Dates for your diary

2024-25 Summer Extension Course

Short course for students taking their year in Europe in 2025-26. June 2025, date tbc

Year-in-Europe Departmental coordinators

Year-in-Europe Language Classes

If you would like to spend a year abroad as part of your degree programme, you have lots of options. Please look at the following links to see which undergraduate programmes and partnerships are currently offered at Imperial College London:


In preparation for your stay abroad, we offer classes in French, German, Spanish and Italian.

  1. Contact your academic department to be enrolled as a Year-in-Europe student by the deadline at the start of the academic year.
  2. When selecting your Horizons Language module, please notify us of your Year-in-Europe status. 
  3. If you have any questions about joining the Year-in-Europe or a Year Abroad scheme in general, you should contact your departmental Exchange Co-ordinator.
  4. You may also contact the CLCC Year-in-Europe Administrator for further information.

If you have any language-related queries, please contact the relevant CLCC Language Coordinator:

French: Dr Marine Orain
German: Ms Christa Saller
Italian: Ms Cristina Paterno
Spanish: Dr Iria González Becerra

Aims of  Year-in-Europe preparatory language classes 

  • Develop further the basic language skills - reading, writing, listening and speaking - with a science, technology and engineering focus
  • Apply more complex grammatical structures to specific genres
  • Apply and extend vocabulary
  • Introduce and use scientific and technical terminology
  • Provide insights into university life and culture in the host countries
  • Prepare students for residence abroad

Pre-requisites

To enrol on a Year-in-Europe degree, you need to have already:

Key information

  • Classes are one hour per week, over two terms (Autumn & Spring Term) and must be taken in addition to the two hours taught as part of the Imperial Horizons programme.
  • Attendance at this extra hour, and completion of any preparation work allocated, will be essential to achieve the proficiency required for a stay abroad beyond the scope of the general language class.
  • The classes assessment contributes to the Horizons language modules overall mark.

Year-in-Europe Module descriptions

Level 2 Year-in-Europe classes (content description)

Year-in-Europe Language class

Content description for Level 2

An additional third hour of language tuition per week is intended to prepare students for study abroad. Attendance at this extra hour and completion of any preparation work allocated will be essential to achieve the proficiency required for a stay abroad beyond the scope of the general language class. 

These sessions will help you to become familiar with university life and culture in the foreign country and will support your language studies through the extra face to face interaction in the foreign language they provide. You may also expect to work with scientific and technical terminology in the foreign language at a suitable level. Your teacher will introduce a variety of topics and activities to develop a whole range of skills. At the start of term you will be provided with a general introduction to the topics and areas of practice that you will find in these classes, but you may expect the focus of each level to be as follows: 

Focus :          
Scientific and technical vocabulary will be introduced alongside cultural and university-related topics, as well as specific grammar points pertinent to language for specific purpose. The focus is on reading and listening and a variety of audiovisual materials will be used to enhance your language comprehension skills, enabling you to adapt to different accents and pace. Your teacher may ask you to research, read or listen to extra materials at home. 

Assessment : 
For this level, it will consist of an in-class assessment connected with topics seen in the class.

Assessment summary:

  • A 10-12 minute in-class oral task at the end of Term 2 (100%)
  • This counts for 15% of the oral examination grade of the general Horizons language module
Level 3 Year-in-Europe class (content description)

Year-in-Europe Language class

Content description for Level 3

An additional third hour of language tuition per week is intended to prepare students for study abroad. Attendance at this extra hour and completion of any preparation work allocated will be essential to achieve the proficiency required for a stay abroad beyond the scope of the general language class.

These sessions will help you to become familiar with university life and culture in the foreign country and will support your language studies through the extra face to face interaction in the foreign language they provide. You may also expect to work with scientific and technical terminology in the foreign language at a suitable level. Your teacher will introduce a variety of topics and activities to develop a whole range of skills. At the start of term you will be provided with a general introduction to the topics and areas of practice that you will find in these classes, but you may expect the focus of each level to be as follows:

Focus :
While some grammar support and general language revision is still part of this level, the focus on reading and listening will be increased. A variety of audiovisual materials will be used to enhance your language comprehension skills, enabling you to adapt to different accents and pace. Your teacher may ask you to research, read or listen to extra materials at home. Scientific and technical vocabulary will be introduced alongside cultural and university-related topics.

Assessment :
For this level, it will consist of an in-class assessment connected with topics seen in the class. Completion of this level is the bare minimum required for residence abroad. Students who spend a year abroad with level 3 completed are advised to make sure they join the pre-start of year language course offered by their host university.

Assessment summary:

  • A 15-20 minute in-class oral task at the end of Term 2 (100%)
  • This counts for 15% of the oral examination grade of the general Horizons language module
Level 4 Year-in-Europe class (content description)

Year-in-Europe Language class 

Content description for Level 4

 An additional third hour of language tuition per week is intended to prepare students for study abroad. Attendance at this extra hour and completion of any preparation work allocated will be essential to achieve the proficiency required for a stay abroad beyond the scope of the general language class.

These sessions will help you to become familiar with university life and culture in the foreign country and will support your language studies through the extra face to face interaction in the foreign language they provide. You may also expect to work with scientific and technical terminology in the foreign language at a suitable level. Your teacher will introduce a variety of topics and activities to develop a whole range of skills. At the start of term you will be provided with a general introduction to the topics and areas of practice that you will find in these classes, but you may expect the focus of each level to be as follows:

Focus:

This level focuses on communicative aspects (listening, speaking, presenting topics in the foreign language) and on practical cultural matters. Working with audiovisual materials, students will practice skills such as note-taking, summarizing and identifying essential detail from lectures. An introduction to the specific cities students may visit on their year abroad will also be provided as a complement of the cultural component of the general language class. New scientific and technical vocabulary will be introduced either through texts, translation, listening exercises and the scientific-technical presentations which will take place during the second term. 

Assessment: 
For this level, it will consist of an in-class oral assessment connected with topics seen in the class.

Assessment summary:

  • A 15-minute in-class presentation (70%), abstract (20%), and bibliography (10%) = 100%
  • This counts for 15% of the oral examination grade of the general Horizons language module

*For French Level 4, this will consist of a poster (50%) and presentation (50%) = 100%

 

Level 5 & 6 Year-in-Europe classes (content description)

Year-in-Europe Language class
Content description for Level 5 & 6

 An additional third hour of language tuition per week is intended to prepare students for study abroad. Attendance at this extra hour and completion of any preparation work allocated will be essential to achieve the proficiency required for a stay abroad beyond the scope of the general language class.

 These sessions will help you to become familiar with university life and culture in the foreign country and will support your language studies through the extra face to face interaction in the foreign language they provide. You may also expect to work with scientific and technical terminology in the foreign language at a suitable level. Your teacher will introduce a variety of topics and activities to develop a whole range of skills. At the start of term you will be provided with a general introduction to the topics and areas of practice that you will find in these classes, but you may expect the focus of each level to be as follows:

 Focus:                      

These are the highest levels provided to students; communication and academic skills are enhanced through further work with audiovisual materials from online sources, radio/TV, as well as scientific and technical texts and in-class presentations.

Assessment:
For this level, it will consist of an in-class oral assessment connected with topics seen in the class.

Assessment summary:

  • A 20-25 minute in-class presentation (70%), abstract (20%), and bibliography (10%) = 100%
  • This counts for 15% of the oral examination grade of the general Horizons language module