English Language Studies (ESL)

Improve English language skills for college and university study.

Program Overview

Training for all skill levels

Exclusively for learners who speak English as an additional language, this program offers five levels of instruction, from Foundations to Advanced levels and ultimately the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) level. When you complete the EAP level (and pass one General Elective course), you will receive a General Arts and Science Ontario College Certificate and may apply to other Sheridan programs without further language testing.

Hands-on learning

The ESL program encourages classroom interaction. You will work on group projects and assignments that require interaction in the community. You will practice speaking and listening in a computerized language lab, and you’ll learn to conduct computer research, take notes and write essays in English.

English for Academic Purposes

The program’s highest level, English for Academic Purposes (EAP), helps to prepare you to function in an English-speaking college or university environment. At the EAP level, you will take one General Education course of your choice for credit in your post-secondary program along with an introductory computer communications course.

Additional information

Professors in the English Language Studies program are TESL Ontario certified and include educators holding PhDs and master’s degrees. They are knowledgeable in the most innovative and proven methods of teaching English as a second language.

There are five levels of instruction:

1. Foundations
2. Pre-intermediate
3. Intermediate
4. Advanced
5. English for Academic Purposes

Students will be placed in the appropriate level based on the results of the ESL Placement Test, IELTS Academic, or their TOEFL scores. Students can submit their IELTS Academic or TOEFL scores to eslplacement@sheridancollege.ca.

Domestic students will receive information about completing the ESL Placement test after they apply to the program.

Please note that a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of 2 is required for entry into our Foundations level.

Examples of Intermediate ESL program outcomes:

• Make or cancel an appointment.
• Express an apology or make an excuse.
• Relate a detailed sequence of events from the past.
• Convey congratulations or thanks.
• Offer assistance.

Examples of English for Academic Purposes outcomes:

• Give a 20-minute persuasive presentation on a researched issue.
• Compare data in charts and graphs.
• Demonstrate critical comprehension of an extended oral exchange between several speakers.
• Write a paragraph to explain information in a graph or flow chart.

Campus locations

The English Language Studies (ESL) program is offered at the following locations:

• Trafalgar Road Campus in Oakville
• Hazel McCallion Campus (HMC) in Mississauga