Vikramjit Singh

One of the things I love about my job is sharing my language learning experiences, as I know that learning a language is not always fantastic.

So, here’s three things I discovered while learning Spanish (I’m still learning), that just might make your English language journey a little easier.

1. Be brave

Easy for me to say because I’m not a shy person.

When I was in South America, I ran around speaking a mixture of English and Spanish (Spanglish).

I once said ‘soy humbre’ (I am hunger) and I never forgot it.

I was translating from my native language of English to Spanish (a natural thing to do), as I thought I was saying ‘I am hungry’, when in Spanish I was saying ‘I am hunger’.

The correct Spanish phrase is ‘tengo humbre’ (I have hunger).

I was laughed at by my Bolivian friends and I never forgot my mistake.

I also thought it was amazing how different the two languages looked at the same expression.

So don’t be afraid to try and fall, you will learn faster and have more experiences because of it (maybe even make some friends, like I did).

After all, learning is an adventure!

2. Put away the translator

As I’ve said earlier, translating is a natural thing to do. When learning a new language, of course you will use the structure and style of your native language, it’s all you know.

This is helpful to a point. After the pre-intermediate level, I recommend you put away the translator. Why?

Because, as I discovered living with a family in Ecuador, that to progress with a new language you need to start thinking in that language, not yours. Learn to look with new eyes.

Some things just can’t be translated. Once you can communicate in English, use an English thesaurus to help you find new words.

Here you’ll find lots of synonyms (similar words to others you already know) and idioms.

The sooner you let go of your native language ideas, the faster you’ll progress with English.

Once I started doing that in Ecuador, I realised just how fascinating language and culture really is!

3. Read, everyday

Probably the biggest piece of advice I give to my students is to read.

“How do I improve my writing teacher?” Read.

“How do I improve my speaking teacher?” Of course speaking and listening helps, but so does reading.

“How do I improve my grammar, teacher”? Again, I say read.

When you read, you’re becoming familiar with the structures, patterns and vocabulary of a native speaker.

I can tell when a native speaker reads a lot, because they speak and write, really, really well. Much better than people who don’t read.

One thing about reading is, it’s hard. So my advice is to read one level below your current USE level, or general English level.

If you are an intermediate level student, go to Langports’ Library and borrow a pre-intermediate book. You will still learn a lot and it will be easier.

Also choose a topic you like – fantasy, romance, adventure – then read, everyday. After a few months, you’ll be amazed how much you’ve improved!

I remember buying a children’s book when I was studying Spanish in Mexico, called La Chistera Maravillosa – ‘the marvellous joke’.

I read this every day and it was very hard at first. But after a few times, I began to notice the patterns, the words and I began to see and use them in my everyday life.

I improved, but only after time. Reading takes at least three months of consistent effort to improve. However, once you start improving, you’ll see your English take off like a rocket!

Throughout my teaching career, one of the questions I’ve been asked most frequently by students is about how to improve speaking skills and learn vocabulary.

Speaking skills and vocabulary

My advice is to make reading part of your daily routines.

As a child, I was lucky enough to have parents that would read to me every night.

So, from an early age, I developed a great passion for the written word, storytelling and all things creative.

Through reading, I was exposed to different styles, genres and ideas.

I learned to think critically and form my own opinions.

My vocabulary greatly improved due to reading so widely. I became a better writer and overall communicator as organising my thoughts, ideas and expressing myself clearly all followed suit.

Find something that you love

This is what truly began my independent reading routine and what made me realise that this was more than just a routine activity, but a hobby.

I encourage all students to find something that they love or perhaps something that they have read before and to reread it in English.

Challenge yourselves to read a variety of different material in different styles and notice the improvement to your vocabulary, written expression and communication skills.

I hope that reading becomes as much of a passion for you as it is for me.

After a long day of studying and working it’s great to curl up with a book, enjoy some “silencio” and “muggle” downtime.

The Writing aspect of certification exams tends to be the most difficult of the four. Students scores are 10-15% lower than in the other aspects. To avoid making typical writing mistakes you should know the most obvious ones.

Single-paragraph Essay

A text without proper structure is a text that never gets high score. This text has no clear structure and therefore is both hard and unpleasant to read. Remember that your essay should have at least two body paragraphs, introduction and conclusion. 

