English Examination Class (Test of Interactive English)

Background

To date  Hello Ireland classes for teenagers have involved conversational English combined with an activities programme.  Several of our agents and students have requested an examination class for older teenagers.  We have researched this and have chosen the Irish Test of Interactive English; Junior programme (www.tie.ie).  This is a national programme with international recognition in several EU countries.  We have chosen it for our teenagers Summer programmes because it focuses on the skills required for communicating in an English speaking environment.  This seems more appropriate for Summer learners in that it will complement the more theoretical approach to language learning which is necessary in their home schools. 

Admission Criteria
In order to join this programme students should normally have :-

• completed at least 3 years study of English
• have achieved Intermediate level English with good grades (a placement test can be undertaken if necessary)
• an age of  16 to 19 (some younger students who have shown strong linguistic aptitude may be admitted)

Class Size and Teaching

Classes  will not exceed 15 students.  Teachers are all graduates with TEFL certification and experience in EFL teaching.  Classes are interesting and interactive and utilise a wide range of modern learning aids.

Duration and Dates

The programme duration is 3 weeks.

Classes  will commence on Wednesday 18th July

Curriculum , Timetable – Academic and Activities

There are three practical components to the TIE preparation. Students carry out these  tasks and record them in a logbook:

• a short project on a subject of interest to him/her
• read a book of the student’s choice in English at the student’s level
• Follow a News Story in the newspapers and/or on TV or radio.

Students will have 6 hours tuition per day, Monday to Thursday, 9 am to 4pm.

Each day will comprise:-

4 hours formal English classes focusing on the three tasks listed above.

 Classes will be very interactive and will use technology to assist learning.

These formal classes will be punctuated with the following additional classes to permit more informal English language learning:-

• one hour computing
• one hour drama / music / dance

They will have one hour lunch / leisure break each day.

On Fridays, they will have 3 hours classes in the morning and the rest of the day will be devoted to private study / project work.

Details of the assessment are provided on the TIE website www.tie.ie and in the extract beloew.

In the evenings and weekends the examination group will join Hello Ireland activities – sports, games, films, social evenings and outings. Please refer to the Activities section of this site to see the range of options.

Accommodation and Catering

Classes will take place in Waterford Institute of Technology www.wit.ie  and students will stay in WIT student apartments at Manor Village.

Test of Interactive English (TIE)

The Test of Interactive English (TIE) is an international EFL exam developed in Ireland by a group of Irish English language professionals under the aegis of the Advisory Council for English Language Schools (ACELS) www.acels.ie, a government agency responsible for quality assurance in English language teaching. TIE can be taken by junior and adult students on either short or long courses in Ireland as well as abroad.

TIE is a learner-centred exam which is flexible, i.e., designed to recognise and accommodate the needs and interests of each learner whatever their level of English, age, cultural or educational background. The test is task-based with the content chosen by each individual learner and can therefore be used to assess learners with the following needs and motivations:

1. learners of English for general purposes;
2. learners of English for vocational, professional or academic purposes;
3. learners of English as a second language.

Junior TIE (JTIE) Junior TIE is designed for all students attending secondary schools. In all other respects the preparation and conduct of the exam is similar to TIE.

The following are all excellent reasons for doing the TIE examination:

1. TIE has been designed according to sound methodological principles.
2. TIE is recognised by the Irish Department of Education and Science and for credito formativo in Italy.
3. TIE has been recognised by ASEP as an English language examination for Greece.
4. TIE assesses your levels of written and spoken English and separate grades are awarded for each part of the test
5. Assessment follows the Common European Framework and the TIE certificate is suitable for inclusion in a European Language or Europass Portfolio.
6. Rigorous quality assurance checks are in place to ensure validity and reliability.
7. TIE can be taken by learners at any level.
8. TIE can be taken at regular times every month in Ireland.
9. Detailed feedback is provided to teachers in TIE centres.
10. Certificates are sent out within ten working days.

Structure
Students do three tasks and record them in a logbook:

1. a short project on a subject of interest to him/her
2. read a book of the student’s choice in English at the student’s level
3. Follow a News Story in the newspapers and/or on TV or radio.

The Test
The test is in two parts – a speaking test (OTIE) and a written test (WTIE). In the oral test the student presents a project, talks about either your book or news story and talks to his/her partner to reach a decision based on some material the examiner will give him/her. In the writing test students are required to produce two pieces of writing. One about either their book or news story and for the second the student has to write something which he/she has not prepared.
Duration and Location
 The writing test takes 1 hour and the speaking test takes 30 minutes (25 minutes for Junior TIE. The test can be taken in any TIE centre (usually the candidate’s own school) or at TIE Examinations Limited in the case of individual candidates.
Assessment
The test is assessed according to the Council of Europe’s Common European framework of Language Proficiency. The grades for the two examinations are slightly different:

Results are issued and certificates sent within 10 working days. All results are sent to the schools or centres entering the candidates and it is their responsibility to ensure that candidates receive their certificates.