UK Tel: 01209 211 800
Intl Tel: +44 1209 211 800
CESA House
Pennance Road
Lanner
Cornwall
TR16 5TQ
Great Britain
t: 01209 211 800
Intl t: +44 1209 211 800
f: 01209 211 830
Founder member of the Year Out Group and the International Association of Language Travel Agents.
Methodology
The college’s key concern is to get you to speak!
Of course you will cover the four core skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, with plenty of grammar and vocabulary work included in order to develop all the essential Spanish language skills.
The curriculum is structured on eight theoretical language levels, with a natural duration of between three and five weeks at each level. There are classes in grammar, oral and written exercises, practice with video and audio material and conversation on subjects of general, social and cultural interest.
Special importance is given to the communicative aspect of the language and its use in everyday life. For this reason, the college encourages students to speak Spanish in class, and whenever possible out of class as well.
A student of average linguistic ability should allow four/six weeks to complete each of the Beginner/Elementary I & II levels, covering basic grammatical structured knowledge to be able to communicate in the practical situations of daily life plus an introduction to Spanish customs.
Approximately six/eight weeks will be required to complete each of the Intermediate I & II levels with its emphasis on grammar with reference to the past tenses and development of conversation skills (and at Intermediate 2 level, the subjunctive).
An additional six/eight weeks covers the Advanced level (deepening grammatical skills, providing fluency in conversation and a deeper knowledge of Spanish culture, also written expression and the creation of texts.
Then there is the Proficency level students learn to communicate in almost all situations. They can understand and speak in all the styles of Spanish and know all of its different grammatical structures.
Spanish language levels
The table (below) gives an idea of how the Spanish language school levels compare to those established by the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF, in Spanish the MCER) and by the Instituto Cervantes for its Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE) examinations.
| School system | CEF | DELE descriptions |
| Principante | A1 | Diploma A1 |
| Elemental | A1/A2 | Diploma A2 |
| Preintermedio | A2 | " |
| Intermedio I | B1 | Diploma B1 (Incial) |
| Intermedio II | B1 | " |
| Intermedio III | B1 | " |
| Preavanzado | B2 | Diploma B2 (Intermedio) |
| Avanzado I | B2 | " |
| Avanzado I Alto | B2 | " |
| Avanzado II | C1 | Diploma C1 |
| Avanzado II Alto | C1 | " |
| Perfeccionamiento | C2 | Diploma C2 (Superior) |
You will normally need at least 40 hours tuition at any one level before advancing to the next course.
On the first day that you begin a Spanish course, there is both a written and an oral placement test.
Lessons will begin on the following morning (generally speaking Tuesday AM)
In reality students chose to attend a short course or a longer "Gap Year" or “Languages for Life” course according to their linguistic goals, personal wishes and time constraints.
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