English & ESL Course Placements
IMPORTANT FOR ALL STUDENTS: Ask your counselor about choosing the English sequence that’s best for you and your academic goals: www.gavilan.edu/counseling
English as a Second Language (ESL) Courses
ESL courses will help you improve your academic English skills so that you are successful in meeting your educational goals.
- your primary language is not English and you would like to improve your academic English as a Second Language (ESL) skills
- your education was not in English or mostly not in English
English 1A: Composition & Reading + 210: English Academy (6 units)
English 1A (4 units) + 210 (2 units, non-transferable), 6 units total
Placement recommendation: Take 1A+210 if you are comfortable learning in English but are unfamiliar with academic essay writing, have no high school GPA, or if your high school GPA is under 2.6. Please see the graphic below which highlights the collaborative nature of this option.
What to expect in English 1A+210:
- More time on task in a supportive environment
- Regularly assigned college-level readings + additional instructor guidance and support
- 20 pages of academic essays + additional instructor feedback and guidance through the writing process
- Timed essay writing + additional instructor guidance
- Scholarly research project + additional instructor guidance
English 1A: Composition and Reading (4 units)
Placement recommendation: Take English 1A if you are comfortable learning in English, familiar with academic essay writing and college level reading, and have a high school GPA of 2.6 or higher. Please see the graphic below which highlights the time spent alone on class assignments.
What to expect in English 1A:
- Independent annotating, reading, research and writing tasks
- Regularly assigned college-level readings
- 20 pages of academic essays + timed essay writing
- Scholarly research project
