Who is this course for?
This course is for English teachers and students of the English language who would like to develop their writing skills with a view to passing the Cambridge C1 Advanced exam.

The rationale behind this course
Teaching writing lessons to students preparing to pass advanced Cambridge exams, I've noticed that some students tend to focus solely on grammar and vocabulary when they work on their writing skills, neglecting other important aspects, such as task achievement, organization, and communicative achievement. Students who failed the exam in the past and later came to me for private tutoring reported "not knowing what went wrong, as they remembered employing a lot of advanced structures and vocabulary in their writing tasks." There is more to advanced writing than simply language. In this course, the goal is to unravel the writing styles tested in advanced English exams (essay, report, article, review, and letter) by actively producing texts on a weekly basis.

What makes this course a must?
This course is particularly enriching for English teachers and students of the English language who would like to become familiar with  different writing genres as well as the conventions of each genre. In addition, aspects related to appropriacy and register, something that is often overlooked in textbooks, will also be the focus of this course. Ultimately, by taking this course, students will have an in-depth understanding of what proficiency writing skills look like.

Content of the course
In this course, you will learn:
 
• How to fully answer the question;
• The difference between straightforward and complex ideas;
• Different ways in which a text can be organized for different purposes;
• How to employ linkers, cohesive devices, and organizational patterns effectively;
• How to write an essay;
• How to write a report;
• How to write a review;
• How to write an article;
• How to write a letter.

Keep in mind that this is not a grammar course. If you'd like to learn grammar, I suggest you take the Explicit Advanced Grammar course.


Course format
This is a group course.
Minimum number of students: 3
Maximum number of students: 4
The duration of each session is 1 hour and 30 minutes. If the student is not able to attend the session, they will have access to the recording, which will be made available for 30 days.

Keep in mind that this course is a synchronous course with active work on writing; therefore, the  taking it asynchronously is not a possibility.

What does a typical lesson in this course look like?
Prior to each session, students will be assigned a pre-task (a 80-100-word assignment). The passages produced by them will be the focus of each lesson (learn by doing). In this way, besides receiving my feedback, students will also benefit from peer feedback. Students' identities will remain anonymous in order not to cause any discomfort, embarrassment, or comparison with their peers. In this way, on a weekly basis, students will be receiving direct feedback on everything they produce, thus being able to, little by little, improve their writing skills. Students will not receive feedback in case they fail to submit their pre-tasks before the established deadline.

What the course includes
18 synchronous sessions (90min long) with direct feedback in class.

This is a 27-hour course.

 

What the course doesn't include
Individual detailed writing feedback via email.

Schedule of the course
From February 6th to June 25th (every Tuesday)
3:30pm BRT to 5pm BRT
 

February 6th, 20th, 27th

March 5th, 12th, 19th
Recess from March 22nd to April 8th

April 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th

May 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th

June 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th

​