STAPS ENGLISH 2025-2026
Topic outline
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Welcome to this introductory course of STAPS English!
This course has been designed as a common core for all our L2 undergraduates; its purpose is to teach you the basics of sporting English!Please note: This course is comprised of both online and in-class lessons (check the syllabus for the program).When you have an online class:- You are free to take your class at any moment during the week (Monday through Sunday); the contents will remain available throughout the semester. If you would like some help from your teacher, you may come to class for this lesson, but it will have to be at your usual English-class time.- We recommend spending at least 1h30 on this class (which is the equivalent of what you would have had for an in-class lesson).- But keep in mind that the time you spend on this class will also depend on your level and motivation. :)- Each online lesson is preparatory for the next in-class lesson: there will be a test in class, so make sure you study well before your in-class lesson (the day before, at the lastest)!Bienvenue dans ce cours d'initiation à l'anglais STAPS !
Ce cours a été conçu comme un tronc commun pour tous les étudiants de L2 ; il est destiné à vous apprendre les bases de l'anglais sportif !
NB: Ce cours comprend des TD en ligne et des TD en classe (voir le syllabus pour l'organisation).
Lorsque le TD est en ligne :- Vous êtes libres de faire ce TD en ligne au moment de la semaine que vous préférez (du lundi au dimanche) ; le contenu du TD restera accessible tout au long du semestre. Si vous souhaitez avoir de l'aide de votre professeur, vous pouvez venir en classe, mais dans ce cas cela doit être sur votre créneau habituel d'anglais.- Nous vous recommandons de consacrer au moins 1h30 à ce TD (c'est l'équivalent de la durée d'un TD en classe).- Mais gardez à l'esprit que le temps nécessaire pour achever ce TD dépendra aussi de votre niveau et de votre implication. :)- Chaque TD en ligne sert de préparation au test qui aura lieu lors du TD en classe suivant, donc révisez bien le TD en ligne avant votre TD en classe (au plus tard la veille) !_____________________________________________________________________________________________
We are looking forward to classes with you and hope you will enjoy this year; please feel free to share any feedback with us!Best regards,
Your English teachers Thibaut Nilles & Emma Pillard
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Here is what you will learn:S38: Meet your English teacher and learn more about this year's program.S39: Study your pronunciation rules and practice.
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Welcome to your first online class! This class is the first part of UNIT 1.
In this Unit, you will learn the names of sports and sports facilities in English. For each STEP, we have indicated the approximate time you should spend.
For this Unit, there are 7 STEPS + 1 optional STEP (see below).
PLEASE REMEMBER TO CLICK ON THE LITTLE TICK ICON "
" on the right side of the screen for each activity, to complete the activity. This allows your teachers to visualize your progression. Moreover, you will not be able to complete certain STEPS unless you reach the minimum score for a test. You may take these tests several times, to practice and complete your STEPS!
Bienvenue sur votre premier TD en ligne ! Ce TD est la première partie du UNIT 1.
Dans cet UNIT, vous allez apprendre les noms de sports et d'infrastructures sportives en anglais. Pour chaque STEP, nous vous avons indiqué le temps approximatif que vous devriez passer dessus.
Pour ce module, il y a 7 STEPS + 1 STEP facultatif (voir ci-dessous).
ATTENTION MERCI DE VALIDER CHAQUE ÉTAPE TERMINÉE EN CLIQUANT SUR LA PETITE ICÔNE "
" à droite de l'écran liée à l'étiquette ! Cela nous aide à voir votre progression. De plus, certains STEPS ne pourront pas être validés tant que vous n'avez pas eu un score minimum sur un test. Vous pouvez passer ces tests plusieurs fois afin de vous entrainer et de les valider !
UNIT 1 STEPS / ÉTAPES :
STEP 1 (Vocabulary) : Watch the video about the Olympic sports pictograms and take the test to see what you have memorized / Regardez la vidéo sur les pictogrammes des sports olympiques puis faites le test pour voir ce que vous avez retenu.
