General Arts and Science - English for Academic Purposes

Is your English the only thing standing between you and a Canadian college programme? Cambrian College’s General Arts and Science - English for Academic Purposes is an Ontario College Certificate taught at the Barrydowne campus in Sudbury. It develops the speaking, listening, reading and writing you need for academic study, and it runs from four to twelve months depending on the level you place into.

A language placement test puts you into Foundations (three semesters, low-beginner), Level A (two semesters, high-beginner to low-intermediate) or Level B (one semester, high-intermediate). The Level A and Level B courses begin with Oral Communication for Academic Purposes I, EAP Reading I, EAP Writing I, Canadian Perspectives I and Introduction to Computer Applications. They continue with Reading for Academic Purposes II, Writing for Academic Purposes II, Oral Communication for Academic Purposes II, Canadian Perspectives II and Student Success for Higher Learning, which prepares you for the study habits Cambrian programmes expect.

EAP classes at Cambrian are kept small, and the college adds social and cultural activities so you practise English outside the classroom as well as in it. Canadian Perspectives I and II introduce life and culture in Canada, while Introduction to Computer Applications builds the digital skills used in later Cambrian courses. You also have access to the college’s academic support services. Graduates can apply to diploma or graduate certificate programmes at Cambrian, provided they meet the other admission requirements.

The certificate leads mainly into further study at Cambrian, but the English it builds supports entry-level roles such as customer service representative, office assistant, retail sales associate, front desk agent and community programme assistant. It suits secondary school graduates and newcomers who need to raise their academic English before starting a Cambrian diploma or graduate certificate.