| The Official school of languages in Manresa was created in the year 2000 (order 265/2000 of 31 July 2000) and is dependant on the Education Department of the Government of Catalonia. It is, therefore, a public centre specialising in the teaching of modern languages to adults, in the non-university stage. The rest of Spain also has a network of over one hundred official schools. They are normally localised in the capital cities.
The main aim of the official schools is to teach the students so they are able to achieve an effective use of the language as a means of communication in general. To achieve this objective (DOGC 1442 13-5-91) the schools have three study cycles: basic, intermediate and advanced. The first two give students a general but effective knowledge of the language. The third one goes deeper and capacitates the student towards an almost native knowledge of the language.
The first cycle has two courses (1st and 2nd), at the end of which the students who have passed will receive the “Certificat de Nivell Bàsic” (= Basic Level Certificate). The next cycle has just one course (3rd), at the end of which students must take the intermediate level certificate examination elaborated by the Ministry of Education of Catalunya in order to obtain the “Certificat de Nivell Intermedi” (= Intermediate Level Certificate). Finally, the third cycle has two more courses (4th and 5th), at the end of which students have to pass the advanced level certificate examination, also elaborated by the Catalan Government, in order to obtain the “Certificat de Nivell Avançat” (= Advanced Level Certificate). All five courses last 130 hours each.
All three certificates are official and are recognised throughout the state. They can also be compared to the levels described in the European Reference Framework. Therefore, the students who obtain the “Certificat de Nivell Bàsic” can be considered within the higher rank of the A2 level of the European Council (basic users) . Those with the “Certificat de Nivell Intermedi” are within the B1 level (independent users) and, finally, the students who obtain the “Certificat de Nivell Avançat” can be placed within the higher rank of the B2 level, considered advanced according to the definition of independent users. The students with good results in the “Certificat de Nivell Avançat” can even be placed within the level C1 (= knowledgeable independent user) of the European Council.
The Basic Certificate can only be obtained by students registered at the schools. However, the Intermediate and Advanced Certificates can also be obtained by students who are not registered (freelance mode).
Some universities recognise these certificates as free election credits. (Ask your local university for more details) They also give points/ incentives to the Government’s Civil Servants towards incentives, location moves etc...
At present, the school teaches the following languages: English, French, German and Catalan. For English, French and German we offer all the courses (from 1st to 5th). As regards Catalan, the courses are not determined until September.
The classes last two hours and are on alternate days: either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday. During the first three/four months, there are also classes on alternate Fridays. They all take place in the afternoon and the times are as follows:
French, German and Catalan
first group: 1630 to 1830h,
second group: 1900 – 2100h.
English
first group: 1600 to 1800h,
second group: 1845 to 2045h.
Apart from the official courses, the school also offers distance courses – That’s English – with a weekly tutoring hour. Also, we offer monographic courses with a duration of thirty hours. These are offered twice during the school’s course (October to February and March to June). Finally, we also offer some intensive courses (80 hours) in July.
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