STEP 2 (Listening) : Watch the video about the Paris 2024 sports. / Regardez la vidéo sur les sports qui seront présents aux JO de Paris 2024.
STEP 3 (Phonology) : Study the pronunciation of sports names with the GamestolearnEnglish website (and video, if you need to!). Be careful: keep track of the score you will get with GamestolearnEnglish because you will need it for STEP 7. / Apprenez la prononciation des sports avec le site GamestolearnEnglish (et éventuellement la vidéo qui va avec, si vous voulez !). Attention à bien noter quelque part le score que vous allez obtenir sur GamestolearnEnglish. Il vous sera demandé au STEP 7.
STEP 4 (Vocabulary) : Study the names of sports facilities with a LearningApp. Be careful: keep track of the password you will get when you finish playing the LearningApp game, because you will need it for STEP 7. / Apprenez les noms d'infrastructures sportives avec une LearningApp ; attention à bien enregistrer le mot de passe qui vous est donné lorsque vous avez réussi. Il vous sera demandé au STEP 7.
STEP 5 (Grammar) : Learn which prepositions you should use when talking about sports and the facilities where these sports are practiced. / Apprenez les prépositions à utiliser lorsque vous parlez d'un sport et des infrastructures où vous pratiquez ce sport.
STEP 6 (Vocabulary) : Memorize the rules about when to use DO/GO/PLAY/PRACTICE and take the test to practice. / Mémorisez la règle d'utilisation des verbes DO/GO/PLAY/PRACTICE puis entraînez-vous avec le test.
STEP 7 (Memorize!) : Take the final Wooclap to see what you have memorized! Be careful, you can only take the test ONCE, so make sure that you have done all the activities from each step and that you have your notes with you before you start... / Participez au Wooclap de fin de module, pour voir ce que vous en avez retenu ! Attention, vous ne pouvez passer ce test qu'une seule fois. Soyez sûr d'avoir bien validé toutes les étapes précédentes avant de le passer, et d'avoir vos prises de notes avec vous...
STEP 8, optional (Vocabulary) : This STEP is completely optional! / Ce STEP est complètement facultatif !
GOOD LUCK!
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STEP 1 - Olympic sports pictograms (⏲️ 10 min)
a) Go to the following website and memorize the pictograms from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
You can also watch this video to help you memorize all the pictograms with illustrations!=> NB: In English, we never say "the + sport" to talk about a sport in general. / En anglais, on n'utilise jamais "the + sport" pour parler d'un sport de façon générale.Ex:Thesoccer is the most popular sport in the world. <=> Le football est le sport le plus populaire du monde.b) Take the following test to see what you remember: (voir le test ci-dessous) -
STEP 2 - The Paris 2024 Olympic Games
(⏲️ 10 min)
Here is a video of the 45 sports that were present at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
a) Repeat out loud all the sports and be sure of the pronunciation.
b) Listen carefully to find the answers to the following questions. Write the answers down somewhere!
- Which sports were dropped compared to Tokyo 2020?
- Which sport was a new Olympic sport in 2024?
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STEP 3 - Learn how to pronounce sports names
(⏲️ 5-10 min)
Visit the following website: https://www.gamestolearnenglish.com/fast-vocab/
a) Click on "START".
b) Select the category named "SPORTS".
c) Slide down the picture of the sport towards the right word, repeat out loud the names of the 80 sports you will have to find. Enjoy and break your record !
=> When you have finished, write down your final score (or your best score if you played several times!) and save it for STEP 7.
Optional: For some extra work on your pronunciation, you may also watch the following video.
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STEP 4 - Sports facilities
(⏲️ 10 min)
a) Go to the following LearningApp : https://learningapps.org/watch?v=pqyrh29kj22
b) For each red pin (there are 23 pins), find the name of the sport facility in the list.
c) When you are finished, click on the blue-and-white button to finish.
=> When you have finished, write down the password that is given to you and save it for STEP 7.
