English Courses 1
Can you name three English tutors?
Ben, Howard, Kathryn, Nicola, Peter, Teresa, Duncan, Claire
What does OCTOE stand for?
OnCampus Test of English
True or False: Southampton has a Premier League football team.
False: They were demoted to Championship league at the end of 2024/25 season.
How many questions are there in the listening test?
20
How many hours a week will you study English?
Six hours (in the classroom - and many more outside the classroom!)
True or false, speaking and writing contribute more points to your overall score than reading and listening?
False - each part of the test contributes 25% to your overall score
True or False: The Titanic started its journey from Southampton.
True. Titanic started its journey in Southampton before stopping at Cherbourg (France) and Cobh (Ireland). It never reached its final destination of New York.
True or false, you will have 2 minutes to prepare for your extended speaking task.
False. You will receive your extended speaking task approximately one week before your test. You will have 2 minutes to prepare for the partner Q&A after you have both completed your extended speaking tasks.
Which system should you use if you want to contact your tutor?
How much time do you have to complete the listening, reading, and writing parts of the OCTOE?
Two and a half hours (in total)
True of False: Southampton ranked as one of the healthiest cities in Europe.
True. In 2026, Southampton ranked 4th healthiest European city (in the category medium-sized urban areas) in the Healthy Urban Design Index (HUDI) .
How many words are you required to write for the writing test?
Approximately 250 words (although you can- and probably should- write more).
What is the name of the buildings where you will have your ONCAMPUS Southampton lessons?
Sir James Matthews (SJM)
How many texts will you read in the in the reading test?
4 texts (20 questions in total)
True of false: More than two million people took a cruise from Southampton in 2023.
True. There were about 2.6 million passengers in 2023 - the city's highest number of cruise visitors ever.
What score do you need to pass the OCTOE?
At least 60% in each skill (listening, reading, writing, speaking) and 65% overall.
What are the main aims of your English course?
1- To provide you with the necessary language skills to study in UK Higher Education; 2- To reach the minimum level of English required by University of Southampton
There are three different essay types in the OCTOE (you will only write ONE). What are they?
1-Discussion,
2-Problem/solution,
3-Opinion/argument
True or false: Southampton used to be the capital city of England.
False. But nearby Winchester was the capital until around 1,000 years ago.
How many chances do you get to pass OCTOE?
Two