Copying the Task

Using the same exact phrases from the task isn’t welcomed by examiners. The copied text is not going to be counted towards your total of words. This means that if you use the task words and phrases in your introduction then your essay will basically have no introductory paragraph. This is going to look bad then. Just paraphrase the task, it’s easier than you think!

Draft Essay

Most schools emphasise the importance of writing a draft paper before producing the final work and handing it in. Although this makes perfect sense in the usual studying environment, your writing part of IELTS/CAE/TOEFL is a rare exception. You are guaranteed to have no time to copy your draft to the exam form. And whatever you have written on your draft paper is not going to be scored in any way, even though you are asked to hand that in too.

If you are worried about corrections in your exam paper — don’t be. Corrections are not punished at all as long as the corrected phrase is written legibly (i.e. it is easy to understand).

No Planning

This writing mistake is related to the previous one. While making a full draft paper isn’t advised, planning your structure beforehand is still encouraged. Take a few minutes to decide how many paragraphs you will have and what they will be about. Such brief outline will ensure smoother transitions between ideas and overall better cohesion.

Easy Goes First

Do you think you need to improve your English and you don’t know where to begin? Here are 7 aspects of English that you could improve to speak and write with more confidence.

1. Word Order

English is a language with a strict word order. The basic construction is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO). Example:

I ride a bicycle

In this example word “I” is the subject, “ride” — the verb and “bicycle” the object. Putting these words in a different order will make the sentence impossible to understand.

As simple and obvious this is, word order mistakes are common among foreign speakers. The reasons for this are many, the main one probably being that their first language has flexible or free word order.

The most common exception to this rule is use of adverbs. Lets put an adverb in the example sentence above:

I ride a bicycle quickly or I quickly ride a bicycle

Both are correct. If you have doubts about word order in a sentence you make — try googling it.

2. Phrasal Verbs

To go out, to look up, to beat down — all of these are phrasal verbs. It is a short and effective way of saying something. A phrasal verbs is a verb plus preposition construction that can have several meanings. Phrasal verbs are usually considered to be rather informal.

For more info on phrasal verbs check out this related article.

3. Prepositions

Getting your prepositions right isn’t as easy as it seems to be. Most foreign learners use their mother tongue to guess the preposition that goes with a certain word. Most of the times it doesn’t work. 

4. Collocations

Collocations are acceptable combinations of words in a language. For example “to run a company” is an acceptable collocation meaning “to be in charge of a company”. You can’t say “to drive a company”, even though it would be a direct translation from a different language.

5. Articles

English articles are very important to understand if you want your English to be natural and effortless. A misused article can change the meaning of a phrase dramatically. Similarly, a missed article can confuse your reader or listener.

6. Tenses

Now this one isn’t easy at all, but important nonetheless. To have an acceptable skill of English you don’t have to know all twelve of them. But it is important to understand where and when to use Continuous and Perfect tenses as they play a very important role in the language.

7. Vocabulary

Part 1 of PTE Academic will take 77-93 minutes and will test your speaking and writing skills.

To test speaking skills, you will be assessed on your ability to produce spoken English in an academic environment.

Your writing skills will be assessed by giving written responses in academic English using correct grammar, spelling and structure.

Personal Introduction

First, you will be asked to give a personal introduction to give some information about yourself.

You will have 25 seconds to read the prompt and prepare your response. You will only have 30 seconds to record a response and can only record this once.

Don’t worry, your personal introduction is not scored but will be sent together with your score report to the institutions selected by you.

For the speaking and writing test, there are seven types of questions that you will be scored on. Below, we will break down each part of this section of the test.

Read Aloud

The first question type to test your reading and speaking skills will be the Read Aloud assessment. In this test there are 6-7 questions.

You will be shown a text prompt that will be up to 60 words. You will have 30-40 seconds to prepare by reading the passage. You will also have a set time to read aloud, which will vary by item, depending on the length of the text.

To complete the question, speak clearly and straight away after you hear a tone. You must finish speaking before the progress bar on the screen reaches the end.

You can receive a maximum of 3 points for the content spoken, maximum of 5 points for oral fluency and a maximum of 5 points for pronunciation.

Repeat Sentence

The second question type is Repeat Sentence, which will test listening and speaking skills.

