Tag Archives: a importância de aprender Inglês

How to get your English to B1 level

1. Understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.

For B1 level, you should read and listen to English as much as you can. You can take English lessons, listen to English language songs, watch films and shows in English, read documents in English for your job or search for articles and videos … all of these will help you to improve your reading and listening skills.

Choose texts about things you already know. For example, read English-language websites or tourist information about your country, or watch a show or film again that you’ve already watched but this time with English audio or subtitles. Don’t worry if you don’t yet understand all of it. Focus on understanding the main points, and note down new words to increase your vocabulary.

Also, choose texts at the right level for you. On this website, for example, do readings and listenings that are marked A2 or B1. Don’t choose texts that you find too difficult, as you might feel frustrated.

2. Be able to deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken.

If you have any opportunities to travel, take advantage! Use your English to do things like buying tickets, ordering food, shopping and taking public transport.

Even if you can’t travel, there are still things you can do to improve your skills. Travel topics are usually included in English coursebooks and learning materials, so use them to prepare for these situations. A good way to practise is to first learn useful words and phrases for a situation, and then do a role play.

3. Produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest.

How often do you speak and write English? Try to do both regularly.

For speaking practice, try to find some English speakers in your workplace, school, local area or online, and talk to them about your interests, family, work and so on. You can also try recording yourself speaking or posting a voice message in our Learning hub. For writing practice, you might like to write a diary or blog, or write comments on the LearnEnglish Facebook page or social media.

For B1 level, you should speak and write more at length. Use words such as therefore, because, first of all and on one hand … on the other hand … to connect one idea or sentence to another.

4. Describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

This skill is about expressing your thoughts. Practise putting your thoughts into English.

You can try talking about your past experiences. What memorable experiences have you had, either recently or a long time ago? You might need to check some vocabulary to talk about them, so use a dictionary or translator. Then think about what you can say and practise saying it until you can describe your experience smoothly and in detail. This is also good for your vocabulary: it’s usually easier to learn vocabulary when it is personally meaningful.

Try talking about the future too. What do you plan to do this week, this year or in five years’ time? Do you have any hopes or dreams? Put these into words. If you don’t know what your future plans are, it’s fine – you can still talk about different options that you are thinking about. You can also say why you plan to do things.

As suggested above, keeping a diary or blog and having regular English conversations are good ways to practise these skills.

Good luck on your way to B1!

How to Prepare for a Job Interview

Two people shaking hands in an office

Do you have a job interview in English coming up soon? These tips will help you to get ready and impress your potential employer.

If you’ve been invited to a job interview, it’s a good sign. It means the company thinks you have potential and they want to know more about you.

Interviewers can sometimes ask unpredictable questions, but you can increase your chance of success by preparing well! Here’s how.

Study the job description

The job description says what skills, experience and personal characteristics the company needs.

Think of examples of your past work that demonstrate your strengths in these areas. You may have other skills too, but focus on those mentioned in the job description.

Anticipate questions and prepare answers

Here are some common questions to prepare for.

  • Why do you want this job?
  • What can you bring to this role?
  • Why did you leave your last job?
  • Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses?
  • What challenges could you face in this job?

Your answers will be more persuasive if you include real examples of your work. For instance:

Q: What can you bring to this role?

A: Good time management. It’s one of my strengths. In my last role I organised our office relocation, which was a huge project involving over a hundred staff in only three months. I delegated work within my team to save time. I set deadlines for completion of the project stages and I monitored progress regularly. Because of this, the relocation was completed on time and on budget. I feel confident I can bring these skills into this role.

Some questions may ask you to talk about weaknesses, failures or challenges. Nevertheless, be optimistic. For example, if you have to talk about a failure you experienced, you can also say what you learned from it or how you avoid repeating it.

Look at your CV and guess what interviewers will want to know. For instance, if you have any gaps between jobs, they may ask what you did during that time.

Research the company

Find out as much as you can. Check the company’s website, LinkedIn and social media, and ask your friends and colleagues.

You can use this information in the interview. If you know about the company’s current activities, for example, you can say which ones you are keen to be involved in. It will show your interest in the job.

Practise English

Here are some suggestions for vocabulary practice:

  • positive adjectives to describe you (e.g. determined, resilient) and your work (e.g. innovative, successful)
  • verbs to describe your achievements and actions (e.g. coordinate, direct, develop, create)
  • words to describe projects and goals (e.g. objective, success criteria, implementation)
  • words to describe professional development (e.g. training, qualifications)
  • technical terms in your field
  • phrases for social interaction (e.g. Nice to meet you; It’s my pleasure).

Also check the pronunciation of any technical terms, the company’s name and the interviewers’ names.

Practise speaking English aloud until you feel comfortable and confident. It’s a good idea to do a practice interview – ask a friend to ask you some questions and practise responding in English.

Prepare your own questions

You may have a chance to ask your interviewers some questions. This is a good way to show your interest as well as to find out more about the job. Here are some suggestions.

  • What do you think the challenges will be for this role?
  • What’s the next step in the recruitment process after this interview?
  • When will you notify candidates about the outcome of the interview?
  • Will there be any support for training and development in this role?

Prepare the practicalities

Decide what clothes you will wear and get them looking smart. Pack in your bag anything that you need to bring, such as your ID card or certificates. Take a bottle of water too. Arriving late makes a bad impression, so plan to arrive at the venue early.

