All these result in an increasing demand in the English language.

Lessons

In TÖMER, all classrooms are furnished with a “U-type” seating system so that learners can communicate with the teacher as well as their peers comfortably. Each class features modern, electronic teaching equipment; in accordance with international language learning standards, each class can hold 5 to 16 learners. Language teachers at TÖMER are members of Ankara University. The medium of instruction is English, as a result of which learners are exposed to the foreign language itself from the very start.

General Purpose Courses

English courses consist of 12 levels: 4 basic levels, 4 intermediate levels, 4 advanced levels. In order to be successful at the final test given at the end of each term, learners need to prove proficient in each language skill tested (reading, listening, speaking, writing). If a learner fails to get a pass mark in any one of these skills, he or she is asked to take a second test for this skill only.

Coursebooks include Headway, Friends and Happy series. There are also exercise books, listening and video material, and supplementary material designed by TÖMER English Department. In addition to all these, selected texts from various story books are studied and translation of current news items into Turkish is carried out.

Courses for Specific Purposes

Courses for specific purposes include test preparation classes (KPDS, ÜDS, YDS, Test of Proficiency for Master’s and Doctorate Programmes; COPE, TOEFL), as well as general and medical translation classes. Different language material has been designed to meet varying requirements of learners preparing for any one of these individual tests. In courses for specific purposes, teaching of test techniques follows intensive grammar study.

KPDS–ÜDS courses consist of three terms. Each semester covers a total of 48 or 40 hours, with 6 or 10 hours a week. YDS courses, however, consist of an 8-month programme. Learners attending this programme receive a total of 288 hours of instruction, with 36 hours each month.

Children’s Classes

Age 8-11

Happy Street 1

Happy Street 2

Happy Earth 1

Total: 6 levels

Age 12-15

Friends 1

Friends 2

Total: 12 levels

Speaking Classes

For learners already registered at TÖMER English courses, there are speaking classes organised outside of their regular English lesson hours. There courses are free of charge and lessons are given by experienced teachers.

It is not obligatory to attend courses at TÖMER in order to have one’s language level certified. Test dates are announced by TÖMER English Department.

Final Tests

Normal courses cover 40 class hours and intensive courses cover 48 class hours; at the end of each semester, learners sit for a final test that includes sections on four basic language skills. Grading criterion is presented below. If a learner fails to meet the pass mark required for a skill, a second test is given for the skill concerned only. Yet, learners who fail in more than one skill are asked to repeat the level.