Improve your skills: reading & writing

Fiona has written a letter asking for advice because her husband works too much time and that is affecting their relationship. Fill in the gaps with an appropriate word.

Now you have completed the task, what advice would you give Fiona to solve her problem? Write your comments in the comments section below.

WRITING A SUCCESSFUL CV

Over the past few weeks I've had the opportunity to get immersed in ESP, English for Specific Purposes. I was the instructor of a workshop aimed at students at my school on how to write a successful CV. Several students have had the possibility to attend these classes where they learnt the different parts of a CV, the layout and design, tips to catch the attention of potential recruiters and specific vocabulary and key expressions that would to improve the quality of their CV.

Improve your skills: Writing

In the second paragraph state the advantages. Mention a couple at least and provide examples that support your arguments.

In the third paragraph state the disadvantages. Again mention at least a couple and provide examples as well.

In the final paragraph state your conclusion giving your own personal opinion about the topic.

Below you've got a sample of what a discursive composition might look like and what the position of connectors would be. You can write a for and against composition using this model on any of the following topics:

- Men watch too much sport.

- People don't care enough about the environment.

- Fast food is very bad for your health.

- Men are better at sports than wome.

Some of the aspects that are taken into consideration when evaluating your piece of writing are the following:

Organisation: is the organisation of your piece of writing clear for the reader? Bear in mind the number of paragraphs and the information in each paragraph.

Style: have you used in your text a level of formality in accordance to the type of writing? Bear in mind the use of contractions, vocabulary, connectors… 

Accuracy: have you used grammar and vocabulary appropriately and correctly? It is very important that verb tenses are introduced properly and the vocabulary is carefully selected.

Cohesion: have connectors been introduced correctly in order to link sentences and paragraphs so that the text has coherence?

Quality: depending on the level, the student is required to introduce certain grammar structures and vocabulary which are part of the syllabus for that particular level. 

NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CLASSROOM: USING EDPUZZLE

It seems all seminars and workshops being organised these days talk about the use of technology in the EFL classroom. Teachers seem to be eager to use new technologies and they demand more and more training on this topic.

USING POSITIVE LANGUAGE - HOMES

This is an activity I really like to use with my students, it is suitable for B1-B2 students. They'll be able to practise three of the four skills, reading, speaking and writing, while they learn new vocabulary. 

IKEA ACTIVITY: SPEAKING + WRITING

This is an activity I created for my B1 students in order to practise the use of comparatives and superlatives with vocabulary related to the house.