King Saud University Preparatory Year Programme

2007 has seen Bell move into a new area of the Gulf in partnership with Obeikan Research and Development (ORD), a highly regarded educational publisher and bookseller, one of the largest publishing houses in the Middle East. This partnership is pioneering a new foundation programme at one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; King Saud University.

The Preparatory Year English Programme is a new project providing a unique opportunity for future Management and Engineering students to improve their English language skills alongside other key skills such as Maths and ICT in preparation for their university career the following year.

The programme involves 1518 students at present, and requires a large team of skilled and experienced teachers. Bell has recruited some of the best teachers from all over the globe, who bring a variety of experience and qualifications to the programme. Our Academic Manager, Keith Ellis, brings management experience from Bell’s RASCO contract as in Libya as well as teaching experience in Saudi itself, and a wide range of management and teaching roles around the world.

As well as recruiting the team of teachers for the project, Bell will be using its experience and knowledge to ensure that the teaching is of the highest quality and that the high standards seen in Bell centres all around the world are achieved. This will involve a quality assurance programme taking place throughout the year conducted by Bells team of experts and headed by Jim Scrivener.

The project was launched at the beginning of September in the new purpose built teaching centre in the King Saud University campus.  The 1518 students have all taken the Bell Online Placement Test , and have been allocated into classes ready for teaching. Students receive 25 hours of intensive English tuition with their teachers each week as well lessons in other disciplines, such as Maths and ICT skills. The programme initially focuses on general English, using one of the most successful coursebooks from Cambridge University Press; Interchange.

This initial stage is designed to provide a strong foundation in the language, improving overall command of English as well as vocabulary, reading, writing and communication skills. However, as the course progresses, the focus switches to concentrate on academic English in order to prepare students for the style of language they will need for their future studies at King Saud, as well as equipping them with the skills they need for their university career and beyond. A final element of the course involves preparing students for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) which will take place at the end of the final semester. It is intended that with this intensive study schedule and an excellent learning environment, the majority of students will reach an IELTS score of 5.0 by the end of the year.

Advanced Technology

Technology will play and important role throughout the whole of the English course with teachers using the latest in interactive whiteboard software in the classroom, as well as dedicated computer laboratories utilising the latest language software. In particular, the innovative programme, Bell English Campus, will be available to all students providing tailored supplementary activities for each level of the course, with each student having their own individual study module.

For more information about the English Programme managed by Bell at King Saud University, click here.

Dr Naser, Keith Ellis, Daniel Hutchinson, Dr Abdulaziz, Dr Fayaz, Dr Yousef

Classroom with the latest in interactive whiteboard software

Dedicated computer laboratories

Contact details

Please contact us if you would like more information on our King Saud University Preparatory Year Programme.