English as an Additional Language
 
The EAL Department has grown considerably since it was established fifteen years ago. At that time there was just one full-time member of staff with only 35 students, mainly from Asia and Europe. Now we have four full-time teachers and over 80 students from all over the world. In recent years students have joined us from the United States, Bermuda, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Mexico, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Poland, Moldova, Serbia, Estonia, Latvia, Russia, Austria, Germany, Spain, France, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Virgin Islands, Denmark, Holland, Belgium and Sweden as well as England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

EAL is pivotal to the success of any overseas student, and is therefore a compulsory subject. Students arrive with varying degrees of fluency, and the Department works very hard to ensure they are provided with enough teaching input to bring them up to an adequate standard to be able to cope when attending lessons with their English peers.

The aims of the Department are very clear, namely to focus on all the four skills of Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking so that students become more confident in every aspect of School life.

The Department enters students for the following examinations:
  • Key English Test (KET)
  • Preliminary English Test (PET)
  • First Certificate in English (FCE)
  • Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)
  • Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)
  • International GCSE in English as a Second Language (IGCSE)
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

    Useful website link: "www.discoverdevon.com"

  • Qutes from current Year 13 students about how EAL has helped them to achieve in their studies.

  • "I think EAL has helped me rectify some of the misunderstandings I sometimes have in English. In addition, I think it will help me achieve better results in my 'A' level subjects. Also, it has given me the chance to practice my English in a formal way ready for success in exams" Leon Wong

  • " EAL is the most important subject for me. Overseas students need to pick up the language to be able to learn the other subjects. Even if you get higher grades in your other subjects, you still can't go to university unless you have a high enough grade in English" Yi Cheng