University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2016/17 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Arts > Centre for Academic Language and Development > International Foundation Programme Social Sciences and Law > Specification
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Programme code | 1LANG012U |
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Programme type | Undergraduate Non-Degree |
Programme director(s) |
Ruth Taylor
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Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
School/department | Centre for Academic Language and Development |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 1 years (full time) |
This programme aims to prepare international students for academic study at British higher education institutes. Its specific aims are:
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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For the English-based units, learning is facilitated in small groups in which the approach and methods of the Communicative Language Teaching are employed. Students on the IFP+ Pathway are taught separately to those on the standard pathway. Where applicable, tutors set up the work / study context that students might encounter in their target situation and scaffold the students' learning. In addition to a range of authentic and semi-authentic texts which draw on the subject specific areas of the students as well as more general academic fields, considerable use is made of technology and web-enhanced language learning. Teaching / learning for the subject-related units follow the usual modes for those units; this is based on lectures, problem classes and small group delivery. Subject understanding is assisted by language tutors providing parallel subject-specific academic language support. |
Methods of Assessment | |
For the English-based units, assessment includes research essays as well as examinations in language use (academic vocabulary and academic grammar) and in a range of language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). Assessment methods include portfolio work, paper-based, online and oral presentation examination. Assessment for the subject-related units will follow the assessment modes of closed book examinations and coursework assessment, including laboratory-based work, film sequence analysis and oral presentations, where applicable. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Students are involved in carrying out small-scale pieces of research, leading to the production of written work and oral presentations. The process is facilitated through classroom seminars and tutorials, during which students' skills in listening and reading, note-taking, critical evaluation skills, and academic literacy skills and academic language use are developed. Students are also explicitly taught how to participate in seminars and give presentations. Students are guided and scaffolded through this process towards a more independent approach of learning required for university study. |
Methods of Assessment | |
For the English-based units, assessment is undertaken through performance on written work and final examinations in reading and writing as well as presentation skills. Assessment for the subject-related units will follow the usual modes of assessment for those units, typically closed book examinations and coursework assessment, including laboratory-based work, where applicable. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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A process writing approach involving planning, drafting and re-drafting (with formative feedback) is taken across the CELFS academic language and literacy units; this, plus interactive workshops that students are encouraged to attend, will assist them in producing the required text type. A variety of communicative tasks and activities is employed in creating the conditions for motivated social interaction. This is supported by a number of SSLC organised activities (e.g. CELFS Book Club) taking place outside the class in CELFS. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Not formally assessed, although many dimensions of these skills are indirectly implicated in the more formal assessment of knowledge, understanding and intellectual skills. |
Statement of expectations from the students at each level of the programme as it/they develop year on year.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
By the end of this level 3 Programme, students will have developed an appreciation of and the ability to make informed use of differences between registers of English (e.g. academic vs. colloquial) employed in different modes (e.g. speaking / written). They will have progressed from memorising and reproducing information more passively to a more critical approach to dealing with knowledge and ideas. In addition, they will have moved from processing shorter to longer format texts both receptively and productively and will have developed increased learner autonomy, enhanced academic literacy, and embarked upon the process of disciplinary enculturation. Students on the Standard Pathway will have reached an IELTS level of (or equivalent to) 6.5/7.0 depending on entry level. With respect to the subject-specific units, students will have reached a standard comparable to GCE Advanced Level in the equivalent subjects. All students are expected to be successful in their applications to undergraduate programmes at the University of Bristol or another UK university. |
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The intended learning outcome mapping document shows which mandatory units contribute towards each programme intended learning outcome.
For information on the admissions requirements for this programme please see details in the undergraduate prospectus at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/ or contact the relevant academic department.
Workload Statement
In common with the rest of the University, units in the Faculty of Arts
adhere to the credit framework which sets out that 20 credits normally
equates to some 200 hours of student input. Some of this time will be spent
in class, with the remainder divided between preparation for classes and
preparation for, and completion of, the assessment tasks. Some of this
activity may occur within the University’s online learning environment,
Blackboard, which you may use to prepare wikis, to interact with other
students, to download tutorials or to receive feedback.
Assessment Statement
Please select the following link for a statement about assessment. This is University of Bristol access only.
https://www.bris.ac.uk/arts/current/under/assessment.html
The Foundation Programme is primarily intended to prepare students for entry to undergraduate studies at the University of Bristol. It is therefore a programme that directly facilitates the University's recruitment of high-calibre international students equipped with the subject knowledge, academic language and literacy skills as well as study skills required to succeed in a top-ranking British university.
