Чтение и письмо: сравнительная статья (герундий и инфинитив в сравнении)
Слова урока · 4
- recommendation /ˌrekəmenˈdeɪʃn/рекомендация
- cohort /ˈkəʊhɔːt/группа (набор учащихся)
- drop-out rate /ˈdrɒp aʊt reɪt/доля бросивших
- outperform /ˌaʊtpəˈfɔːm/превзойти (по результатам)
Фразы урока · 2
- My recommendation comes with two conditions: the 2024 cohort did better.Моя рекомендация — с двумя условиями: набор 2024 года показал лучший результат.
- The drop-out rate was 40 %, but the blended group outperformed the others.Доля бросивших была 40 %, но смешанная группа превзошла остальные.
Текст: «Три способа выучить язык за год: что показал эксперимент колледжа»
In September 2024 a further-education college in the north of England did something unusual: it let 180 adult beginners in Spanish choose one of three routes, tracked them for a year, and published the results. The routes were a weekly evening class (60 students), a self-study package with an app and a monthly tutorial (60), and a «blended» route combining a fortnightly class with the same app (60). All three cohorts sat the same test in June.
In terms of the final test, the blended group outperformed the others by a clear margin: an average of 71 %, against 58 % for the evening class and 49 % for self-study. As regards cost, however, the order was reversed. Self-study cost the college £90 per student, the evening class £310 and the blended route £260.
The most striking figure was the drop-out rate. Nearly 40 % of the self-study cohort stopped using the app by February, whereas only 12 % of the blended group left. The evening class lost 25 %, mostly, according to the college, students who had missed two consecutive weeks and felt unable to catch up. It seems to have been the fortnightly rhythm — long enough to work independently, short enough to be missed — that kept the blended students going. Interviewed in June, several said they had continued largely because they expected to be asked about their progress.
The college is careful not to overstate its findings. The students chose their own route, so those who picked self-study may have been busier or less committed to begin with; the result is not proof that the app is weaker, only that it is weaker for people who choose it without support. The report also acknowledges having measured only the written test, not speaking, which the evening class had practised most.
All things considered, the college now recommends the blended route as the default, with one caveat: it should be offered only on condition that the fortnightly class is genuinely fortnightly. A pilot in which the class met monthly yielded a drop-out rate close to that of self-study. The lesson, the report concludes, is not so much that one method is best as that adults keep learning when someone is expecting them to.
Задание
Напишите обоснованную рекомендацию (report, 220–260 слов) для руководителя языкового центра, который выбирает формат курса для группы взрослых новичков (40 человек, работают полный день, ограниченный бюджет): заголовок и цель; сравнение двух-трёх форматов по критериям (in terms of, as regards; whereas, by contrast); ограничения каждого (the main drawback; provided that; on condition that); ожидаемый эффект с опорой на данные статьи (yields, outperformed, drop-out rate); рекомендация с условием и оговоркой (all things considered; with one caveat); глагольные модели: be expected to, object to doing, avoid being, is said to have.
Образец ответа
Report: recommended format for the adult beginners' course
Purpose
This report compares three formats for the new cohort of 40 working adults and recommends one, with conditions.
Options
In terms of cost, self-study with an app is by far the cheapest, at roughly £90 per student, whereas a weekly evening class would cost over £300. A blended format — a fortnightly class plus the app — sits between the two at about £260.
As regards results, the college experiment reported this year is instructive: the blended cohort outperformed both others on the final test (71 % against 58 % and 49 %), and its drop-out rate was only 12 %, by contrast with 40 % for self-study. The main drawback of self-study is not the material but the lack of anyone expecting progress; students who chose it are said to have stopped by February. The evening class lost a quarter of its students, mostly those who had missed two weeks and avoided being seen to fall behind.
Limitations
The experiment measured writing only, and students chose their own route, so the figures should be treated as indicative rather than proven.
Recommendation
All things considered, I recommend the blended format. Students would be expected to complete 30 minutes of app work daily and to attend every fortnight; a short progress check at each class would provide the accountability the data suggests matters most. This is recommended on condition that the class is genuinely fortnightly — a monthly rhythm yielded drop-out rates close to self-study. One caveat: because speaking was not measured, I would add a 15-minute conversation slot to each class, and I would not object to trialling it for one term before committing.
lightbulbРекомендация в отчёте: цель → сравнение по критериям с цифрами → ограничения (drawback, indicative) → рекомендация с условием (on condition that) и оговоркой (one caveat). Модели: be expected to, avoid being, are said to have.
Закрепите урок: упражнения со словами, фразами и грамматикой с проверкой и повторением.