Developing your English Language Skills
Other than this course, where else can I find help with developing my English communication skills?
Below we have collated a selection of resources to help you. The links will take you to a separate page containing support material or weblinks that you can explore.
You don’t need to work through all the activities together. In fact, we advise against this. By revising little and often, your confidence will grow and your language level will improve. Do this alongside your studies.
Another way of boosting your English language skills would be to join one of our community clubs. Our Debate Club and Creative Writing Club are run by our English tutors and these will help develop your speaking and written communication skills specifically. They are also a lot of fun! For more information on how to join, have a look at our page.
Here are some other handy tips to help you improve your understanding of English, which you can do in your free time:
- Watch television and films in English (it’s worth putting on the subtitles to help you read along and listen at the same time). Remember that YouTube allows you to adjust the speed of a video so that you can hear the words more clearly. You can do this by clicking on the Settings icon then choosing the appropriate speed
. You can turn on the subtitles by clicking on this icon
. This will allow you to see the words at the same time as you listen to them.
- Make notes of new vocabulary – you can do this on your phone or in a notebook. If it helps, add a translation of the word in your own language.
- Listen to British and American music. This is a fun way of improving your English. There are endless songs out there and you can find the lyrics online. You could read the lyrics as you listen to the song – as well as sing, if you feel confident!
- Get a good bilingual dictionary - this could be online. Wordreference.com Links to an external site. is a good suggestion and it will also pronounce the word for you.
- Practise English whenever you can. Make an effort to learn new words and go over your feedback from your tutor carefully. Remember that your tutor is on your side and will want you to make progress and achieve good marks. Try to practise with other English-speakers and don’t be afraid about making mistakes – it’s actually a great way of learning.
- Practise English on the go! Here is a list of apps that you can download on your phone to help you practise your grammar and vocabulary when you are on the move.
EXPLORE – Useful apps for learning English Links to an external site.
Resources to support my English language studies
Below, you will find carefully selected resources to support your vocabulary skills.
For some of the weblinks, you will need to input your CEFR level. Remember to choose B1 or B2 as we would be expecting you to be working at these levels in Year 9. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a way of describing language ability. For more information, you can read the level descriptors here:
EXPLORE – CEFR Level Descriptors Links to an external site.
Vocabulary
Learning vocabulary (meaning, pronunciation and spelling) will help you improve your English language skills. Vocabulary plays a very important role in learning any language – without vocabulary, nothing can be communicated. The more vocabulary you know, the better you will be able to express yourself and the more you will be able to understand.
In this section, we have collated a list of useful links to help you learn new words. You will notice that the pages are organised by theme to help you memorise the new words.
The first link will take you to A1 (elementary) and A2 (pre-intermediate) level vocabulary. The second link will take you to B1 (intermediate) and B2 (upper-intermediate) level vocabulary.
In Year 9, you should feel confident using B1-B2 level vocabulary.
PRACTISE – A1-A2 Vocabulary Links to an external site.
PRACTISE – B1-B2 Vocabulary Links to an external site.
Practise your vocabulary and spelling by playing these interactive games.
PRACTISE – Vocabulary games Links to an external site.