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STEP 5 - Grammar: Prepositions
(⏲️ 15 min)
a) Si vous avez besoin d'un rappel sur ce qu'est une préposition, lisez le recap grammatical ci-dessous (voir le document : "Grammar - Prepositions.pdf").b) Memorize the prepositions that you should use to talk about sports by reading the following presentation: https://view.genial.ly/64e36a019408f40019997809c) Take the following test to see what you remember: (voir le test ci-dessous) -
STEP 6 - Do, go, play or practice?
(⏲️ 15 min)
a) Memorize the following rules.- We typically use the expression “do + sport” for sports that are
individual / artistic, as well as for sports that do not require a
ball.
Ex: I do gymnastics (individual and artistic sport).
- We typically use the expression “play + sport” for sports that involve a ball (or an object that is exchanged among the players) or that involve opposing teams/players.
Ex: I play football / soccer (collective sport involving two opposing teams and a ball).
- We
typically use the expression “go + sport” for sports that require you
to go to the mountains or the sea, or for sports that require movement
or an itinerary.
Ex: I like to go skiing in the winter (you must go to the mountains to ski).
- We typically use the expression “practice + sport” when we refer to the training we do in that specific sport.
Ex: I practice tennis 3 times a week.
RECAP - Pour synthétiser :On utilise DO + sport lorsqu'on parle d'un sport qui ne n'implique pas une opposition autour d'un objet (balle, ballon, volant de badminton, etc).A l'inverse, on utilise PLAY + sport lorsqu'on parle d'un sport qui implique une opposition autour d'un objet.On utilise GO + sport lorsqu'il y a l'idée d'un déplacement pour aller pratiquer ce sport (les sports de montagne, les sports nautiques, etc).On utilise PRACTICE + sport avec n'importe quel sport, lorsqu'on insiste sur l'entraînement qu'on fait dans ce sport.b) Take the following test to see what you remember (voir le test ci-dessous) - We typically use the expression “do + sport” for sports that are
individual / artistic, as well as for sports that do not require a
ball.
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STEP 7 - FINAL WOOCLAP
(⏲️ 15-20 min)
Take this quiz on Wooclap to see what you have memorized from all the steps of UNIT 1.
BE CAREFUL: You can only take this quiz once, so make sure you are well prepared and don't rush! Follow the link according to your section. ATTENTION : Vous ne pouvez faire le test qu'une seule fois ; préparez vos notes et ne vous précipitez pas pour répondre ! Suivez le lien vers le Wooclap selon votre filière.
- L2 APAS : https://app.wooclap.com/ZIPNRB/questionnaires/66f41681362fc1947bae65f5
- L2 Education et motricité groups: https://app.wooclap.com/ZIPNRB/questionnaires/66f41696f2dd5a56a7dfa61f
- L2 Entraînement sportif groups: https://app.wooclap.com/ZIPNRB/questionnaires/66f416a43a2729acccabed2a
- L2 Management groups: https://app.wooclap.com/ZIPNRB/questionnaires/66f416af05e5f69be618915f -
STEP 8 (optional) - Useful vocabulary
If you want some further vocabulary practice, you can check the following list of useful vocabulary (cf "UNIT 1 - Useful vocabulary.pdf") and use the following flashcards.
Click here to practice with flashcards: https://app.wooflash.com/join/BAL51AR3?from=1
a) Click on "Réviser" to start.
b) For each flashcard, you will see a picture of the word, then the word in English and in French. You can also listen to the pronunciation of each word.
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CONGRATULATIONS! You finished UNIT 1!
(⏲️ 5 min)
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Welcome to your second online class! This class is the first part of UNIT 2.
In this Unit, you will learn some content about studying abroad. For each STEP, we have indicated the approximate time you should spend.
For this Unit, there are 8 STEPS (see below).
When you have finished, please take a few minutes to fill in the GoogleForm at the end of the unit to give us some feedback about this unit.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO CLICK ON THE LITTLE TICK ICONE "
" on the right side of the screen for each activity, to complete the activity. This allows your teachers to visualize your progression. Moreover, you will not be able to complete certain STEPS unless you reach the minimum score for a test. You may take these tests several times, to practice and complete your STEPS!
