Study Requirements

Below is a list of recommendations and a lot of good advice which you must not ignore. We want to you get the most out of this course and to reach the level required to pass the KPG C2 exam. Please do not ignore any of the following points.

YOU MUST DO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:

1. Log in to the course EVERY WEEK, using your username and password, and complete all the exercises and other tasks required.
2. Read the list of theory topics for that week are on the left of the page. Begin at the top and work your way down. On the right of the page you will see the theory explained in simple terms with plenty of examples. Read this carefully and understand it.
3. After every few topics covered, there is a short test for you to complete based on the topics. These tests come in a variety of formats. Read the instructions carefully and then answer the questions.
4. The final test each week is a small sample of one of the exam papers. These will get longer and more complicated as the course progresses.
5. There is usually an example completed for you at the beginning of each test. If you are having difficulty with a particular question, you can ask for a hint to help you. If you are still unable to answer the question, you can ask for the full answer.
   
   

Assessment

1. The system tells you which questions you have got wrong and calculates a final mark for you after every exercise. You should attempt the wrong questions again, and try to get the correct answer. The final mark will improve if you do this. However the system will know the number of times you have attempted the question, and will not give you some, but not full, marks for it. If you ask the system to give you the answer or fail to answer, you will not get a mark for that question.
2. You may also try the whole test again as a new attempt.
3. The tutors will check the system to see which sections you have viewed, and what marks you obtained for each test. In this way we will be able to monitor your progress regularly.
4. The exercises and exam questions for Paper 1(Reading Comprehension) and Paper 3 (listening Comprehension) will be marked automatically by the system. Essays for paper 2 will be marked by the tutors and returned to you with comments. We will be meeting you regularly for speaking practice for Paper 4.
   

Tips for Studying

1. Allocate yourself enough time in your schedule every week to sit somewhere that is peaceful and has internet access. You can then concentrate on reading and understanding the weekly theory and completing the exercises and exam questions undisturbed.
2. Develop a system for making additional notes which best suits you.
   These may be grammar rules, syntax, examples of collocation, vocabulary, idioms, or phrasal verbs. In other words, anything you find useful to reinforce what you are learning from both the platform and also from other sources.
3. If you make mistakes, learn from them!
4. Sometimes you will be given research tasks to perform in addition to the exercises. This will normally require you to find more examples of words or expressions relating to a particular subject. You must try and do the research. In the process of further exploring the particular subject, you will learn more vocabulary and become familiar with other sources of information. You may wish to share these on the forum with other students.
5. You must have hard copies (i.e. books) of the following:

   a) A good English Dictionary b) A good Greek - English / English - Greek Dictionary c) An English Thesaurus Dictionary d) A Book of Phrasal Verbs e) A Book of English Idioms Any textbooks containing advanced English grammar are also very useful. These will all be extremely helpful for you in every aspect of the course, and are items which you will keep for ever afterwards. It is worth investing in them! Books published by Oxford or Cambridge University Press are especially good. Learn how to use them effectively, and do so regularly. You may even occasionally just browse through them for fun. You will be surprised how much you can learn just by doing this!

6. Microsoft Word has a spell-checker (F7), a Thesaurus (Shift +F7) and can also have a translation option installed. In addition there many internet sites which do all the above and also offer grammar tips.
   NOTE: Don't get too used to relying on translation software. It is a useful learning tool, but must not be used too often when you are trying, for example, to write essays. It also often makes terrible mistakes. Beware!