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Courses:

IEL: Institute for English Language Programs

• Registration and Placement
• Placement Test Schedule
• Courses

The Institute for English Language Programs (IEL) offers a variety of noncredit courses that assist students to achieve the English proficiency they need for several types of jobs and study programs. Certificates of participation are awarded to students who attend all classes, do the homework, and meet the in-class course requirements.

Students in the programs may use the Harvard Language Resource Center, and study in the Grossman Library in Sever Hall. Conversational practice with volunteers who are members of the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement is also offered at some levels. Each term, students may compete for prizes awarded by the Emanuel and Lilly Shinagel Prize Fund for the best essays at each level of instruction.

Registration and Placement

Students wishing to take IEL classes must first register and then take the Harvard University English Language Placement Test at one of the times listed below. Since enrollment in IEL sections is limited, students should register and take the placement test as early as possible, and no later that September 15 for fall term classes and January 26 for spring term classes. Students must list alternate sections on their registration forms, in case their first-choice sections are full or not offered at their level.

Occasionally, students cannot be placed in IEL classes because none are available at the appropriate level or requested time; when this happens, students are issued a full tuition refund including the registration fee.

Placement Test Schedule

Students should allow 2 1/2 hours for taking the placement test.

A late placement test for the fall will be given on Wednesday, September 15 at 6 pm in Science Center C. A late test for the spring will be given on Wednesday, January 26 at 6:30 pm in Science Center B. Many classes close before the late tests are given; therefore, students who take these tests risk not being placed.

Courses

Courses are designed to address students at the following levels of proficiency.

Level A (Beginning)is for students with limited or no exposure to English, or with considerable passive knowledge of English from prior formal or informal experiences, who need extensive instruction in the mechanics of the language.

Level B (Low Intermediate) is for students with some general conversational competence on a limited number of topics who need to practice control of structures and expand their vocabulary.

Level C (High Intermediate) is for students with a basic knowledge of English who wish to increase the fluency and complexity of their oral and written production by writing and speaking in context and working on areas of structural difficulty.

Level D (Low Advanced) is for students whose use of English demonstrates knowledge and control of the structure of the language and who wish to expand their proficiency for competent performance in academic and professional circles.

Level E (High Advanced) is for students with very high levels of proficiency who wish to engage in professional study or work that requires them to understand the nuances of the language and perform with native-speaker competence.

Instructors use the same designated texts in classes of the same type at each level. They may also use recommended texts that allow greater concentration on the students' needs.

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