English

Knowledge of English is one of the fundamental pillars of education and a prerequisite for further studies. Therefore, students are prepared by our English Department which is staffed with fully qualified teachers of English not only for the school-leaving examination and entrance examinations to universities, but also for practical use of English as the basic means of communication in the present-day world.

English has a prominent place at our school. Students in the first year are divided into groups according to the results in the placement test taken after being accepted to our school. Thanks to the Programme Excellence students in the first two years take advantage of studying in smaller groups of ten, which enables teachers to adopt a more individual approach.

In order to enhance the efficiency of language learning, students are re-grouped after the 2nd year for the remaining two years of their studies according to the acquired level of English.

Teachers of English

• Michal Drápalík
• Michal Erben
• Lucie Florjánková
• Zuzana Louženská
• Helena Pospíšilová
• Silvie Rážová – Head of English Dept.
• Dafydd Wyn Richards – native speaker (Wales)
• Martina Scholzová
• Martina Zýková

Textbooks

We use modern textbooks supplemented by a variety of other materials:

• Gateway to Maturita (B1) (Edwards, Spencer, MacMillan)
• Headway Upper-Intermediate (Soars and Col., OUP)
• High Note Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate (Hastings-Brayshaw; Pearson)
• Insight Upper-Intermediate (Beddal, Wildman, OUP)
• Maturita Solutions Pre-Intermediate — Upper-Intermediate
• Maturita Activator (Bob Hastings, Longman)
• English Grammar in Use (R.Murphy, CUP)
• English Vocabulary in Use (S.Redman, CUP)
• First Testbuilder. Tests that Teach. (Harrison, MacMillan) – practice tests for FCE
• First Trainer. (May, CUP) – practice tests for FCE
• Grammar and Vocabulary for Cambridge First (Prodromou, Pearson)
• Across Cultures (E.Sharman, Longman)
• Angličtina – příprava na státní maturitu. Ústní zkouška. Selftests. (Dostálová, Douglas, Grada)
• Bridge Magazine (Bridge Publishers)
• Topics for English Conversation (J. and T. Chudých, Fragment)

In the final two years of study students can choose five lessons of English a week to prepare for the school-leaving examination. Disregarding the language level at the start, our students aquire skills at upper-intermediate or advanced level (B2 or C1 of CEFR).

More and more students are taking FCE or even CAE international examinations to replace the school-leaving examination.
Our school also offers an optional FCE seminar (for the third-year students). It is focused on preparation for the international exam First Certificate in English.
In co-operation with Akcent IH Prague we organise FCE and CAE examinations for our students.

In the past year new optional specialist courses of Business and Science English were introduced.

Final examinations

Since the school year 2020/2021 students may take the state-administered written Common examination and/or School Profile examination in English (an essay + oral exam).

Extra-curricular activities

Traditionally, the school round of the English conversation competition is held at our school every year. The winners proceed to the district or regional round where they are also successful.

Between the years 2013–2015 our school joined an internadional Comenius programme together with schools from Spain, Portugal, Germany and France.The international cooperation has continued up to the present in Erasmus programme. We organise short exchange study stays during which students stay with host families and are involved in project activities on set topics of the individual projects. In addition, exchange trips with schools in Bergamo, Italy are regularly organised.

English theatre – every year students have a chance to attend a performance of British theatre groups at the Salesian or Braník Theatre.

A newly introduced competition in creative writing in co-operation with Prague Rotary International Club.

Every other year the school organises a nine – day trip to Great Britain with lessons at a language school with native English teachers, excursions to interesting places and stay in host families. We were in different parts of England, in Scotland and planning to visit Wales.