Octorial Courses

Our Octorial courses are designed to develop students' language skills for effective communication in everyday English. The structured curriculum integrates grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, with the four skill areas of:

- speaking and listening

- reading and writing

The combination of language lessons and communication lessons enables students to develop their confidence, skills and fluency.

With a maximum group size of 8 students for language skills lessons and 12 for communication workshops, our Intensive Study courses allow students' individual needs to be identified.



Octorial Courses

In studying on an Octorial course, a variety of learning activities are used including surveys, questionnaires and research projects, role play and communication games. Authentic materials such as newspaper articles, literary texts, real world audio and video provide the resources for talks, debates, information exchanges and presentations.

Octorial Programme (30 hours)

  • Maximum group size 8
  • Beginner to Advanced
  • Minimum age: 17 years

Essential Programme (20 hours from the Octorial programme)

  • Maximum group size 8
  • Beginner to Advanced
  • Minimum age: 17 years

Click here for further information on our learning approach and course structure

Sample Timetable:
Octorial Programme
08.45 - 09.00Opening Plenary
09.00 - 09.30Actualisation of Purpose
09.30 - 10.30Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Précis
10.30 - 10.45Break
10.45 - 11.45Spoken Performance Workshop
11.45 - 12.00Break
12.00 - 13.00Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric
13.00 - 13.30Team Project
13.30 - 14.30Lunch
14.30 - 15.30Composition and Text Analysis
15.30 - 15.45Break
15.45 - 16.45Mentored Dissertation
16.45 - 17.00Closing Plenary

All timetables are samples and may be subject to change.

Courses start every Monday throughout the year. Students should arrive in Edinburgh on the Sunday.

Watch our video

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