Bienvenue sur votre deuxième TD en ligne ! Ce TD est la première partie du UNIT 2.
Dans cet UNIT, vous allez voir du contenu sur les mobilités étudiantes. Pour chaque STEP, nous vous avons indiqué le temps approximatif que vous devriez passer dessus.
Pour ce module, il y a 8 STEPS (voir ci-dessous).
Lorsque vous aurez fini, merci de prendre quelques minutes pour remplir le GoogleForm en bas du module pour nous donner du feedback sur ce module.
ATTENTION MERCI DE VALIDER CHAQUE ÉTAPE TERMINÉE EN CLIQUANT SUR LA PETITE ICÔNE "
" à droite de l'écran liée à l'étiquette ! Cela nous aide à voir votre progression. De plus, certains STEPS ne pourront pas être validés tant que vous n'avez pas eu un score minimum sur un test. Vous pouvez passer ces tests plusieurs fois afin de vous entrainer et de les valider !
UNIT 2 STEPS / ÉTAPES :
STEP 1 (Listening) : Watch the extract from L'Auberge espagnole to learn more about Erasmus programs. / Regardez un extrait de L'Auberge espagnole pour en apprendre plus sur le programme Erasmus.
STEP 2 (General culture) : Compare the British and American school systems. / Comparez les systèmes scolaires britanniques et américains.
STEP 3 (Reading & Listening) : Sport and higher education: what's it like to be a student athlete? / Le sport dans les études supérieures à travers le monde : à quoi ressemble l'expérience d'un étudiant-athlète ?
STEP 4 (Listening) : Culture shock: how can you adapt abroad? / Le choc culturel: comment s'adapter aux différences culturelles à l'étranger ?
STEP 5 - OPTIONAL/Facultatif (Culture) : Prepare your year abroad... / Préparez-vous pour postuler à l'étranger...
STEP 6 (Memorize!) : Some useful information for STAPS students / Informations spécifiques pour les étudiants STAPS
STEP 7 (Vocabulary) : Memorize the vocabulary that is useful to talk about academic culture and your academics. / Mémorisez le vocabulaire utile pour parler de culture universitaire et de votre propre parcours scolaire.
STEP 8 (Memorize!) : Take the final Wooclap to see what you have memorized! Be careful, you can only take the test ONCE, so make sure that you have done all the activities from each step and that you have your notes with you before you start... / Participez au Wooclap de fin de module, pour voir ce que vous en avez retenu ! Attention, vous ne pouvez passer ce test qu'UNE SEULE FOIS. Soyez sûr d'avoir bien validé toutes les étapes précédentes avant de le passer, et d'avoir vos prises de notes avec vous..
Good luck!
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STEP 1 - Introduction
(⏲️ 5 min)
L'Auberge espagnole, by director Cédric Klapisch, is a must-see film about student mobility. A French student, played by Romain Duris, spends a year in Barcelona for his studies. In this video you can see all the difficulties he went through to compile his file for the Erasmus program...
=> Watch the video and try to understand the humor!
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STEP 2 - The differences between French / American / British universities
(⏲️ 25 min)
In this step we will compare higher education in 3 different countries.
a) Read this online article and take some notes. (You will have some questions about it in the final wooclap).
b) Read the 2 PDF documents below (voir les PDF ci-dessous) about Higher Education in the UK and in the USA.To take notes, prepare a comparative grid and fill it in. You will have questions on this comparison in the final Wooclapc) Grammar: Read the following recap about comparative structures.1) Superiority
Look at the following examples:
1. Tuition fees are higher in the US than in France.
2. Tuition fees are lower in France than in England.
3. In the US, It is cheaper to attend a university in the state where your parents are resident than another state.
=> HIGH, LOW and CHEAP are short adjectives with 1 syllable.
In the comparative form, you add – er + than.
4. Finding time to have a student job is easier in the US than in France.
=> EASY is an adjective with 2 syllables BUT it ends in –y. You add – ier + than.
