Course Overview

CQUniversity provides English language units for international and local students. Units include General English, IELTS Preparation and EAP (English for Academic Purposes).

General English classes are intended for people who are either beginners or have some English skills and want to improve them. They are particularly suitable for migrants who need to help with their listening skills and the accuracy of their spoken English. The reading and writing taught in these classes focuses on practical English: writing letters or email, shopping lists, filling in forms, reading instructions or magazines and newspapers. The higher level General English classes are a good starting point for IELTS Preparation and EAP.

IELTS Preparation is a more advanced level class suitable for anyone preparing to sit the IELTS Exam or for those who want an academically focused upper intermediate class. The skills taught in this class continue on from the General English. In addition to teaching IELTS Exam skills this class is an excellent starting point for anyone who wants academic English and more advanced literacy skills. The Language Centre at Rockhampton is an IELTS test centre so students can prepare for the exam and sit it at the same location. An acceptable IELTS band score fulfils the English language entry requirements for many degree coursess at CQUniversity. Therefore IELTS Preparation can function as a preparatory course for tertiary study. You will need an IELTS overall score of 4.5 to enter into this course.

EAP classes are intended for people who want to learn academic English. The content is very similar to IELTS Preparation but differs in that there is more focus on referencing, essay writing and presentation, information literacy and note taking for lectures. The over-arching objective of the EAP classes is to teach students how to collect, assess and present information in English. These classes are also intended to teach international students the study skills needed in a western style university so that they understand the ‘rules of the game' when they begin their degree programs.

Career Information

Seven hundred and fifty million people speak English as a second language and 1 in 4 speak some English. With English becoming the unofficial language of the world, those who can speak it are well on their way to being truly global citizens. The universality of English means its speakers have an edge over others when it comes to finding employment as they will speak the language which is used for global communication.

Strong literacy skills, as taught in EAP classes, enhance conversational English and improve employment opportunities. A higher level band score from an IELTS exam or a pass in EAP Direct Entry provide global verification of the holder's English abilities for potential employers.

The overseas experience provided by studying English in Australia is often valued by employers as it demonstrates that the person can cope with living and working in another country. In addition, it shows that the language has been learned from native speakers in a native speaking country and not artificially from a book in a home-country classroom.

A pass in EAP or IELTS should fulfil the English language requirement for entry into many CQUniversity degree courses - the first step on the way to a university degree.

The ability to collect, evaluate and report on information which is taught in IELTS and EAP classes is invaluable for coping in a western style university or school as well as enhancing workplace performance.