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First Foreign Language III, English

Code: 101179
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Tourism OB 3

Contact lecturer

Name :
Eric Ortega Fernández
Email :
eric.ortega@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Jeremy Hickey
Eric Ortega Fernández
Maria Belén Rabadán Vega

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

There are no specific requirements. However,

  • the students on the Tourism Degree will have to accredit a B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) by the end of the course.
  • the students on the Tourism Degree in English will have to accredit a C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) by the end of the course.

Objectives

The main objective of the course is to enable students to consolidate and widen their range of knowledge, including English pertinent to the tourism sector and of a more general nature so that they can accredit a B2 level in this last year of obligatory English studies, if they are studying the tourism degree, and a C1 if they are studying Tourism in English.

The student will acquire a range of linguistic knowledge and develop sufficient oral and written communication skills, so that by the end of the course they will be able to:

  • Understand the gist of public conferences, debates and chats and extract information.
  • Maintain conversations, in formal and informal registers, understanding the main ideas of their interlocutors.
  • Participate in discussions or dialogues on topics of general interest using the strategies typical of this type of communicative interaction floor-holding devices, giving examples, etc.).
  • Relate first or second hand facts, events and experiences.
  • Write letters or electronic messages in different linguistic registers.
  • Read different texts and explain their contents clearly.
  • Write different types of texts about facts, places, events and current affairs.

Specific objectives

  • Develop a degree of precision (in grammar, pronunciation, lexis etc.) and fluency (speed in productive skills, ability to express ideas and develop a discourse) in both written and oral expression.
  • Develop strategies and abilities to understand authentic written and oral texts.
  • Develop strategies to continue learning autonomously outside the classroom.
  • Develop the ability to function effectively and confidently in professional and everyday situations.

Learning outcomes

  1. Develop a capacity for independent learning.
  2. Use communication techniques at all levels.
  3. Work in a team.
  4. Self-assess the knowledge acquired.
  5. Identify vocabulary and grammar resources for use in the tourism sector, in three foreign languages.
  6. Use tourism resources available on internet, in three foreign languages.
  7. Use the idiomatic expressions typical of the tourism sector in three foreign languages, at upper intermediate level.
  8. Vary the discourse patterns used to fit different functions, contexts, media, activities and situations in the workplace.

Contents


1. DEGREE IN TOURISM: The students who are studying the Degree in Tourism will have to accredit a B2 level by the end of the course.


2. TOURISM DEGREE IN ENGLISH: The students who are studying the Tourism Degree in English will have to accredit a C1 level by the end of the course.



1. CONTENTS FOR THE DEGREE IN TOURISM


In the process of learning a language, all skills and abilities are continually evolving and interrelating in an organic way. However, for the purposes of this programme, linguistic content is divided into linguistic functions, grammar content and lexical content.


Language functions

The following language functions include both general communicative skills and functions specific to the tourism industry.

  • Expressing satisfaction, dissatisfaction and other emotions.
  • Making and responding to complaints politely.
  • Asking for and giving information in different registers.
  • Narrating present and past events.
  • Speculating and talking about the future.
  • Explaining and expressing opinions on general topics.
  • Debating, persuading and convincing others in a range of situations.
  • Accepting other people's opinions.
  • Talking about hypotheses in the present and the past.
  • Expressing wishes and regrets.
  • Organising and delivering a monologue.
  • Assisting and advising clients in common tourism-related situations.
  • Recommending destinations, accommodation, activities and tourism services.
  • Managing bookings, incidents and customer complaints using appropriate professional language.
  • Providing tourist information and describing itineraries, attractions and cultural heritage.


Grammatical contents

Students should be able to recognise and use appropriately, according to the communicative situation, the following grammatical structures:

  • Adjectives followed by prepositions.
  • Prefixes and suffixes.
  • Verbs followed by infinitives and/or gerunds.
  • Verb tenses.
  • Complex passive structures (said to be, considered, thought, supposed, etc.).
  • Have / get something done.
  • Present and past modal verbs.
  • Prepositions.
  • Conditional structures.
  • Alternatives to if in conditional sentences.
  • Structures following the verb wish.
  • Adverbs and adverbial expressions.
  • Uncountable nouns and plural forms.
  • So / such ... that.
  • Relative clauses.
  • Quantifiers (quite a few, loads of, etc.).


Lexical contents

The lexical contents focus primarily on the following areas:

  • The world of work and education.
  • Events and event management.
  • Transport.
  • Accommodation, catering and tourism services.
  • Customer service, quality of service and conflict resolution.
  • Cultural heritage, destinations and tourism resources.
  • Travel organisation, itineraries and bookings.
  • Sustainable tourism and destination management.
  • Technology applied to tourism.
  • Health and lifestyles.


