General English Classes (GEC)

To be eligible for enrolment you must be at least 18 years old and one of the following:

• A dependant or close family member of a current student or current member of staff at the University of Essex.
• An international member of staff currently working at the University of Essex.
• A current international Kaplan student studying at University of Essex International College.
• A current international student studying at either undergraduate or postgraduate level at the University of Essex.

How we define dependant or close family member:

• Your husband or wife.
• Your civil partner. This means you are a couple who have registered your partnership to gain formal legal recognition of your relationship. For information about partnerships in countries outside the UK that are treated as civil partnerships, see the UKLGIG website.
• Your unmarried partner or same-sex partner. You need to have been living together in a relationship similar to marriage or civil partnership for a period of at least two years. You need to be able to provide evidence of this.
• Other close family members, for example a brother or sister, are also welcome to join the programme provided that their UK Visa status permits this.

Eligibility for dependants:

• In all cases, you must both be at least 18 years old when you arrive in the UK.
• You must intend to live together throughout your partner or close relative's stay in the UK.
• Your partner or close relative must not intend to stay in the UK longer than the period you are given.

Further information about Visas can be obtained via the UK Council for International Student Affairs. 

To be eligible for these classes we will need to:

• Check your UK immigration status to ensure you are able to study with us.
• Check your passport and valid visa status upon registration.
• If you enter the UK as a visitor, your conditions should allow you to study for up to 30 days during your visit.

For further information on study restrictions for visitors please read the Home Office guidance.

If you require further guidance on study restrictions for visitors, please visit the University of Essex International Services Team.

The skills we teach at Beginner level:

• We will help you to understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (for example, basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).

• We will help you to communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.

• We will help you to understand and use familiar everyday expressions.

The skills we teach at Intermediate level:

• We will teach you to understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered.
• We will teach you to deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken.
• We will teach you to produce connected text on topics, which are familiar or of personal interest.
• We will teach you to describe experiences and events, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

The skills we teach at Advanced level:

• We will teach you to understand with relative ease and express yourself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions.
• We will teach you to use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.
• We will teach you to produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects.