ENGLISH AT "GRAPSA”!

English lessons at "GRAPSA” is fun. We determine how you can learn

English

best by using NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) methods depending on your cognitive type: visual, auditory or kinaesthetic.

At "GRAPSA”, getting your B2 and C2

English language

Certificates is guaranteed! With our 35-year-long experience in teaching English to Adults, we are the ones to get you safely on the path leading to official English language skills certification. Certification in English is an essential element of a strong CV in the highly competitive job market of today. 100,000+ people have trusted "GRAPSA” since 1984 to train them for their official English examinations at the B2 and C2 Levels! The top success rate of our students in the official B2 and C2 English examinations every year (consistently higher than 98%!) are proof of the efficiency of our teaching methods at "GRAPSA”! Therefore, we dare to offer you a Written Warranty of English Certificate Obtainment: should you happen to fail in your examination, we undertake to prepare you for the next sitting free of charge!

English lessons for Beginners

If you are an absolute beginner in English when you first come to "GRAPSA”, all you need to do is three short English courses each lasting for four months. When you complete the 3rd cycle, your English will be at the "B1 Level” of language ability, as defined by the European Union. This means that you will know enough English to go about your daily life in an English-speaking environment: you won’t have any trouble dealing with most everyday situations in just 3 x 4 = 12 months! (A child following conventional English lessons would need 5 years to get there! Here at "GRAPSA”, however, you can get your English up to the B1 level in 1/5 of that time!) If you have some experience in English (we can ‘measure’ your level of English easily and accurately when you come to us!), you can reach B1 in even less time, by skipping one (or even two) of our 3 short initial English courses!

Bear in mind that if you need special support in a skill (e.g. grammar or speaking), we’ll give it to you, also for free: last year, we offered our students 5000 hours of extra supporting English lessons for free!

After that, all the roads that can take you to an English language certification at the B2 and C2 levels are open for you! And, indeed, there are many of them! Depending on how good you are at English, you can reach from B1 to B2 in 4 – 8 more months, and from B2 to C2 in 8 – 10 months! The choice is yours! But let’s see which officially recognized B2 and C2 level English Language certificates you can study for at "GRAPSA”!

Examinations at the B2 ("Lower”) Level

There are many Organizations that can certify your level of English. Official bodies which can certify your English language skills, all formally recognized as valid by the ΑΣΕΠ (the Supreme Council of Personnel Selection of the Greek State), include the following: the University of Cambridge, the University of Michigan, City & Guilds, the Michigan State University (MSU), PEOPLECERT, Pearson, Esolnet, the Greek Ministry of Education, etc.

The Examinations which lead to the acquisition of an officially recognized B2 Level English certificate include the ECCE, FCE, B2 Communicator, PTE – Level 3, LRN B2, MSU-CELC B2, NOCN, ΚΠΓ-Αγγλικά, etc. Below follows a brief description of each:

ECCE

The ECCE (Examination for the Certificate of Competency in English) is offered by the University of Michigan. It was first administered in 1994. The official body responsible for conducting the ECCE examinations in Greece is HAU (The Hellenic-American Union). Owing to the extremely high success rates of our English language students, HAU has awarded "GRAPSA Educational Group” with their Certificate of Recognition twice.

The "Michigan Lower” (as the ECCE is informally referred to by test takers) is a very popular certificate. It consists of 4 sections:

Listening: 50 multiple choice questions in total. Candidates complete tasks while listening to digitally recorded English speech. (duration: 30')
GVR (Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading): 100 multiple choice questions (duration: 90')
Writing: a text of about 180 - 200 words, based on given written input. Candidates can choose between a letter and an essay written in English. (duration: 30')
Speaking: A one-to-one interview in English between the candidate and the examiner, starting with personal questions and continuing with a discussion based on a given situation. The interview concludes with the discussion of more abstract issues. (Duration: approx. 15')

B2 First (formerly known as FCE or Cambridge English: First)

B2 First / FCE is offered by the University of Cambridge. As of January 2015, the "Cambridge Lower” (as the B2 First / FCE is informally referred to by test takers) consists of the following 4 papers:

Reading and Use of English (75'): it consists of 52 questions organized in 7 parts. It examines vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension.
Writing (80') (composition): it requires the production of 2 written texts in English of 140-190 words each. Part 1, requires an essay. Part 2 offers candidates 3 tasks to choose from; text genres include article, email, essay, letter, report, review.
Listening (approx. 40') (comprehension of oral language): it consists of 4 parts. Candidates complete tasks while listening to digitally recorded English speech.
Speaking (oral interview) (approx. 15'): Discussion between an examiner and two candidates. Candidates give personal information, compare photographs, discuss the solution to a problem and express their views on various issues.

The examination fees for B2 First / First Certificate in English is around 160€. In May 2011, Cambridge introduced the certificate B2 First for Schools. This has exactly the same format as B2 First / FCE; its topics, however, are suitable for an adolescent (as opposed to an adult) audience of test takers.