Writing

Students will make use of the language functions, grammar and vocabulary described above and will specifically develop written communication through:

  • Formal letters and emails: job applications, requesting and providing information, complaints and apologies.
  • Discursive essays.
  • Reports.
  • Articles.
  • Responding to customer enquiries and producing tourism-related professional communications.
  • Writing descriptions of destinations, itineraries and tourism products.


2. CONTENTS FOR THE TOURISM DEGREE IN ENGLISH


Language functions

The following language functions include both general communicative skills and functions specific to professional contexts within the tourism industry.

  • Expressing and justifying complex opinions and arguments.
  • Evaluating and critically analysing ideas and information.
  • Presenting, defending and challenging viewpoints.
  • Negotiating and reaching agreements.
  • Speculating and expressing degrees of certainty.
  • Summarising and paraphrasing spoken and written texts.
  • Interpreting and explaining information.
  • Using discourse markers to structure spoken and written communication effectively.
  • Adapting language appropriately to different registers and audiences.
  • Delivering well-structured presentations and extended monologues.
  • Managing professional interactions with international clients.
  • Presenting and promoting destinations, tourism products and services.
  • Handling complaints and resolving complex customer-service situations diplomatically.
  • Providing detailed information about destinations, cultural heritage and tourism experiences.


Grammatical contents

Students should be able to recognise and use appropriately, according to the communicative situation, the following advanced grammatical structures:

  • Advanced comparative structures (nowhere near as, by far the most, slightly, etc.).
  • Ellipsis and substitution.
  • Advanced verb patterns.
  • Participle clauses.
  • Future in the past (was about to, was due to, etc.).
  • Complex future forms (be bound to, be likely to, etc.).
  • Inversion after negative adverbials.
  • Dummy subjects (it and there).
  • Advanced passive structures.
  • Advanced modal verbs and modal perfects.
  • Complex infinitive and gerund structures.
  • Adverbial clauses and conjunctions.
  • Prepositional phrases.
  • Discourse markers.
  • Question tags.
  • Needn't have, would rather, had better, etc.


Lexical contents

The lexical contents focus primarily on the following areas:

  • Society, culture and contemporary issues.
  • Science, technology and innovation.
  • Business and professional communication.
  • Travel, hospitality and tourism.
  • Destination management and cultural heritage.
  • Sustainable tourism and responsible travel.
  • Customer service and conflict resolution.
  • Events, conferences and MICE tourism.
  • Marketing and promotion of tourism products.
  • Global issues and intercultural communication.


Writing

Students will make use of the language functions, grammar and vocabulary described above and will specifically develop written communication through:

  • Formal and professional correspondence.
  • Discursive and argumentative essays.
  • Reports.
  • Articles and reviews.
  • Proposals and recommendations.
  • Responses to customer enquiries and complaints.
  • Promotional texts for destinations, tourism services and events.


Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Non class-based 56 2.24 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Classes 56.5 2.26 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Tutorials 7 0.28 1, 4
Activities 10 0.4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Theory 10 0.4 1, 4, 5, 6, 7

Language of instruction: English


The course is taught entirely in English and aims to develop the language competences required for students to achieve a B2 level (Tourism Degree) or a C1 level (English-medium Tourism Degree), in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

The methodology is primarily communicative and student-centred. The course focuses mainly on developing general English language competence in line with the requirements of the Multilevel examination, while also incorporating activities contextualised within the tourism industry and professional communication.

Lessons encourage active student participation and the integration of the four language skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing) through individual, pair and group tasks. The lecturer acts as a facilitator of the learning process, providing continuous feedback and promoting learner autonomy.

To achieve these objectives, students will participate in activities such as:

  • Oral presentations and individual talks.
  • Debates and guided discussions.
  • Task-Based Learning (TBL).
  • Cooperative learning and pair/group work.
  • Problem-solving activities and case studies.
  • Role plays and simulations of communicative situations, both general and tourism-related.
  • Listening and reading activities based on authentic texts, articles, videos, podcasts and other real-life materials.
  • Academic and professional writing tasks.
  • Vocabulary development and grammar consolidation activities.
  • Self-assessment, peer feedback and reflective learning strategies.
Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Writing and Speaking activities 24% 2 0.08 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Final Project 14% 5 0.2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Final exam 40% 2.5 0.1 5, 6, 7, 8
Mid-term test 12% 1 0.04 5, 6, 8
Attitude and participation 10% 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4

Continuous Assessment

To follow the continuous assessment system, students must attend at least 80% of the face-to-face classes.


Structure of Continuous Assessment

Continuous assessment is based on a range of assessment activities designed to evaluate the progressive development of students' language competences.

The assessment components are as follows:

  • Participation and engagement (10%).
  • Written and oral production tasks (24%).
  • Mid-term tests (12%).
  • Final project (14%).
  • Final exam (40%): this corresponds to the Multilevel Exam developed by the UAB Language Service, which is administered at the School of Tourism and Hotel Management and assesses the four language skills (reading, listening, writing and speaking).
  • The final mark for students following the continuous assessment system will be calculated by weighting the marks obtained in the continuous assessment activities (60%) and the Multilevel Exam (40%).


