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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!

10 Childhood Benefits Of Being Bilingual

By Nikita Gupta / July 12, 2021

10 Childhood Benefits of Being Bilingual | Multicultural Kid Blogs
Good morning in different languages | Benefits of Being Bilingual | Multicultural Kid Blogs

Photo credit: www.growingupgupta.com

“Having your child learn two languages at the same time will confuse them, won’t it?” “You know that teaching your child multiple languages is just going to cause a speech delay?” 

Have you heard these assertions too? These are common questions that many of us raising bilingual kids hear. The answer is “No” to all of the above. Learning two languages at the same time does not negatively affect speech development. On the contrary, it might help the child overcome the problem faster. To give you some assurance, here are ten benefits of being bilingual.Photo credit: www.growingupgupta.com

Benefits of Being Bilingual from a Young Age

1. Better concentration

When a bilingual child tries to speak, both languages compete to be spoken. The child has to quickly pick and suppress the other and switch between them in a second. This ability helps kids to focus better in a noisy class and mute all other irrelevant sounds.

2. Arithmetic and problem-solving

Bilingual kids have better mental alertness, which helps them to solve problems much easier. A study by psychologists Ellen Bialystok and Michelle Martin, shows that bilinguals have an easier time dividing objects by shapes and colors than their monolingual peers.

3. Creativity and ability to hypothesize

Since their brains are used to decoding and interpreting two or more languages, bilingual kids have an easier time coming up with and explaining scientific ideas.

4. Better language and vocabulary

Bilingual kids do better in word reading and spelling because of their understanding of sounds and tenses. This gives them an advantage over others when they start learning languages in class.

5. Brain exercise

In a bilingual child’s brain, both sides are always on alert and active even when they are speaking one language. The brains work a little bit more than a monolingual brain, which enhances their cognitive abilities.

6. Better communication

Multilingual kids have mastered the art of interpersonal understanding and listening, which makes them better communicators. This is more of a benefit of growing up in a multilingual environment where you have to listen to other’s perspectives and understand them.

7. Better memory

Learning two languages means you have to retain a lot of information and be ready to produce it at will. This helps kids with memory in school work as well as other important stuff like directions.

8. Faster response

Have you ever noticed that children take a while before responding to a command or an incident? Learning multiple languages forces the brain to quickly switch from one language to another, depending on who is speaking to you. As a result, the brain gets used to quick response and shorter reaction time.

9. Improved social life and better family connections

Speaking a second or third language opens up a whole new world out there to enhance your social skills. Being able to communicate with people from different cultures is a confidence boost and an ice breaker. It also helps to relate better with family members from that culture.

10. Open-mindedness

Multilingual kids are more open-minded and adaptable because you have already exposed them to a different level of tolerance. They are also more accepting and understanding of others, which translates to compassion and empathy.

At a young age, bilingual acquisition is as natural as learning how to walk or crawl. Kids who learn decoding skills in one language will easily translate to English or any other language. Multicultural parenting may not be the easiest, but it comes with many benefits for the children. As we have seen, there are multiple benefits of being bilingual.

A step-by-step guide to learning English with songs

Whatever type of music you’re into, learning English with songs will help you improve your listening and speaking skills, vocabulary and pronunciation.

1. Choose a song that’s in English

It can be any song at all. A song that you like, that you’ve listened to several times before. Have you found it? Great! Now …

2. Listen to the song

Do you understand all of the lyrics? 

Probably not! But don’t worry – people hardly ever understand every word of a song the first time they hear it. The words have to fit the rhythm of the music, so they are often difficult to understand. 

3. Read the lyrics

Find the lyrics online. Many music streaming services have a setting where you can listen and read the lyrics at the same time.

Listen to the song again while you read. Now it starts to make a bit more sense!

Make a note of new or interesting words and phrases. You don’t have to look up every single word in the dictionary. Try to learn five to ten new words per song.

4. Notice pronunciation

You may notice some strange-looking words! Some words in songs are written as they are pronounced. 

‘Wanna’, for example, is an informal spelling of ‘want to’. 

What about ‘gonna’ and ‘gimme’? What are these informal spellings of?

As you listen, notice how phrases are pronounced. This really helps you understand people when they’re talking fast.

