Cooperating with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the National Extension College began in 1964 an 0 Level English course (grammar and literature) by radio and correspondence study. A few residential courses were also arranged to bring students and tutors together and enable students to discuss common problems among themselves. Over half the students were women, most were aged 20 to 50, a majority had never taken an English examination, and about half ("examination students" as opposed to "general interest students") were seeking a certificate which they needed largely for job advancement. Students joined this experimental course largely because they could not attend evening classes, but some chose it because of hesitation to join a conventional class. This course, which had over 300 students and produced a pass rate of between 75% and 80%, led in 1965-66 to a nationwide BBC course in which over 1,800 participated. (The document includes student characteristics, program costs, and specimens of a lesson, a test, and a radio script.) (ly)