LRN B2

One of the advantages of this B2 certification in English is that if the candidate fails in the examination, they can re-sit the examination free of charge. Moreover, the LRN B2 examination is simpler and more candidate-friendly than other B2 level examinations.

MSU-CELC B2

The MSU-CELC B2 examinations are administered by Anatolia College and Deree. It is candidate-friendly and officially recognized by ΑΣΕΠ.

City & Guilds (PEOPLECERT): B2 Communicator

The examination for the B2 Communicator English certificate issued by City & Guilds consists of two separate parts: a written part (IESOL - 2,5 hours) and an oral part (ISESOL - 10 minutes). The two parts can be taken during the same examination period or at different times. A candidate’s results in one part do not affect their results in the other. However, to acquire the certification, a candidate must succeed in both parts of the examination. The fees for each part (written / oral) of this English examination is approx. 60€.

PTE – Level 3

As of May 2011, the examination for the Β2 level of the PTE - Pearson Test of English General (Level 3) (formerly known by the name EDEXCEL) consists of 2 parts: the Written Test (2 hours) and the Spoken Test (7 minutes). The examination fees are approx. 150€.

NOCN – B2

This B2 certification in English is a candidate-friendly examination. The minimum pass mark is 51%. A candidate can retain their scores for the parts of this English examination which they have passed for a maximum of 3 years; they can re-sit only the parts of the examination which they have failed, paying examination fees only for those parts.

ΚΠΓ-Αγγλικά

As of May 2011, the Β1 and Β2 levels for the «Κρατικό Πιστοποιητικό Γλωσσομάθειας - Αγγλικά» (ΚΠΓ) are examined through a unified B level test (Β1+Β2), awarding candidates a B1 or a B2 level certification in English according to their score. The examination consists of 4 modules:

Reading Comprehension and Language Awareness test
Free Writing Production and Mediation test
Listening Comprehension test
Speaking Production and Mediation test

Total duration: approx. 3 hours.

English Examinations at the C2 ("Proficiency”) Level

The Examinations which lead to the acquisition of an officially recognized C2 Level English certificate include the ECPE, CPE, C2 Mastery, PTE – Level 5, LRN, MSU-CELP C2, NOCN, ΚΠΓ-Αγγλικά, etc. Below follows a brief description of each:

ECPE

The ECPE (Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English, or, more simply, the "Michigan Proficiency”) is the most popular examination leading to a C2 level English language certification in Greece. It is offered by the University of Michigan. It was first administered in 1957. The official body responsible for conducting the ECPE examinations in Greece is HAU (The Hellenic-American Union).

The ECPE consists of 4 sections:

Writing: an essay of about 300 words in English. Candidates can choose between two essay topics. (Duration: 30')
Listening: 50 multiple choice questions in total, arranged in 3 parts. Candidates complete tasks while listening to digitally recorded English speech. (Duration: approx. 40')
GCVR (Grammar, Cloze, Vocabulary, Reading): 120 multiple choice questions. (Duration: 75')
Speaking: A multi-stage problem-solving task, involving interaction in English between two candidates and two examiners. (Duration: approx. 25' - 35')

CPE

The CPE is an international English language certificate enjoying worldwide recognition; it is issued by Cambridge ESOL. As of March 2013, the examination is available in both paper and computer-based form. It consists of the following 4 papers:

Reading and Use of English (90'): it consists of 53 questions organized in 7 parts. It examines vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension.
Writing (90') (composition): it requires the production of 2 written texts in English. Part 1, requires an essay of 240-280 words summarizing the main points of two given short texts. Part 2 requires a text of 280-320 words; it offers candidates 4 tasks to choose from; text genres include article, essay, letter, report, review.
Listening (approx. 40') (comprehension of oral language): it consists of 4 parts, containing 30 questions in total. Candidates complete tasks while listening to digitally recorded English speech.
Speaking (oral interview) (approx. 16'): a discussion between an examiner and two candidates. Candidates give personal information, react to a set of photographs, discuss in English the solution to a problem, give a 2-minute speech each and express their views on various issues.

MSU-CELP C2

This C2 English examination is administered by Anatolia College and Deree. It is candidate-friendly and officially recognized by ΑΣΕΠ.

City & Guilds (PEOPLECERT): C2 Mastery

The examination for the C2 Mastery English certificate issued by City & Guilds consists of two separate parts: a written part (IESOL - 3 hours) and an oral part (ISESOL - 15 minutes). The two parts can be taken during the same examination period or at different times.

PTE – Level 5

The C2 level certificate obtained by taking the PTE - Pearson Test of English General (Level 5) (formerly known by the name EDEXCEL) is officially recognized by ΑΣΕΠ and by most British and Greek universities. The examination consists of 2 parts: the Written Test (2 hours and 55 minutes) and the Spoken Test (8 minutes).

ΚΠΓ-Αγγλικά

As of November 2013, the Γ1 (C1) and Γ2 (C2) levels for the «Κρατικό Πιστοποιητικό Γλωσσομάθειας - Αγγλικά» (ΚΠΓ) are examined through a unified Γ level test (Γ1+Γ2), awarding candidates a C1 or a C2 level certification in English according to their score.

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