You will listen to a recording between 3-9 seconds and are given 15 seconds to answer.

Once the microphone shows as recording, you will need to speak straight away and say all the words that the speaker uses, in the same order.

For this question, you can receive a maximum score of 3 for content, maximum 5 for oral fluency and a maximum of 5 points for pronunciation.

Describe Image

The third question type will test speaking skills by describing an image. There are 6-7 questions.

You will be shown an image and have 25 seconds to study the image and prepare your response. For this task, use the Erasable Noteboard Booklet to take short notes.

After a short tone is heard, start speaking straight away. You will have 40 seconds to answer and must finish speaking before the progress bar reaches the end.

In this question type, you can receive a maximum of 5 points for content, maximum of 5 points for oral fluency and maximum of 5 points for pronunciation.

Re-tell Lecture

The fourth question type, Re-tell Lecture, will test your listening and speaking skills. There are 3-4 questions in this test.

You will be given a prompt of up to 90 seconds and will have 40 seconds to answer.

Audio will be played straight away and you may also see an image related to the audio. While you are listening use the Erasable Noteboard Booklet to take short notes.

Once the audio finishes you have 10 seconds to prepare. To complete the task, in detail, you will need to cover the situation, characters, aspects, actions and developments given in the recording.

You can receive a maximum score of 5 points on content, a maximum of 5 points on your oral fluency and a maximum of 5 points for pronunciation.

Answer Short Question

The fifth question type, Answer Short Question, will assess listening and speaking skills. There are 10-12 questions in this test.

Here, you will be given a prompt of 3-9 seconds and will have 10 seconds to answer the question.

You will be required to answer a short question with a clear, simple, single word or a few words. This will not test general knowledge, it will simply test your vocabulary.

You will receive 1 point per correct word. No points are given for no response or incorrect response.

Summarize Written Text

In the first question type in the writing section, you will be required to Summarize Written Text, which will test reading and writing skills.

You will read a text of up to 300 words and have 10 minutes to write your summary. You will do 2-3 of these questions depending on the combination of tasks in the given test.

In this assessment, you must write just one sentence. Try using the Erasable Noteboard Booklet to take notes of the main points.

Make sure to include the main points of the text in a full, single sentence of no more than 75 words.

You can receive a maximum score of 2 points for content, maximum 1 point for the formal requirements, a maximum of 2 points for grammar and a maximum of 2 points for vocabulary.

Essay

The last question type of the Speaking and Writing Test will test writing skills.

In this question type, you will be provided with 2-3 sentences of text prompt and have 20 minutes to answer, by writing a 200-300 word argumentative essay on a given topic.

Time management is important for this task as you will need to plan, write and proofread your essay.

In this question, there are many parts where you can receive points. You can receive a maximum of 3 points for the content, maximum of 2 points for the formal requirements and maximum 2 points for development, structure and coherence.

You can also receive a maximum score of 2 points for grammar, maximum 2 points for general linguistic range, maximum 2 points for vocabulary range and a maximum of 2 points for no spelling errors.

If you have completed PTE Academic, you would know by now that it is scored against the Global Scale of English and that you need to practice many skills for each part of the test: Speaking & Writing, Reading and Listening.

After completing PTE Academic you will receive an email notification that your results are available online. Typically within 5 days. Learn how to access your Score Report.

What does my Score Report mean?

When you receive your Score Report it will show you your overall score, which is based on your performance across all test items.

Your communicative skills that are measured are listening, reading, speaking and writing.

This is an example of what your Score Report may look like.

The enabling skills are those skills that are required to fulfill the question types in the test.

It’s important to know what each of these skills refers to.

Grammar

Correct use of language with respect to word form and word order at the sentence level.

Oral Fluency

Smooth, effortless and natural-paced delivery of speech.

Pronunciation

Production of speech sounds in a way that is easily understandable to most regular speakers of the language. Regional or national varieties of English pronunciation are considered correct to the degree that they are easily understandable to most regular speakers of the language.

Spelling

Writing of words according to the spelling rules of the language. All national variations are considered correct, but one spelling convention should be used consistently in a given response.

Vocabulary

Appropriate choice of words used to express meaning, as well as lexical range.

