Do you want to improve your English speaking, listening, reading and writing? Do you need to develop your communication skills for work? Would you like to participate more effectively in society, discuss the news, talk about art, write about your feelings and thoughts?
More than a language course
Whether you are complete beginner or an advanced speaker running a business, our courses will help you develop the most in-demand common skills for work and life: problem-solving, decision-making, collaborating, analysing, seeing the bigger picture. You will focus on how to achieve tasks such as organising events, writing film reviews, dealing with customers and the language skills you need to complete these tasks.
What is the best course for me?
We have long and short courses, online and face-to-face, with and without qualifications. You can do specialist pronunciation, grammar and writing classes, courses on web design and podcasting, business and storytelling, plus general ESOL courses.
You need to do a pre-course assessment. You can also do it online by clicking ‘Start Assessment’ on the course page, However, a face-to-face assessment is better. Contact universal.skill@citylit.ac.uk / 020 4582 0423 for an appointment. You can also come without an appointment.
Times:
- Every Monday 12- 2pm
- Every Wednesday 6-8pm
- Every Friday 11am-1pm (23rd August – 6th October)
The courses are FREE to most learners. For more information about our live online courses, please see our guide to online learning.
- English dialogue: speaking, listening, pronunciation, performance (level 1-2)Course start date: Thu 19 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Do you want to sound ‘more English’ when you speak? Do you want the chance to experiment with becoming expressive in English, playing with how you sound when you speak different dialogues? On this course, you will work on different dialogues from everyday speech and well known plays. And you will also create your own! The chance to work on how to perform and enact this speech will enable you to focus on how to link and ‘chunk’ words, develop your rhythm and stress, work on your fluency and ensure that the meaning of what you are saying becomes expressed. You will also be working with ‘real’ language, not the sometimes artificial language of English course books. Although you will be performing the texts, you do not need to be an actor, just willing to give it a go. By writing your own dialogues, you will also develop your writing skills so by the end of the course you can write and perform together with your classmates your own 5 minute play!.
You need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 8078 0489 for a face-to-face assessment or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name).
This course is FREE if a) you are on a Low Wage or b) you are either on Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Employment & Support Allowance(ESA) or c) you want to get a job or progress into a better job and you receive other state benefits (including Universal Credit). For more information click hereFull fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £70.00 - English pronunciation: stage 2Course start date: Fri 29 Sep 2023 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: David John GwillimDesigned for people who have completed ‘English Pronunciation: stage 1’ although new students with sufficient skills can join. Develop confidence and clarity, explore diphthongs and triphthongs, inflection and the rhythms of Standard English. This term the course will be taught online.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00 Concession £153.00 - Communication skills: develop your writing and digital skills through website design (ESOL level 1-2)Course start date: Thu 18 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Do you want to improve your English in a real-life context and develop your digital skills at the same time? On this course you will learn how to create a website and write content for it. You will decide together on the type of website you want to create as a class and you will then focus on how to write in a way suitable for web pages. You will focus on how to structure the writing, how to make sure the most important information is in the right part of the text, how to write headlines, and use the right tone. You will also look at how to embed your own videos and speak well on videos. By the end of the course, you will have developed an important skill for use inside and outside work and improved your overall communication and digital skills.
You need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 8078 0489 for a face-to-face assessment or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name).
This course is FREE if a) you are on a Low Wage or b) you are either on Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Employment & Support Allowance(ESA) or c) you want to get a job or progress into a better job and you receive other state benefits (including Universal Credit). For more information click hereFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £75.00 - English pronunciation: stage 1Course start date: Tue 26 Sep 2023 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: David John GwillimAre you a non-native fluent speaker who wants to improve your pronunciation of English and to speak the language more clearly and confidently? Work on clear formation of vowel and consonant sounds including the English neutral vowel and the distinction between voiced and unvoiced sounds. This term the course will be taught online.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - Develop your writing and language skills (level 1-level 2)Course start date: Thu 25 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Have you been learning English for a long time but your writing just doesn’t seem to be improving? Are you quite a fluent speaker but find formal speaking difficult? Do you feel ‘stuck’. This course will release you! You will focus on how to improve the structure of your writing both the whole text, paragraphs and sentences. You will work on understanding the grammar of the language, and the skills you learn to develop your writing will help you improve your more formal speaking whether this is for job interviews, meetings at work or giving presentations. This course is ideal if you have been living in the UK for several years, feel quite comfortable in speaking English as a second language, but lack confidence in your literacy skills.
You need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 8078 0489 for a face-to-face assessment or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name).
This course is FREE if a) you are on a Low Wage or b) you are either on Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Employment & Support Allowance(ESA) or c) you want to get a job or progress into a better job and you receive other state benefits (including Universal Credit). For more information click hereFull fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £65.00 - Communication skills: developing your writing, speaking and digital skills through creating a radio programme (ESOL level 1-2)Course start date: Thu 25 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Do you want to develop your writing and speaking skills? Would you also like to improve your digital skills? On this course you will work on writing, enacting and recording short radio programmes about news items, arts, hobbies, and other areas of interest. By doing this, you will improve your communication skills including emphasising meaning, choosing the right words, speaking and writing concisely with the right tone and creating emotions. You will also focus on your pronunciation and fluency. You will work on how to edit and put together a programme. We hope we can distribute your programme to friendly listeners!
You need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 8078 0489 for a face-to-face assessment or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name).
This course is FREE if a) you are on a Low Wage or b) you are either on Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Employment & Support Allowance(ESA) or c) you want to get a job or progress into a better job and you receive other state benefits (including Universal Credit). For more information click hereFull fee £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £70.00
Can't see a course you want?
Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.
Add me to waiting list