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ESOL

English Course for Speakers of Other Languages

Is this course for you?

If you speak English as an additional language (ESOL) and want to improve your English skills, then this is the course for you.

You can improve your knowledge and skills in:

Speaking and Listening
Reading
Writing
Grammar
Vocabulary

Our Courses

Level 2

Speaking and Listening

This course is for those who can speak everyday English competently but who want to improve their skills further. You will work on broadening your vocabulary, improving your grammar and expanding your knowledge of both colloquial and formal English. We will listen to video and audio clips and have discussions on a wide variety of topics for example social media, the environment and living in the UK. You will also have the opportunity to give a presentation to a small group on a subject of your choice.

This course is useful for those who want to feel confident in speaking in more formal situations, for example in job interviews, parent and teacher meetings or in a variety of work based scenarios. If you take this class alongside Level 2 Writing it will help you to prepare for a GCSE English course.

Reading

This course is for learners who can already read and understand everyday pieces of text but who wish to improve their skills further. You will read and discuss a wide variety of both formal and informal texts including fiction, advertisements, reports, letters, articles and instructions. You will also work on expanding your vocabulary and knowledge of colloquial English. This course will be useful for parents who wish to help their children with homework, or for learners who want to progress in their career or take a full time college course. If this class is taken alongside Level 2 Writing, it can help you to prepare for a GCSE English course.

Writing

This course is for learners who can write confidently for everyday purposes but who wish to improve their skills. You will practice writing in a variety of styles for example, reports, formal letters, CVs, articles and narratives. You will also work on improving your grammar and vocabulary. This course is ideal for those who are looking to improve their job prospects, help their children with homework assignments or apply for a full time college course. It is also a very useful class to take in preparation for a GCSE English course.

Level 1

Speaking and Listening

This course is for those who can speak everyday English but who want to improve their skills further. You will work on your vocabulary and grammar, and practise speaking English in both formal and informal situations. We will listen to video and audio clips and have discussions on a wide variety of topics for example social media, hobbies and interests and living in the UK.

This course is useful for those who want to feel confident in speaking in more formal situations, for example in job interviews, parent and teacher meetings or speaking to customers. Most college courses require you to be at least Level 1 standard in English so it is a useful class to take alongside Level 1 Writing, if you want to apply for a full time college course next year.

Reading

This course is for learners who can already read and understand most everyday pieces of text but who wish to improve their skills further. You will read and discuss a wide variety of texts including fiction, advertisements, reports, letters, articles and instructions. You will also work on expanding your vocabulary.

This course will be useful for parents who wish to help their children with homework, or for learners who want to progress in their career or take a full time college course. Most college courses require you to be at least Level 1 standard in English so it is a useful class to take alongside Level 1 Writing, if you want to apply for a full time vocational course next year.

Writing

This course is for learners who can write for everyday purposes but wish to improve their skills. You will practice writing in a variety of styles for example, formal letters, blogs, articles, and narratives. You will also work on improving your grammar and vocabulary.

This course will be useful for parents who wish to help their children with homework, or for learners who want to progress in their career or take a full time college course. Most college courses require you to be at least Level 1 standard in English so it is a useful class to take if you want to apply for a full time, vocational course next year.

Entry 1 / 2 / 3

Speaking and Listening

This course will help you to feel more confident in speaking everyday English. You will speak English in small groups, learn more vocabulary and practise some useful grammar. We will also practise everyday conversations for example, chatting to a neighbour, making an appointment, buying a train ticket or asking for directions. The course will also improve your listening skills through watching videos and listening for information. This course is ideal for learners who want to improve their English and feel more confident in everyday life.

We will have three speaking and listening classes: Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3. We will give you a short assessment to decide which class would be best for you.

Reading and Writing

This course is for learners who want to feel more confident in reading and writing English. You will practice reading different texts, for example menus, advertisements, signs and short letters and articles. You will also practise writing notes and filling in forms. You will improve your grammar and learn new vocabulary.

We will have three reading and writing classes: Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3. We will give you a short assessment to decide which class would be best for you.

Pre Entry English

This course is for complete beginners who are not familiar with English script, for example Arabic, Thai, Vietnamese or Russian speakers.

We will practise handwriting, reading and pronunciation.

Speaking and Listening: We will practise greetings, asking for and providing basic information.

Reading and Writing: We will practise handwriting, writing and saying the alphabet, reading and writing simple words, sentences, name and address.

Meet the Team

Julie Shepard

What do you teach at Coleg y Cymoedd?

I have been teaching ESOL for 2 years

What is your greatest achievement during your time with us?

Learning about different cultures and religions.