Multilevel Exam

The final exam consists of the Multilevel Exam developed by the UAB Language Service, which is administered at the School of Tourism and Hotel Management. It is an official language proficiency examination that assesses the four language skills (reading, listening, writing and speaking).

To pass the course, students must demonstrate the language level required for their degree programme:

  • Tourism Degree: B2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
  • English Tourism Degree: C1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Successful completion of the examination entitles students to obtain the official certificate issued by the UAB Language Service, recognised by the Government of Catalonia.


Single Assessment

Students wishing to opt for the single assessment system must submit their request to the Academic Administration Office within the deadlines established by UAB academic regulations.

The single assessment consists of the Multilevel Exam developed by the UAB Language Service, which is administered at the School of Tourism and Hotel Management and assesses the four language skills (reading, listening, writing and speaking).

To pass the course, students must demonstrate the language level required for their degree programme:

  • Tourism Degree: B2 level according to the CEFR.
  • English-medium Tourism Degree: C1 level according to the CEFR.

The final mark for students opting for the single assessment system will be based entirely (100%) on the result obtained in the Multilevel Exam.


Resit Exam

The resit assessment consists of sitting a new Multilevel Exam developed by the UAB Language Service, which is administered at the School of Tourism and Hotel Management.

To pass the course, students must demonstrate the required language level:

  • Tourism Degree: B2 level according to the CEFR.
  • English-medium Tourism Degree: C1 level according to the CEFR.

Students who do not attend the first sitting of the Multilevel Exam and are therefore recorded as Absent (NP) will not be entitled to the resit examination, except in duly justified exceptional cases authorised by the course coordinator in accordance with current academic regulations.


Final Grade

For students following the continuous assessment system, the final mark will be calculated by weighting the continuous assessment activities (60%) and the Multilevel Exam (40%).

For students following the single assessment system, the final mark will be based entirely (100%) on the result obtained in the Multilevel Exam.

Students who do not attend the first sitting of the Multilevel Exam will receive the grade Absent (NP) and will not be entitled to the resit examination, except in duly justified exceptional cases authorised by the course coordinator in accordance with current academic regulations.


Plagiarism, cheating and academic misconduct

In accordance with the current academic regulations, "in the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject."


Use of artificial intelligence

All assessment activities must be completed entirely by the student. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools or technologies is not permitted in any assessment activity in this course, whether as part of continuous assessment or the single assessment option.

Bibliography

Course book

  • Course book for students who are doing the Tourism degree. Empower B2 (CUP).
  • Course book for students who are doing the tourism Degree in English. Cutting Edge Advanced New Edition (Pearson).

English for Tourism

English for International Tourism Upper Intermediate (Pearson) Peter Strutt.

Highly Recommended (Oxford) Trish Scott and Alison Pohl.

https://bemycareercoach.com/soft-skills/list-soft-skills.html (communication skills)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsxU43Xg9Io (The Hotel Inspector)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRo2rdJBMHY (careers in tourism)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q46nRbDO9dM (job interviews)

https://www.thersa.org/discover/publications-and-articles/matthew-taylor-blog/2017/05/what-makes-good-work (good work)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uVv_2d-9FA (gender issues)

Dictionary

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com (amb pronunciació)

Grammar books

Practical English Usage Online (highly recommended)

https://elt.oup.com/catalogue/items/global/grammar_vocabulary/practical_english_usage_4th_edition/9780194202510?cc=global&selLanguage=en

My Grammar Lab Intermediate and Advanced

https://www.pearsonelt.com/tools/digital/my-grammar-lab.html

Grammar and vocabulary exercises

http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/

http://www.autoenglish.org/

https://www.englishclub.com/

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/

http://www.eltbase.com/

Listening

http://www.elllo.org/

https://es.englishcentral.com/videos

https://www.ted.com/

https://es.lyricstraining.com/

http://howjsay.com/

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

British English:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/

https://www.youtube.com/user/bbclearningenglish

https://www.facebook.com/bbclearningenglish.multimedia/

https://www.voicetube.com/channel/bbc/5

http://bbcworldservice.radio.net/

American English:

http://www.npr.org/

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/

Australian English:

http://www.australiaplus.com/international/learn-english-video-courses/

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/learn-english

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/chinese/learn-english/series/%E6%BE%B3%E5%A4%A7%E5%88%A9%E4%BA%9A%E5%B9%BF%E6%92%AD%E8%8B%B1%E8%AF%AD%E8%AE%B2%E5%BA%A7

Writing

https://writeandimprove.com/

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/sitemap/

Exam preparation

http://www.examenglish.com/

http://wuster.uab.es/ctestpractice/

Software

.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 English annual morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 2 English annual morning-mixed