Written Discourse

Correct and communicatively efficient production of written language at a textual level. Written discourse skills are represented in the structure of a written text, its internal coherence, logical development and the range of linguistic resources used to express meaning precisely.

How do I identify my areas of weakness?

From the visual graph on your Score Report you will be able to see areas you need to improve on.

You should aim to develop your core (enabling) skills required across all areas of the test.

The following resources will help you develop your enabling skills:

Speaking: Core English Skills

Writing: Core English Skills Part 1 (grammar, spelling & vocabulary)

Writing: Core English Skills Part 2 (written discourse)

Reading: Core English Skills Part 1 (grammar & vocabulary)

Reading: Core English Skills Part 2 (reading methods & style of writing)

Listening: Core English Skills Part 1 (listening methods)

Listening: Core English Skills Part 2

Listening: Core English Skills Part 3

How can I improve in each part of the test?

It’s also worth focusing on particular parts of the test or questions you think you had trouble with. The following articles may help you improve your skills across questions:

Speaking: Self-Improvement Part 1 (read aloud, repeat sentence & describe image)

Speaking: Self-Improvement Part 2 (re-tell lecture & answer short question)

Writing Self-Improvement (summarize written text)

Reading Self-Improvement (multiple-choice, choose single answer, multiple-choice, choose multiple answers, re-order paragraphs, fill in the blanks x 2)

Strategies to Improve English Listening Skills

Listening Self-Improvement Part 1 (summarize spoken text & write from dictation)

Listening Self-Improvement Part 2

If you don’t already have one, it’s recommended to work with an English teacher at IELTS Kurali to work through areas that may need improvement.

Those learning English for business often need to do quickly and this can be for all sorts of reasons. It could be that you’ve started a new job at an international company where English is common, you’ve been told by your boss that your main target for the year is to improve English or perhaps you’ve been given a promotion that involves speaking more English.

Whatever your reason for needing to speed up your learning we have lots of tips to help. Incorporating these tips into your regular study schedule will help you to build your vocabulary faster, retain new information better and improve your listening and speaking skills at a quicker pace too. None of our simple suggestions take very long and can be added to even the busiest schedule. Stick with these tips for just 15 minutes every day and you’ll notice improvements to your business English, fast.

Watch English language TV shows and movies

Watching TV might sound like a lazy way to learn, but it really can help. If you immerse yourself in the English language and get used to hearing it and really listening to it daily, you’re sure to improve. Tuning in to English language TV shows isn’t just entertaining, it’s a challenging way to stimulate your language skills, introducing you to lots of new words and phrases that you can add to your own vocabulary and familiarize yourself with a range of accents.

TV shows and movies are a great way to learn conversational English and informal slang terms but they can also help with business English when you choose the right shows and films. Stick to movies that have a business, financial or political theme and you’ll soon pick up some genuinely useful business language.

Watching TV shows and films that you own on DVD or have downloaded means you can watch it in your own language, as well as in English or with subtitles, to make sure you understand what’s being said. Some shows and films you might like to try include:

Wall Street

The West Wing

Mad Men

Read English language newspapers and business websites

Even in countries where English isn’t the first language, you’ll find English language newspapers available and they’re seldom expensive. Buying a newspaper just once a week and flipping to the business news section will be a big help to your written language comprehension skills. As well as helping you improve your business English, reading English language newspapers also motivates you, as you get an insight into what’s going on in the rest of the world and it can be an entertaining and interesting way to learn.

You don’t need to stick to the business section, of course, you can also find out what’s going on in the world of fashion, art, and politics. Every week you’ll be exposed to new vocabulary, and if there are any words or phrases you don’t understand it’s easy to take a note of them and research them yourself or ask your teacher. If you have internet access an even easier way to read the business news is to look online, where you’ll find sites like the BBC Business News and Business Week to keep you up to speed with the latest stories, as well as business language.

Watch English language business and financial news

Most English language news stations have special segments dedicated solely to business and finance news. From tracking the movements of the stock exchange to the latest company takeovers, you’ll pick up lots of essential business English from these shows and in a far more formal way than you will in TV shows and films. Interviews with business leaders and employees are particularly useful, as you’ll get to hear business English being spoken for real. Try watching just 15 minutes every day to gain a better understanding of business-speak.

