The EIE Institute, a nationwide English-language school in Korea, is offering a new type of English course specially designed for speaking and writing development.

The private school chain together with the English Institute of Korea University has been developing the course for students ranging from elementary to high school levels since March this year.

According to the EIE Institute, speaking and writing skills are becoming more important to students than ever as the government is planning to replace the current paper-based English test for university entrance with the internet-based National English Ability Test.

Seven local universities will soon start accepting the new English ability exam, which test students in the four areas of listening, reading, speaking and writing for admissions. 

The EIE Institute said it developed three-step interactive methods for developing speaking and writing skills. In the first stage, students practice with video clips to be accustomed to the internet-based test. And the next stage, they have one-on-one lessons with native English teachers through video chatting services.

After completing the first two stages, students will then join the in-school classroom to practice live speaking in a discussion group and also to have teachers correct their written essays. For more information visit www.eie.co.kr or call at 02-1599-0572. (596story@heraldcorp.com)