At Slang, we believe that mastering the English needed for your career is much more than simply memorizing a list of technical vocabulary. Learners also need strong communication skills to navigate situations like making small talk with colleagues or taking a business trip. Unfortunately, many general English programs on the market today are too general, covering a wide range of topics that will not be relevant to everyone.
Slang’s General English system bridges this gap by helping users improve their overall English fluency in contexts that are relevant for professionals. We are often asked why we don’t offer advanced General English courses. We strongly believe that users who can communicate fluently in English should have the opportunity to learn in context from materials relevant to their profession. For this reason, we strongly recommend that advanced users choose from our wide range of specialized English courses. With over 120 topics, we have something for everyone’s career needs!
At Slang, we believe that learners at lower levels of English ability can also begin benefitting from professional content. However, we’ve found that many elementary and intermediate users feel hesitant about jumping straight into a technical course. Therefore, taking General English alongside professional topics allows these users to feel more confident and to progress in these broader communicative skills and professional English at the same time! As you can see, with Slang, it’s easy to create a custom study pathway that meets each learner right where they are currently at and helps them build on their existing skills.
Slang’s General English course levels
More specifically, Slang offers a series of General English courses that cover the proficiency range from beginner to advanced intermediate. Each of these courses focuses on a few specific situations encountered in daily life, such as ordering at a restaurant or booking a hotel. Learners will master the vocabulary and structures needed to communicate in increasingly complex and sophisticated ways in these scenarios.
Our General English system comprises the following 10 levels:
Integrating Slang’s General English test with the General English courses
Slang’s General English test covers the same proficiency levels as our course system. Many organizations choose to use the General English test for initial placement when they first begin their organizational bilingual program, or when they add new learners to the program. This allows them to determine the starting English level of each participant. Furthermore, the initial score tells each learner which General English course is most appropriate for them to start with. Once a learner completes one course, they can simply continue to the next course in the sequence.
Some organizations ask program participants to retake the test at fixed intervals, for example after six months of studying. This will tell you how much each person has progressed during the implementation period. Alternatively, learners can retake the General English test after completing each course in the General English system to verify that they have in fact mastered all the material.
For more information about the benefits of regular English assessment for your employees, you can check out our other article.