5. British universities are more expensive than French universities.
=> EXPENSIVE is a long adjective with 2 or more syllables. You add more + adjective + than.
You can also add less + adjective + than.
6. In the UK, the situation for students in 2018 is worse than it was for students in 1998 when tuition fees were first introduced.
=> WORSE is the adjective BAD in its comparative form.
Exceptions
Like in French, some adjectives are irregular in their comparative form
Adjectives
Comparative Form
Good
Bad
Far
Little
Much
Better than
Worse than
Farther than / Further than
Less
More
2) EqualityLook at the following examples:1. Studying in the UK is now almost as expensive as studying in the US.
2. I thought I would be homesick and lonely: but in fact studying away from home is not as bad as all that.
3. As soon as I was 18, I wanted to leave home and study in another country.
=> Structure = AS + adjective + AS
3) "alors que", "tandis que" => while, whereas4) Some more complex comparative structures:- Modulating comparisons
Look at the following examples:
1. Tuition fees are MUCH higher in the US than in France.
2. He doesn’t study very hard. He’s FAR more interested in having a good time.
3. My course is a bit boring. I would like to do something A LITTLE more interesting.
4. Deciding which universities and courses to apply for was MUCH more complicated than I initially expected.
5. It’s A LOT easier to learn a foreign language in the country where it is spoken than in a classroom.
=> You can modulate the comparison by using: Much – a lot – far – a bit – a little - slightly
- More and more…
Look at the following examples:
1. It’s becoming harder and harder to find a job – even with a Master’s degree.
2. Your English is improving: it’s getting better and better.
3. These days, more and more young people are spending a year abroad.
We repeat comparatives like this (… and ….) to say that something is changing continuously.
- The more, the more…
1. The younger you are, the easier it is to learn.
2. The more qualified you are, the easier it is to find a job.
3. The further away you live from your parents when at university, the more independent you become.
4. The more you study, the better you will do.
=> We use "the… the…" (with two comparatives) to say that one thing depends on another thing:
Other common expressions:
The bigger the better.
The sooner the better.
The more the merrier.
d) Take the following test to see what you remember:
https://ecampus.paris-saclay.fr/mod/quiz/view.php?id=2172518
- Modulating comparisons
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STEP 3 - Sports studies in the world and student athletes
(⏲️ 15 min)
a) Here are a few websites that you can browse if you are interested in studying sports sciences abroad.
=> The 2020 Shanghai ranking of sports sciences schools and departments
https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/grsssd/2020
Which country is the most represented among the top 30 programs? Is this what you expected?
=> A website giving information about many sports sciences programs around the world
https://erudera.com/study-programs/sports-science/
b) Watch this video about what it is like to be a student athlete in college:
Pay attention to the words / expressions that mean: un engagement / une moyenne / les notes / se serrer les coudes
c) Watch this video of Richard Sherman, a NFL player (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) who graduated from Stanford University and who would like to raise awareness (to raise awareness = sensibiliser) about the difficulties that student athletes face during their education...
Take notes: what does Sherman say about the way people see student athletes? What is the reality of being a student athlete?
d) Take the following test to see what you remember:
https://ecampus.paris-saclay.fr/mod/quiz/view.php?id=2172520
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STEP 4 - Adapting to cultural differences
(⏲️ 10 min)
a) Watch this video about culture shock.
If you go live abroad for a few months or maybe a year you will have to adapt to a different style of life. What is "CULTURE SHOCK" and how can you successfully adapt to another country? And how do strangers adapt to France when they come live in our country?
b) Listen to this audio about an American professional basketball player, Trenton Meacham from the ASVEL club in Lyon, talking about leaving his home country to come to France, and the difficulties he faced.
Take notes for the final wooclap (you can also listen to the audio files again while answering the wooclap questions)
c) Listen to this audio about a professional Canadian basketball coach, J.D. Jackson from the ASVEL club in Lyon, talking about leaving his home country to come to France, and all the excitement he felt.
Take notes for the final wooclap (you can also listen to the audio files again while answering the wooclap questions).