5. Listen again and join in

As you listen, start to join in with the easier parts. Sing as quietly or as loudly as you want!

The chorus – the part of the song that is repeated several times – will probably be what you can sing along to first.

6. Sing along

Listen to the song a few more times, and each time join in with a little bit more. 

By now the song is really in your head! You’re really feeling the rhythm of the music and the lyrics. 

Tomorrow, next week or whenever you feel like learning a new song, do the same thing again. But don’t forget to come back to the old songs, especially your favourites.

Source: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-levels/improve-your-english-level/power-music-how-learn-english-songs?utm_campaign=english-all-learnenglish-global-newsletters&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=71246861&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9zBsn9PRGm9twSw32xawc2IRwzktX0lZ7xe9VDfleLLK0eZY4T1Tcxo0A4HD5z6-m7OeHaN_YH6LlWileAbj6I0o0tlA&utm_content=71246861&utm_source=hs_email

50 Interview questions

Consider this list your interview question and answer the best way possible.

  1. Tell Me About Yourself.
  2. How Did You Hear About This Position?
  3. Why Do You Want to Work at This Company?
  4. Why Do You Want This Job?
  5. Why Should We Hire You?
  6. What Can You Bring to the Company?
  7. What Are Your Greatest Strengths?
  8. What Do You Consider to Be Your Weaknesses?
  9. What Is Your Greatest Professional Achievement?
  10. Tell Me About a Challenge or Conflict You’ve Faced at Work, and How You Dealt With It.
  11. Tell Me About a Time You Demonstrated Leadership Skills.
  12. What’s a Time You Disagreed With a Decision That Was Made at Work?
  13. Tell Me About a Time You Made a Mistake.
  14. Tell Me About a Time You Failed.
  15. Why Are You Leaving Your Current Job?
  16. Why Were You Fired?
  17. Why Was There a Gap in Your Employment?
  18. Can You Explain Why You Changed Career Paths?
  19. What’s Your Current Salary?
  20. What Do You Like Least About Your Job?
  21. What Are You Looking for in a New Position?
  22. What Type of Work Environment Do You Prefer?
  23. What’s Your Work Style?
  24. What’s Your Management Style?
  25. How Would Your Boss and Coworkers Describe You?
  26. How Do You Deal With Pressure or Stressful Situations?
  27. What Do You Like to Do Outside of Work?
  28. Are You Planning on Having Children?
  29. How Do You Prioritize Your Work?
  30. What Are You Passionate About?
  31. What Motivates You?
  32. What Are Your Pet Peeves?
  33. How Do You Like to Be Managed?
  34. Do You Consider Yourself Successful?
  35. Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?
  36. How Do You Plan to Achieve Your Career Goals?
  37. What’s Your Dream Job?
  38. What Other Companies Are You Interviewing With?
  39. What Makes You Unique?
  40. What Should I Know That’s Not on Your Resume?
  41. What Would Your First 30, 60, or 90 Days Look Like in This Role?
  42. What Are Your Salary Expectations?
  43. What Do You Think We Could Do Better or Differently?
  44. When Can You Start?
  45. Are You Willing to Relocate?
  46. How Many Tennis Balls Can You Fit Into a Limousine?
  47. If You Were an Animal, Which One Would You Want to Be?
  48. Sell Me This Pen.
  49. Is There Anything Else You’d Like Us to Know?
  50. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?

Good luck on your interview! 🍀

Earth Day today!

Let’s celebrate!

Earth Day, which was established in 1970 in the US, is celebrated on 22nd April each year. It is a day to think about our planet and what we can do to keep it special; to think about saving water and energy, reducing pollution, recycling, protecting our animals, trees and plants, and generally getting kids interested in protecting their environment.

“Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.
Kenyan proverb

Earth Day activities for kids

Here are some quick ideas for celebrating Earth Day with your children:

  • Plant a tree
  • Go for a bike ride or a long walk (leave the car behind)
  • Hold a nature “scavenger hunt” (send the kids out into the garden or park in teams to collect – or spot – various items on a list you provide – we have some scavenger hunt printables you can use here!)
  • Print out some of our posters and place in strategic positions around the house. Talk about saving water when brushing teeth and saving energy by turning off the lights when you leave a room
  • Bake your favourite cookie or biscuit recipe and let the kids decorate with icing to look like the planet earth
  • Gather family and friends together and combine a picnic or other excursion with a litter clean-up
  • Set up a recycling centre in your home or school
  • Look through your shelves and find some books to give away via your local charity shop or library
  • Delve into your craft cupboard and tackle a recycling craft for fun!

