Cert III - Semester 2

Editor's Notes

• #3: So...certificate III in ESL further study continues in semester two? Let's quickly review of what's been accomplished so far and take a look at what you'll be working on this semester.
• #4: Last semester, in module 1 you focusedon the theme of organisations and examined the genres of description, historical narrative, processes and instructions.
• #5: Semester two consists of two separate modules and each one has its own distinct theme and skills focus.
• #6: This semester, you will complete an essay and an oral presentation for module 2 and also a summary writing task and a panel debate speaking task for module 3. You will receive a mark out of 100 for each task from your foreign teacher.
• #7: During first part of this semester you will complete module 2 and the theme is the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
• #8: The Millennium Development goals were officially established by world leaders in the year 2000 at the United Nations headquarters.   There are eight goals in total and their aim is to improve social and economic conditions in the world's poorest countries. This semester you will learn about some of these important issues with a major focus upon: Poverty and Hunger, Universal Education, and Environmental Sustainability including Water,Sanitation, and Global Warming.  
• #9: Throughout module 2, you will develop your language skills by focusing on causes and effects, giving explanations and comparing and contrasting – you will also learn how to use statistical data and present your information in a chart or graph.
• #10: Once module two tasks are complete, you will continue this semester with module 3.The themes for module 3 are:Globalisation, traffic congestion, university fees, and nuclear energy.
• #11: The skills focus for module 3 is argumentation and summary writing.
• #12: G: I remember that there are several units of study that make up this course but how in the end, are my final scores calculated?   Good question – all that information is in the student information booklet that you received last year but let's take a look now.  
• #14: All of your speaking grades for semesters one and two go towards the unit of study VPAU 523 “Give oral presentations for further studies”.   Victoria University calculates your grades from the oral tasks you complete with your foreign teacher.    
• #15: Even though your teacher gives you a grade out of 100 for each spoken assessment it is worth a specific percentage towards the unit of study. Let's take a look at those percentages now.
• #16: In semester one, you and your partner gave an oral presentation describing a process or giving instructions. You each received a score out of 100 and it is worth 30% of your speaking grade for the course.
• #17: The oral presentation you will do in module 2 is about the millennium development goals.   For this task, you will: 1. Pick a least developed country 2. Research general information about your country and 3. focus upon a particular MDG issue in that country  It is also worth 30%  
• #18: For your finalspeakingtask, you will be a member on a panel debating team of three. Together with your teammates, you will either take the positive or negative position about one of three themes that you will examine in class:Traffic congestion, university fees, or nuclear energy.  This final speaking task for Certificate III in ESL Further Study is worth 40%.  
• #19: At the end of the course, your total for the unit of study VPAU 523 Give oral presentations for further studies, adds up to 100%.  In semester one, your oral presentation in which you gave instructions or described a process is worth 30%.  In semester 2, your oral presentation about a least developed country and an issue from the millennium development goals is worth 30%.  Your final speaking task, also in semester 2, when you speak about a debatable issue is worth 40%.
• #21: The listening grades for the unit VPAU527: Listen and take notes for research purposes are provided by your local Chinese teacher. In addition, you complete non-graded note-taking lessons with your foreign teachers. Both of these scores are recorded for this unit of study.
• #22: At the end of the Certificate III in ESL Further Study course, your total for the unit of study VPAU 527 Listen and take notes for research purposes, adds up to 100%. In semester 1, the listening tasks you complete with your Chinese teachers are worth 40% In semester 2 they are worth 60%.  
• #24: Your reading and writing marks are more complicated because they are combined. There are 2 units of study that meet the learning outcomes for reading and writing. This means that your final marks will be the same.   Let's take a closer look at the two units of study and see how these scores are calculated.
• #25: One unit of study that you achieve through your reading and writing tasks is called VPAU525: Read & write straightforward texts for research purposes.
• #26: The other is called:VPAU 526 analyse and produce a range of straightforward texts relevant to further study.
• #27: Your marks for reading are provided by your localChineseteachers only.  At the end of this course your total for the reading tasks for the units of study VPAU 525 and VPAU 526 adds up to 50%.  In semester 1 your reading tasks are worth 20% and in semester 2 they are worth 30%.
• #28: Your marks for writing are provided by your foreign teachers only.  In semester 1, the essay you wrote about the Mango Clothing company is worth 15% towards the two units of study.
• #29: In semester 2, you will write an essay about one of the millennium development goals.   This essay is worth 20%.   Also in semester 2, you will write a summary on the topic of globalisation. This summary is worth 15%.
• #30: Let's review your writing percentages. At the end of the course, the writing total for the two units of study VPAU 525 and VPAU 526 adds up to 50%. In semester 1, your descriptive essay about the Mango clothing company is worth 15%. In semester 2, your essay about a millennium development goal issue is worth 20%. Finally, your summary writing task about globalisation is worth 15%.
• #31: Because your reading and writing marks are combined, you will receive the same total score out of 100% for these two units of study in this course.In other words, VPAU 525 Read and write straightforward texts for research purposes will have the same final score as VPAU 526 Analyse andproduce a range of straightforward texts relevant to further study.  
• #32: So, if I understand correctly, this means that I will I see the same grade for both units on my academic transcript?   YES!
• #33: In the student handbook that you were given at the start of last semester, you will find this example of a student's writing and reading scores. Here you can see how the grades have been calculated into the specific percentage for each task. In the end, this student 78.6% for both units of study. 
• #34: Academic writing is an important skill that needs continual development.Let's take a closer look at the writing requirements for this course:In semester one the theme was organisations and you wrote a descriptive essay about the Mango clothing company.   
• #35: All of the research about the Mango clothing company was done for you by VU's curriculum department. They researched Mango's profile, its history, and its design process and included it to you in your module book. You were then able to focus on writing.   All academic writing tasks require this level of detailed research and in semester one, it was provided for you.  
• #36: In semester two, as previously mentioned, the theme is the United Nations Millennium Development goals. You will complete a researched compare and contrast essay about a millennium development goal issue.
• #37: As you learn about the important issues that the UN's millennium development goals are trying to alleviate, you will conduct your own research into the Millennium Development Goal that you decide to focus upon. You will then write an informed research essay based on the key information that you find. 
• #38: Your final writing task will be in module 3.   The theme is globalisation and for this task, you will receive an article about globalisation and you will need use your own words to summarise the main points.
• #39: At the end of this course, you will apply online for this certificate. Your teacher will show you how to do this closer to the end of this delivery.
• #40: With your Certificate III in ESL Further Study, you will be equiped with important academic skills that will help you succeed with your diploma and degree subjects.  Victoria University wishes you continued success throughout this coming semester.