Tell us about your career and experience in Industry

Prior to teaching ESOL I worked for the local authority managing a small family programme aimed at developing parents and carers understanding of the importance of their children’s Speech, Language and Communication skills.

Tell us about your qualifications

Degree in Early Childhood Studies, P.G.C.E

Something interesting about you

I enjoy creative activities and learning new skills.

Natalie Horn

What do you teach at Coleg y Cymoedd?

I am an ESOL lecturer and have been working at the college since 2008.

What is your greatest achievement during your time with us?

There isn’t one achievement for me as they happen in every session, when a learner completes a piece of work to their best ability, communicates with others or simply engages with the tasks. These small achievements prove that our learners can succeed in everything they do.

Tell us about your career and experience in Industry

I have worked in Education for 16 years, starting in the primary sector the starting at the college working for the support team. I have taught Essential Skills Wales, Welsh Baccalaureate and Customer Services before joining the ESOL team.

Tell us about your qualifications

PGCE in Adult Literacy

Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Primary Education

Something interesting about you

I am married and have one daughter who keeps me busy. I love taking her to the park and exploring. We also enjoy art and craft however I have a strong dislike for glitter.

Rachel Houghton

What do you teach at Coleg y Cymoedd?

I have been teaching in college for twenty years.

What is your greatest achievement during your time with us?
Helping learners to improve their English in order to achieve their personal goals, whether these involve applying for a new job, making new friends, helping their children in school or continuing on to a vocational course or even higher education.

Tell us about your career and experience in Industry

I began my teaching career 30 years ago. I was a primary school teacher in Cardiff to begin with but after I had my children, I started teaching English and maths to adults who wanted to improve their skills. I worked in the community and travelled to many different towns and villages in the area. About fifteen years ago I started to teach ESOL classes. I love helping people to improve their English and settle into our area.

Tell us about your qualifications
B.Ed (Honours)
TEFL Certificate

Something interesting about you
I have lived in Wales for about 30 years now, but I’m originally from Yorkshire in the North of England. My neighbour comes from the same town in Yorkshire and went to the same school as me!
I learned to play the piano as a child but now I am trying to learn the mandolin. I am not very good at playing musical instruments but it is something I enjoy doing.

Maria Blochowiak

What do you teach at Coleg y Cymoedd?

I have been teaching ESOL at Coleg y Cymoedd for 13 years.

What is your greatest achievement during your time with us?

In my opinion my greatest achievement as a teacher is the improvement in English my students make. It gives me great satisfaction when I can see the progress students make and to see their increase in confidence.

Tell us about your career and experience in Industry

I have been a teacher all my professional life in Poland and in the UK.

In Poland I was a teacher of Polish language, literature and history for seven years from 1978 until 1985 when I moved to the UK, my new country. Here I started teaching in Special Educational Needs department at Ystrad Mynach College, then ESOL in the community. I also teach Polish at Cardiff University since 2009. I teach students for GCSE and A-level Polish language exams in different secondary schools in RCT area.

Tell us about your qualifications

University in Gdansk (Poland) MA in Pedagogy and Polish Philology.

Glamorgan University: (now University of South Wales) BA in Communication Studies

Newport University: Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)

Something interesting about you

I am a native Polish speaker. When I came to the UK I could not speak any English, I could speak German and Russian but no English. So when my children went to the primary school I enrolled at Ystrad Mynach College to learn the language. My education progressed from here – GCSE, A level and then university. I wanted to continue in teaching so after my graduation I studied PGCE.

If I can do it, you can do it too!

Sheenagh Sykes

What do you teach at Coleg y Cymoedd?

I teach ESOL and have taught at the College for 25 years.

What is your greatest achievement during your time with us?

It is wonderful to see learners achieving their own goals and improving their English skills. They can then join further education or higher education courses, have better job prospects, build up a new network of friends and/or help their children with their studies.

Tell us about your career and experience in industry.

When I left university, I became a retail manager for six years until I had my family. I then needed to find a career which was a ‘better fit’ with family life and so I started teaching in adult community education as a part-time tutor. Although I enjoyed retail, I really found my niche in teaching adults and have always found it to be a rewarding career. Over the years, I have worked in venues throughout Rhondda, Cynon, Taff and have really enjoyed the variety of learners that I have had the pleasure to teach.

Tell us about your qualifications

BA Joint Honours in Modern Languages

Something interesting about you

Nowadays, I take great pleasure in seeing my family develop and grow and love spending time with my grandchildren. I have become a bit of a ‘foodie’ and enjoy trying new meals, preferably cooked by someone else, although I do enjoy baking.

How to join

Simply complete the form below and a member of our ESOL Team will be in contact with you.

ESOL Enquiry

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