The English Department offers two major courses during the four years students spend at SCIE. These are IGCSE English as a Second (E2L) and a First Language English (E1L). E2L is a two year course taught to students when they enter SCIE at GI level. On completing this course, students take the official CIE examination to gain an IGCSE English as a Second language qualification. (Most UK universities will accept a grade C or above in this examination as their entry requirement for foreign students.) If students fail to get a Grade C at the end of G2 they will continue to study IGCSE English as a Second Language in A1 and resit the examination at the end of A1.
　　 Students with a grade C or above in E2L will undertake the E1L in A1. All UK universities (including Oxford and Cambridge ) and a number of universities in the USA accept a grade B or above as their English entry requirement for foreign students. These students are placed in classes according to their E2L results and undertake a course which both challenges them and also provides an excellent basis for their ongoing learning of English.
　　 The texts used in both IGCSE courses are endorsed by the University of Cambridge and are supported by our own extensive resources. Our syllabuses have both reading and listening components which are taken by the local teachers, plus writing and speaking sections which are taken by the expatriate teachers. In order to monitor students' progress and to discuss teaching material there is ongoing consultation between teachers.
　　 There are currently 15 teachers in the department; 6 local and 9 expatriate teachers. All staff have tertiary qualifications and come from various backgrounds such as journalism, interpreting, teaching ESL and foreign languages.
　　 There are a number of extra curricular activities which are organized by the English Department throughout the year, the aim of which is to encourage students to use as much English as possible outside the classroom, in an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere. These include the SCIE drama club, the dubbing performances and the debating and public speaking clubs.
　　 In the college library, the English Department has an increasing number of books which students are encouraged to read in their free time and which are used for class projects by our teachers.

Teaching Staff

Wendy Sandiford Head of English Graduated from University of Melbourne majoring in English and German and achieved two relevant BCa. She taught these subjects in Australian schools for 27 years. 2 year English teaching in SCIE In her spare time she enjoys reading, hiking, swimming and playing tennis.

Robert Copeland Head of Education Affair Office Robert Copeland has a diverse background in education administration, English language instruction and music composition. His undergraduate study was at Washington University followed by a Master of Arts in Education award from Almeda University. He has taught English and developed education programs in China, Korea, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the USA, as well as working as a music composer and performer.

Stephen Kear Stephen Kear was educated at Cheltenham College, and is a graduate of the London Business School and the Korean National University of Education. As a young man he spent eight years travelling the world, visiting 90 countries. He has worked as a journalist in England, Australia and South Africa, and taught English in seven countries. He is the author of two books - one a novel, the other a guide for English teachers. He is in charge of creating new syllabi for the English Department, with a particular focus on Academic Writing. He writes and directs the plays for the SCIE Drama Club.

Daniel Newsham Daniel Newsham was educated at Wellington school before going to work in Hong Kong and gain TEFL experience for a year. This was followed by studying Environmental Education at Nottingham University before joining SCIE in 2006. Since then he has furthered his qualifications in the second language area including. International TEFL - 2006 CELTA - 2009 Daniel is a self proclaimed food critic, but enjoys painting self potraits and playing squash.

Hamish Dawson Higher National Diploma in Media Studies (Sunderland) RSA Diploma in TEFL (Christ Curch ) Postgraduate Diploma in TEFL (Christ Curch) Teacher of TEFL for 24 years; general TEFL and IELTS teacher in Cambridge for 3 and a half years, a business English trainer in Canterbury for 5 years and a general and business English teacher in Italy for 9 years.

Cecily Chen Bachelor of English language and literature (Xiangtan University). She has 5 years of college English teaching experience in Hunan Software College (also worked as the assistant Head there for 5 years) and 3 years of teaching in SCIE.

Zoe Chen Graduated from Fuzhou University majoring in English and achieved Bachelor of English Language and Literature. She taught listening, intensive and reading English courses in Chengyi College of Jimei University for 3 years after graduation from university.She has taught at SCIE for one and a half years in which she has taught 3 grades from G2 to A2 by using different textbooks, such as IGCSE E2L and IELTS.

Vicky Li Bachelor of English Language and Literature (Xi'an Foreign Languages University) Master of Applied Linguistics (Northern Territory University, Australia) 6 years teaching experience.

Caman Xie During 4 years teaching in SCIE, Caman has taught various courses ( IELTS, IGCSE E2L etc ). He has also learned to understand so as to meet different needs of students with different language levels. When it comes to English teaching, a good combination of fun and academic language teaching style has always been the key to success for him.

George House The youngest member of the Department and a recent UK Economics.graduate. Having recently acquired a CELTA, George is looking forward to applying his newfound knowledge in the area of teaching English as a second language. In his spare time he enjoys playing badminton and has recently joined the local gym.

Doris Zhang Assistant Head BEd English (Central China Normal University) Doris Zhang has 5 years of teaching experience in the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and 2 years in SCIE. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in English Education, from Central China Normal University.

Dasos Loizou Masters in TESOL - in process (University of Brighton) BA Hons. Language Studies (University of Brighton) A qualified ESL Teacher with over 6 years of experience.

David Mcgregor Mr Mcgregor was born in Auckland,New Zealand and educated at schools there and at Auckland University. He did postgraduate work at Edinburgh University in Scotland and has an MA with First Class Honours in English.He has taught at secondary and tertiary levels,mostly to first language speakers, but also to students and teachers from Korea and Japan on study visits to New Zealand,and to new immigrants from the pacific islands, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.He is married with 3 adult sons. This is his first visit to China.

Andrew Winchester Undergraduate studies in Education undertaken in Canada and Post-Graduate studies in TESOL and Psychology undertaken in Australia. Well travelled and has taught Academic Programs: including A Levels and Australian University Foundation, Undergraduate and Post-graduate courses, throughout China.

Nancy Zhu Nancy Zhu graduated from Central China Normal University (CCNU), and got her Bachelor Degree in English Education in 2004. Before she came to SCIE, She worked in a Chinese Senior Middle school In Ningbo, Zhejiang Province and also gained one year of teaching experience in Global Education & Technology Group.

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