Source: https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/earth-day?awt_a=8YG5&awt_l=5S26Y&awt_m=IpVSHZyq2VDtG5

Anxiety when speaking in English

How to reduce anxiety when speaking English

A student looking worried

If you ever feel anxious about speaking English, here are some tips to help.

Do you ever feel scared or worried about speaking English? Perhaps you get sweaty hands or your heart starts beating fast. Those are signs that you might be feeling anxious. People often feel anxious about speaking in front of classmates, speaking to native speakers, making mistakes and various other things.

Anxiety is very common, but if the worries stop you from speaking, then you might miss opportunities to practise your English. You also can’t get much feedback on your speaking from the teacher or other people. Other people miss out on the chance to hear your ideas as well.

It takes time to overcome anxiety about speaking English, but it can be done! Here are some tips.

1. Set yourself a goal

Start small. Set a goal that is a bit challenging but achievable and not too scary. For example:

  • Say ‘How are you?’ to a classmate or an English-speaking friend.
  • Ask the teacher one question in your next class.

And here are some more challenging goals.

  • Chat with somebody for a few minutes.
  • Speak in front of an audience.
  • Speak on the phone.

Remember, the goal is not to do these things perfectly, it’s just to do them! Search for opportunities, and if you achieve your goal, that’s great! Increase the difficulty of your goals over time.

2. Think positively

Tell yourself positive things: I can do it. I’ve got this. It will be OK! Whether you are a beginner or an advanced-level speaker, thinking negatively will limit what you do. Thinking positively will help you to do your best and improve.

3. Face your fears (gently)

If you feel anxious, you may want to avoid speaking. It might be easier to do something totally different, such as reading or grammar exercises. However, avoiding the issue can just make it grow bigger and scarier. Don’t wait – start speaking little by little. It will be OK!

4. Look for a good partner

Try to find someone who you feel comfortable speaking with, perhaps somebody who is patient and kind and keen to speak English too. If you can practise speaking regularly, it should help to reduce anxious feelings.

5. Plan what to do in case of problems

We often worry about having problems like these and not knowing how to deal with them.

  • What if I forget a word?
  • What if my mind goes blank?
  • What if I don’t understand what the other person is saying?

By planning what you will do and say if these situations occur, you may feel less anxious. If you forget a word, for example, prepare some phrases such as I can’t remember the word. What I mean is … and then try to describe the word. You could perhaps use synonyms (It’s similar to …) or antonyms (It’s the opposite of …). Or if somebody says something you don’t understand, you can say Sorry, I didn’t get that or Sorry, could you say that again? Write these phrases in your notebook and practise them.

Communication is never 100 per cent smooth, not even for native speakers. Overcoming such problems is a very normal part of speaking.

6. Accept problems and mistakes

Learning a language is not easy, and you will definitely have problems and make mistakes along the way. Everybody does! But making a mistake can teach you a lot and help you to improve your skills. Remember that good speakers are not people who speak perfectly all the time. Instead, good speakers can solve communication problems when they occur. 

7. Note your progress

Over days and weeks, experiment with different ways to reduce and cope with anxiety, and keep notes of what works for you and what doesn’t. Note down your speaking goals too and tick them as you achieve them, so that you can see your progress and build up positive experiences of speaking.

8. Reward yourself

If you try hard and make progress but your reward is just to do more practice, it might not be very motivating. So, reward yourself with something nice like eating a chocolate, buying a new notebook, taking time off to relax or whatever makes you feel good. Reward yourself when you achieve a goal, overcome a problem, learn something important or do something challenging.

Source: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-levels/improve-your-english-level/how-reduce-anxiety-when-speaking-english?utm_campaign=english-all-learnenglish-global-newsletters&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=70305096&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_PGnZHq1Kh40PYLkh37EATnVQCYdzNIrJx6jv7I2XQRLT95u-K6EITEYtPmxIHJm5QVLiQYH4Veh3qAbtR95wLSgWzYw&utm_content=70305096&utm_source=hs_email