This paper outlines research done in the context of a pre-sessional language course for foreign students going on to postgraduate studies in various disciplines and universities in the United Kingdom. The role of the social component of language and the students' need for social language are emphasized. Social language is defined as language used either to establish or confirm interpersonal relationships, or to perform other functions dependent for their successful realization on the establishing or maintaining of such relationships. Three elements of the interaction situation are significant: the settings in which foreign students come into contact with English speakers, the topics discussed, and the language functions that students might want to use. The content of function-based and setting-based learning programs is described. As there exists a need for leveling within a language course in order to deal with the heterogeneity of skills, three criteria for deciding what should be taught are defined: the student's previous knowledge, grammatical complexity of a particular item, and ideational content. Practice materials are designed with the purpose of: (1) developing student awareness of language functions and factors involved in communication, (2) practicing single aspects of communication, and (3) eliciting interactions in conditions related to those encountered outside the classroom. The work reported here resulted in the production of a set of experimental teaching materials. Sample exercises from these materials are provided in the appendix. (CLK)