Student workloads in the Arts Faculty are calculated on the basis of an average of 40 hours per week over the academic year. 10 credits therefore represents roughly 100 hours of student work. Part of this workload is made up of lectures, classes and other formal contact time, typically around 6-8 hours per week during each Teaching Block; it will be more those studying language or practice-based subjects and tends to be less in the later stages of the programme as students are expected to be doing more independent work. The bulk of the workload is made up of preparation for and follow-up to class (normally 3-4 hours per contact hour) and work on assessment tasks (e.g. researching and writing coursework, revising for exams).
Language entry requirements for the IFP Social Sciences are minimum IELTS 5.5 overall with a minimum 5.0 in writing and minimum 5.0 in all other components. Students wishing to study IFP Law within this programme require minimum IELTS 6.0 overall, minimum 5.5 in writing and minimum 5.0 in all other components.
Students' future degree choice will guide the units studied on the Programme. Students may also take optional units available across the IFP Arts and Humanities and IFP STEM to reach a total of 120 credits. Students should be aware that some optional units, namely British Constitutional History, Post-war European Cinema, Language and Communication Studies and Literature: Exploring Short Stories, require a minimum 6.0 overall in IELTS (with min. 5.5 in writing and 5.0 in other components). Students will be advised and guided with regard to these choices.
Director of the Centre for English Language and Foundation Studies
Deputy Director of the Centre for English Language and Foundation Studies
IFP Coordinator at the Centre for English Language and Foundation Studies
Students take different combinations of units depending on the type of undergraduate degree programme they are hoping to progress onto. The combinations are for:
Students on the IFP+ take different mandatory units and have more optional choice.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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Text Response | LANG00010 | 30 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Academic Writing | LANG00006 | 30 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Instead of the above units, students on the IFP+ (with a minimum IELTS 7.0 (overall) and a 6.0 in writing) will take: | |||||
Accelerated Academic Writing | LANG00019 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Accelerated Text Response | LANG00018 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Students wishing to progress onto degrees in Sociology, Politics, International Relations, Philosophy, Social Policy, and Childhood Studies must take the following unit: | |||||
Introduction to the Social Sciences | SPOL00001 | 40 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Students wishing to progress onto degrees in Law must take the following unit: | |||||
British Constitutional History | LANG00012 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Plus students wishing to progress to Law must choose one of the following units: | |||||
Introduction to the Social Sciences | SPOL00001 | 40 | Optional | TB-4 | |
What Does it Mean to be Human? I: The Modern World | ARTF00004 | 40 | Optional | TB-1,TB-2 | |
Students wishing to progress onto degrees in Economics, Finance, Accounting and Management must take all of the following units: | |||||
Foundations of Finance and Economics | EFIM01000 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Introductory Foundations of Mathematics | MATH00002 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Further Foundations of Mathematics | MATH00001 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Any student can then select units from the list below if they have not already reached a total of 120 credit points: | |||||
Literature: Exploring Short Stories | LANG00016 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Language and Communication Studies | LANG00017 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Post-War European Cinema | DRAM00001 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Foundations of Finance and Economics | EFIM01000 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
British Constitutional History | LANG00012 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
What Does it Mean to be Human? I: The Modern World | ARTF00004 | 40 | Optional | TB-1,TB-2 | |
Introduction to the Social Sciences | SPOL00001 | 40 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences | MVSF00001 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
International Foundation Programme Social Sciences and Law | 120 |
Unit Pass Mark for Undergraduate Programmes:
For details on the weightings for classifying undergraduate degrees, please see the Agreed Weightings, by Faculty, to be applied for the Purposes of Calculating the Final Programme Mark and Degree Classification in Undergraduate Programmes.
For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.
Please refer to the specific progression/award requirements for programmes with a preliminary year of study, the Gateway programmes and International Foundation programmes.
All undergraduate degree programmes allow the opportunity for a student to exit from a programme with a Diploma or Certificate of Higher Education.
Integrated Master's degrees may also allow the opportunity for a student to exit from the programme with an equivalent Bachelor's degree where a student has achieved 360 credit points, of which 90 must be at level 6, and has successfully met any additional criteria as described in the programme specification.
The opportunities for a student to exit from one of the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry with an Award is outlined in the relevant Programme Regulations (which are available as an annex in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes).
An Ordinary degree can be awarded if a student has successfully completed at least 300 credits with a minimum of 60 credits at Level 6.
The pass mark for the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine and Dentistry is 50 out of 100. The classification of a degree in the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry is provided in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.
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