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STEP 5 (Optional / Facultatif) - Get ready to study abroad!
Si vous êtes intéressé(e) par une mobilité étudiante, nous vous recommandons fortement de jeter un oeil à ce STEP... sinon, vous pouvez juste lire par curiosité, ou passer votre chemin !
a) How to write a CV / cover letter
To get your application for a student mobility ready, you will probably need to provide a CV (UK) or resume (US), as well as a cover letter. Look at the following presentation and read carefully so that you are up to scratch on what to do / not do!
https://view.genial.ly/633393b1c7b5620018b84fdc
You can also do the exercises on the following worksheet to make sure you have understood (les réponses aux questions du worksheet sont données au fur et à mesure de la présentation ci-dessus).
NB : si vous voulez vous entraîner à rédiger un CV / une lettre de motivation dans le cadre de votre mobilité étudiante, vous pouvez le faire et demander l'avis de votre professeur d'anglais !
b) Some useful vocabulary...
You can also learn the vocabulary in the following document (voir le document PDF ci-dessous) to talk about your experiences and skills in your application.
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STEP 6 - Some useful information about student mobility here in Paris-Saclay
(⏲️ 5 min)
Si vous envisagez d'effectuer une mobilité étudiante, le premier site à consulter est évidemment celui de la Faculté des STAPS, sur lequel vous retrouverez toutes les informations concernant les partenariats entre la F2S et l'étranger, ainsi que les étapes pour constituer un dossier. Pour rappel, votre correspondante privilégiée dans cette démarche est Caroline TEULIER (responsable des Relations Internationales pour la F2S).
Si vous avez besoin de passer une certification en anglais pour constituer votre dossier, tous nos conseils concernant les différentes certifications et leurs modalités de passage sont dans la présentation suivante. Vous pouvez aussi contacter Emma Pillard (référente certification pour la F2S) si vous avez des questions à ce sujet.
https://view.genial.ly/6353befd2e448300124c47a3
We hope this helps a little, so that you don't have to struggle as much as Romain Duris in L'Auberge espagnole ! ;)
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STEP 7 - Some useful vocabulary
Here is a vocabulary sheet you have to read and memorize! (voir le document PDF ci-dessous)
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STEP 7 - FINAL WOOCLAP
(⏲️ 20-25 min)
Take this quiz on Wooclap to see what you have memorized from all the steps of UNIT 1.
BE CAREFUL: You can only take this quiz once, so make sure you are well prepared and don't rush! Follow the link according to your section. ATTENTION : Vous ne pouvez faire le test qu'une seule fois ; préparez vos notes et ne vous précipitez pas pour répondre ! Suivez le lien vers le Wooclap selon votre filière.
- L2 APAS with Thibaut NILLES: https://app.wooclap.com/UNIT5EPES/questionnaires/65231fa668acc58cc798fb9b
- L2 Education et motricité groups with Thibaut NILLES & Emma PILLARD: https://app.wooclap.com/UNIT5EPES/questionnaires/65231fc9ee8427b1cb2fecaa
- L2 Entraînement sportif groups with Emma PILLARD: https://app.wooclap.com/UNIT5EPES/questionnaires/65231f6c7ba5520626cd5da1
- L2 Management groups with Thibaut NILLES:https://app.wooclap.com/UNIT5EPES/questionnaires/65231fd62418cd1192743181 -
CONGRATULATIONS! You finished UNIT 2!
(⏲️ 5 min)
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Opened: Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 12:00 AMDue: Monday, 27 October 2025, 11:59 PM
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Click on the following link to acess our Padlet, where we have listed many resources for you to improve your English. This will also be useful if you would like to get extra information on how to take a certification exam or prepare for a year of studying abroad.
Cliquez sur le lien ci-dessous pour accéder à notre Padlet, sur lequel nous avons déposé de nombreuses ressources pour vous aider à améliorer votre anglais. Ce Padlet vous sera également utile si vous cherchez des informations concernant le passage d'une certification ou la préparation d'une mobilité étudiante.