The 60-minute reading section has 40 questions with different formats for academic and general tests. The reading section is developed to test your understanding of an idea, your ability to gather the writer’s opinion with the use of your scanning skills and your overall understanding of the language. It could seem easy at first but some tasks are designed to test your understanding at a deeper level. Yes, No or Not given and True, False or Not given is one such task. Finding something from the paragraph which is true is easy but most students will find false and not given information hard to differentiate between.

Let’s look at an example:

Dedicating time and having discipline are important factors that drive a company. The success of any company is the outcome of efforts that is put in by its team members. Recently it has been found that employees have started taking office timings lightly. There has been a sudden increase in late comers with many people coming late to the office regularly.

It is therefore imperative for the company to take necessary actions. It has been decided by the management that if any employee is late by more than 5 minutes, it will be considered late attendance. When this late count attendance will reach 3 in a month, the employee will be marked absent for one day.

The management has always accepted genuine reasons for being late. But when employees start taking given privileges for granted it becomes the responsibility of the company to take some action. From now onwards no late coming requests will be accepted.

Hope to see you all cooperate and comply with the company rules. Thank you.

True, false, Not given

Dedicating time is an important factor in driving a company (true)

There has been a drastic increase in the number of late comers in the particular company (True)

Employee will be marked absent if he is 5 minutes late (False)

The management will accept genuine reasons for late coming. (False)

The management will issue a warning if the employee continues to come late (not given)

The company hopes everyone will comply with the rules laid out (true)

Managers and above are exempt from this rule (Not given)

In the above example, reading through the paragraph once will not get you to the answers. You would’ve had to refer to the passage for every sentence to check whether it is true false or not given. But the catch is that you only get 60 minutes for 4 passages and 40 questions. Reading the passage again and again just isn’t possible. The idea is to incorporate certain habits and tricks when solving such questions.

We help you with some basic ones below.

1. Understand the meaning of the answers

Yes/True means that the information is present in the passage. For e.g. Dedicating time is an important factor in driving a company. The first sentence in the para confirms this.

No/False means that the contradictory or opposite information is found in the passage. For e.g. Employee will be marked absent if he is 5 minutes late. In the passage the statement –

‘if any employee is late by more than 5 minutes it will be considered late attendance’ presents contradictory information. The employee will be marked absent after 3 late attendance markings.

Not given means that there is absence of the information. It is nowhere to be found in the passage. For e.g. The management will issue a warning if the employee continues to come late. In the passage there is no information regarding warnings. The only information provided is the action the company will take if an employee comes late. There is complete absence of the information hence the answer will be not given.

2. Look out for paraphrasing

Meaning the same thing using different words is called paraphrasing. In the reading and listening tasks paraphrasing is commonly used to test or confuse you. In the above example, the word ‘drastic’ is nowhere to be found but it is used here – There has been a drastic increase in the number of late comers in the particular company. The original phrase is ‘There has been a sudden increase in late comers with many people coming late to the office regularly.’ The meaning is essentially the same but the words used are different. When solving this kind of questions, understanding content is of utmost importance.

3. Answers appear in order

Knowing this trick can make the test so much easier. Most passages will be divided into paragraphs and each answer will be hidden in a particular paragraph. Knowing that its sequential means that you don’t have to go back to the start every time you look for an answer.  Just start reading ahead of the last answer you find.

4. Look for the controlling words

Sometimes in our haste to answer, we ignore small words that completely change the meaning of the sentence. For e.g. ‘some’, ‘all’, ‘it is not’, ‘it is’,  ‘only’, ‘never’, ‘always’. Highlighting such controlling words along with key information is the trick to making sure you get the answer right.

5. How to answer the ‘not given’ questions

The not given part is the trickiest one to establish. When scanning the passage make sure you gather the essence of it. For e.g. In the above passage‘Managers and above are exempt from this rule’ has no mention.  But how do you register that when reading the passage? Take a look at the questions before you begin. Underlining keywords and keeping basic awareness while reading should help you tackle this one.

6. Bonus tip

Since paraphrasing is very common in the IELTS, work on building a good vocabulary. For example, drastic means sudden change, nocturnal means awake at night and herbivorous means vegetarian. If you aren’t aware of these synonyms, it can leave you feeling confused and dejected. Avoid such situations by preparing well.