What are Elective Courses?

Elective courses are an integral part of our programme. They are designed to complement the morning courses, covering specific areas of English or academic study. The Elective courses are for students who want to improve their career prospects or win that all-important university place, they are for students who need to learn the communication skills needed in a variety of professional and work situations; and, most importantly, they are for students who want to learn more English, more quickly, by choosing an Elective Programme that suits their own interests or needs. The Elective courses are offered at different levels, covering a wide range of practical and interesting topic areas.

What types of courses are there in the afternoon?

There are many types of courses for you to choose from e.g. IELTS and The TOEFL ® test, which are required university entrance examination courses; other college preparation, e.g. English for Academic Purposes and other study skills; Business and Professional English; specialised classes for developing your speaking, listening and writing skills; Additional English classes; British Life and Institutions, cultural topics (English through Paintings, Pop Music, Literature, Media and many more).

How do I choose the afternoon Elective Courses?

When you first come to the school you will have an interview with the Elective Course Director, who will talk to you about your interests and language needs and help you to choose your own Elective Programme. This will be a list of your first choices and reserve choices.

How do I benefit from having Elective Courses?

By having lessons on the afternoon Elective Courses your English will improve at a faster rate and, because the courses contain students with the same interests and objectives, you focus on topics and language areas that you really want to develop to help you to achieve your specific goals.

What do our students think?

The success of the Elective Courses can be judged from the enthusiastic comments we have received from students and from their success in achieving their academic, professional and personal targets. They welcome the opportunity to have more specialized teaching and broaden their understanding and use of English in these important areas.

What is the difference between morning courses and afternoon courses?

The morning courses are General English Courses covering all the necessary learning skills and all students at Churchill House School follow them. There are different levels and, after your interview, you will be put in the level that is right for you.

The afternoon Elective Courses are for students who want lessons covering specific areas of English that best suit their individual needs. Generally speaking, the levels are slightly broader in the afternoon courses, helping create realistic situations for you to develop your language and communication skills.

Can I change my Elective Programme?

Yes. The Elective Course Director is available every afternoon for you to talk to. You can discuss your programme with him and make changes to your choice of subjects according to your needs or your teachers’ recommendations. The afternoon Elective Programme is for you and we will do all that we can to put you on the courses you have chosen. Occasionally it is not possible to give you a course from your First Choice list in which case we will choose an appropriate course from your Reserve (Second) Choice list. In very rare cases you may have chosen a course that cannot run at your level, so we ask you to be flexible and choose another option that will also be suitable for your needs.

How long are the different courses?

Afternoon Elective Courses
In the afternoon Elective Course there are 2 types of programme to choose from. If you have only one elective choice, it will take place either on Monday/Tuesday afternoons or on Thursday/Friday afternoons (15 hours + 5 hours = 20 hours per week). If you have two elective choices, you will have classes on Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday (15 hours + 10 hours =25 hours per week).

Click here for a summary of all the courses.