For online interviews, find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Turn on your device’s camera and check that the picture is clear and the room lighting is not too bright or dark. Check that the microphone picks up your voice clearly too. Have a look around the interview platform (e.g. Zoom or Skype) and get familiar with the controls (how to mute, share screen, etc.). Also prepare any notes that you want to refer to.

Good luck in your interview!

Source : https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-levels/improve-your-english-level/how-prepare-job-interview-english?utm_campaign=english-all-learnenglish-global-newsletters&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=83718848&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_OfwvDC90pKN-PqEnOiQMJu5igbHhVq33PclpRuu8Ln-3XVC1hnS4l1bmO59jyCoTd1FZWayzxfUJ0ZmVxxC0GogP29GlHJsnmveE1s4JzLHZ4ItM&utm_content=83718848&utm_source=hs_email

Skills for Reading Quickly

The first time you read a text intensively:

  • Focus on the content words (usually nouns, verbs, adjectives)

It is easy to read this by focusing on the content words in bold.

  • Read in groups of two or more words (read phrases not words) eg subject + verb + object

At the age of 16 / most students take exams / in about ten different subjects

  • Prepositional phrases

At the age of 16 / most students take exams / in about ten different subjects

  • In complex sentences, identify and focus on the main clause

Vary your reading rate

Decrease speed when you find the following:

  • An unfamiliar word not made clear by the sentence: Try to understand it from the way it’s used; then read on and return to it later.
  • Long and uninvolved sentence and paragraph structure: Slow down enough to enable you to untangle them and get an accurate idea of what the passage says.
  • Unfamiliar or abstract ideas: Look for applications or examples which will give them meaning. Demand that an idea “make sense.” Never give up until you understand, because it will be that much easier the next time.
  • Detailed, technical material: This includes complicated directions, abstract principles, materials on which you have little background.

Increase speed when you find the following:

  • Simple material with few ideas new to you:Move rapidly over the familiar.
  • Unnecessary examples and illustrations:These are included to clarify ideas. If not needed, move over them quickly.
  • Detailed explanation: Elaboration which you do not need can be scanned quickly.
  • Broad, generalised ideas: These can be rapidly grasped, even with scan techniques.

Source: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/pte-success/1/steps/930514

Writing a summary

How to summarise

The following outlines the three stages and steps for summarising.

Before writing:

  • Quickly scan the passage to identify the topic and purpose.
  • Read the passage carefully to understand the content. Try to infer the meaning of any unknown words and phrases.
  • Re-read the passage and note down the topic sentences and key words on your erasable noteboard.

While writing:

  • Stick to the topic and purpose of the text. Keep the meaning and degree of certainty the same as the original writing.
  • Focus on the key words and the main ideas only. Key points in the text will usually be repeated, developed and highlighted; include these in your writing.
  • Write your summary without referring to the original, making sure to include all the main points. Do not include examples or supporting evidence in your summary.
  • Use vocabulary that is relevant to the passage and appropriate for an academic environment. The best test responses use words from the passage appropriately and use synonyms effectively to show variety and range in language use.
  • Do not add anything to the summary that was not present in the original and you should not include your opinion.

After writing

  • Check the content of your summary to make sure it conveys the main ideas in the passage.
  • Check that the basic structure of the sentence is correct. The best test responses are usually complex sentences that consist of a main clause and subordinate clause.
  • Check punctuation and spelling. Make sure your sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop.
  • Check the length of your summary. Make sure you write only one sentence that is no more than 75 words long. Check your word count after you have typed your response.

How young children learn

Young children learn in an integrated way and not in neat, tidy compartments. A child making shapes out of plasticine is learning maths (shape) and art (texture, shape, design, colour), building fine motor skills (physical development), and hearing or using language to describe shapes, colour, texture, materials and techniques (English). The activity drives the need to communicate.

Young children will learn a language better when they see a genuine need for communication, which is often the language they are hearing or using while they are doing an activity that they enjoy.

While adults can plan a range a activities to enhance the learning experience, not all of them will be motivating for every child. Children more likely to be motivated if the activity or experience is meaningful to them. Taking time to get to know the children and finding out what they are interested in is essential if you want to motivate them and help them learn.

The interactions you have with a child while they are engaged in an activity help develop language and communication in context, making the language learning more memorable and authentic.

Rhymes, songs and chants help children memorise words and sentence structure, and they also help with pronunciation, expression and the rhythm of sentences. Children learn their home language by playing with language in this way, and it’s a fun way for them to learn another language too!

A good story takes children to an imaginary world filled with characters and events that will make them want to find out what happens in the end, and that they will want to hear again, join in retelling, and even retell in their own words. Illustrations and actions help children understand descriptions of characters and events, because they can connect what they are seeing and doing with the language in the story.

Giving clear, simple instructions in English with accompanying actions, gestures or demonstrations is more likely to result in children understanding. Children love copying – the teacher, their parents, older siblings or friends – and will often join in after observing how something is done. Including routines is also a useful way of helping young children understand what is expected of them (e.g. every time we sit on the mat we will hear a story or sing a song). Children may not understand straight away, but giving instructions in English is an excellent way of reinforcing key language, so in the long run it’s worth the effort.