English for Information Technology professionals

Introduction

English for Information Technology is an online course, consisting of 56 units of English, and providing approximately 60 hours of study for students.

Course aims

To give students at Intermediate, CEFR B1/Upper Intermediate B2 level practice in general and business-oriented language required for business contexts at this level, specifically tailored towards IT. The course blends grammatical structures necessary for this level, with vocabulary, reading, listening, writing, speaking, and pronunciation.

Gramatika

By the end of the course, students will be able to

  • Distinguish and be able to correctly describe countable and uncountable nouns.
  • Compare adjectives and adverbs, using comparative and superlative forms.
  • Describe real-life choices using the First Conditional form.
  • Use the passive voice correctly in written and spoken English.
  • Use gerund and infinitive forms to form more complex and accurate sentences.
  • Use the present continuous form to describe situations in the future.
  • Use the present perfect tense to describe situations requiring a link between the present and the past.
  • Use relative pronouns and clauses to link simple ideas into more complex sentences.

Vārdnīca

  • By the end of the course students will have learnt approximately 100 lexical items used in an IT setting.

Skills

  • By the end of the course students will have had exposure to and practice in reading and hearing formal and informal English from a variety of accents and IT contexts.

Unit summary

Module 1

  • Introduction to English for Information Technology
  • Gramatika: Countable and uncountable nouns
  • Vārdnīca: General IT vocabulary 1
  • Lasīšana: A Day in my IT worklife
  • Klausīšanās: Dialogue: One person’s experience working in IT
  • Rakstīšana: Write about how you started your career in Information Technology
  • Runājot: Are information technology jobs going to be replaced by AI?
  • Pronunciation: Minimal pair: /ə/ and /e/ ; dealing with connected speech

Module 2

  • Common IT Vocabulary and Terminology
  • Gramatika: Comparatives and superlatives
  • Vārdnīca: General IT vocabulary 2
  • Lasīšana: A constantly changing world
  • Klausīšanās: Dialogue: Specialist vocabulary in IT
  • Rakstīšana: Write about new vocabulary you have learnt in the last year
  • Runājot: Is it important to learn technical vocabulary, when everything changes so quickly?
  • Pronunciation: Minimal pair: /ts/ and /ʧ/ ; dealing with connected speech

Module 3

  • Writing Effective Emails in the IT Industry
  • Gramatika: First conditional
  • Vārdnīca: Vocabulary necessary for writing effective emails
  • Lasīšana: A business email
  • Klausīšanās: Talk: How to write effective emails
  • Rakstīšana: What is your opinion of emails, receiving and writing them?
  • Runājot: Do you write more emails or fewer emails than you did five years ago? Why?
  • Pronunciation: Minimal pair: /e/ and /ʌ/ ; dealing with connected speech

Module 4

  • Describing Software and Hardware in English
  • Grammar: Gerunds and Infinitives
  • Vārdnīca: Vocabulary necessary to describe computer hardware and software
  • Lasīšana: Microsoft Powerpoint/Out of date computer hardware: a false economy
  • Klausīšanās: Dialogue: Talking about a new software program
  • Rakstīšana: Write about your computer hardware set up and what you would like to improve about it
  • Runājot: What’s the best piece of software you’ve ever used, and why?
  • Pronunciation: Minimal pair: /ʊ/ and /ʌ/ ; dealing with connected speech

Module 5

  • Preparing for English Language IT Interviews and Job Applications
  • Grammar: The Passive
  • Vārdnīca: Vocabulary necessary for describing the interview process
  • Lasīšana: Interview tips
  • Klausīšanās: Dialogue: A sample interview
  • Rakstīšana: Write about a failed job interview and what you have learnt from it
  • Runājot: What was it about your last job interview that you think got you your current job?
  • Pronunciation: Minimal pair: /æ/ and /ʌ/ ; dealing with connected speech

Module 6

  • Effective Communication in Cross-Functional IT Teams
  • Grammar: Present continuous with future reference
  • Vārdnīca: Vocabulary necessary for describing effective communication
  • Lasīšana: Please let me be understood!
  • Klausīšanās: Talk: How to communicate effectively
  • Rakstīšana: Write about the issues you have had trying to communicate effectively with those from a different culture
  • Runājot: Are you a good communicator?
  • Pronunciation: Minimal pair: /d/ and /r/ ; dealing with connected speech

Module 7

  • Understanding Technical Reports and Documents
  • Grammar: Present perfect
  • Vārdnīca: Vocabulary necessary for the correct understanding of reports
  • Lasīšana: Reporting your worklife
  • Klausīšanās: Dialogue: Dealing with reports and technical documents
  • Rakstīšana: Write about whether you like or hate reading technical reports
  • Runājot: Do you pay attention to technical reports?
  • Pronunciation: Minimal pair: /f/ and /v/ ; dealing with connected speech

Module 8

  • Using English for Technical Writing and Documentation
  • Grammar: Relative pronouns and clauses
  • Vārdnīca: Vocabulary necessary for the effective writing of reports
  • Lasīšana: Website issues and solutions
  • Klausīšanās: Dialogue: Writing technical reports in English
  • Rakstīšana: Write about how the quality of your technical report writing has changed over the years.
  • Runājot: Are you able to write technical reports without using a translation tool?
  • Pronunciation: Minimal pair: /g/ and /j/ ; dealing with connected speech

Follow-up

Students completing the English for Information Technology professionals course should feel confident in tackling any upper intermediate course, including our Upper Intermediate Business Power course.