IELTS at ELA

Hello, fellow lovers of language!

This week, we’ve asked one of our talented teachers here at ELA to speak about the IELTS Exam, a topic that we have frequent questions about. If you have more questions about this popular exam, you can visit the ELA website. You can also find great practice materials on the British Council’s  page. And, of course, if you have more in depth questions, or would like to know how to enrol, visit us here.

IELTS

And now we bring you Jonny’s introduction to IELTS:

What is IELTS?  Do I need it?

Well, there are two ‘parts’ to this English Examination, and students choose the exam based on whether they are doing Academic IELTS  or General IELTS.

Most students choose Academic IELTS, as they are preparing for an undergraduate or Postgraduate University course, either in Britain or abroad. Students choosing General IELTS usually require it as a VISA requirement or as a quick (but very appreciated) test of their English for an employer, or perhaps because they simply want to test themselves. In reality, the Speaking and Listening exams are exactly the same, while Writing and Reading are slightly different, but we’ll talk about that if you join the course.

You might ask what we do to prepare for these exams. The truth is that it isn’t all Exams Exams Exams.  To do well, you need to have a good appreciation of grammar and a wide vocabulary, while also possessing other skills and abilities, such as comprehension, written and fluency skills, with clear pronunciation, for example.  You also need to be able to understand the nature of Academic English.  So, yes, everyone does practice exams but it is much more than just exams.

At Edinburgh Language Academy, our classes take place from 13.30 to 15.30 every day, although we do intensive courses too – and, if you prefer 1-1 classes, we can be arrange this at a time to suit you.

Thank you for your interest in ELA! We look forward to welcoming you soon!

Top 5 reasons for downloading an audiobook

AUDIOBOOKS

 

You might have heard this term, which started circling the web over 5 years ago, but didn’t know what the fuss was all about. Well, let us introduce you to this modern way of ‘reading’ or learning a language.

Please meet audiobooks, professionally narrated recordings of different kinds of literature, ranging from classical novels to modern sci-fi, including biographies and even recipe books. They are usually the exact version of a book, but sometimes they are shortened to further simplify the reader’s or in this case the listener’s life.
Now that we know what audiobooks are, we will find out why they are so popular and where to download free audiobooks in English.

Here are top 5 reasons why you should listen to an audiobook.

1. Audiobooks are great for those who do not like reading. We all have different learning techniques, some prefer reading while others prefer listening, so if you are one of the latter team, then audiobooks are your perfect match. Also, they are amazing for when you are feeling too lazy to read or just too busy to spare some of your time to reading.

2. You can take your audiobook wherever you want. It will substitute your boring date on your walks in the park, sunbathing sessions by the pool and many other activities like going to the gym, travelling and so on. Whether you are on the move or lying in your cosy bed, they can be downloaded straight to your phone or other smart device and be available within minutes.

3. When learning a new language, for example English, audiobooks will help you improve your pronunciation and boost your vocabulary. Furthermore, listening is proved to be an efficient way of memorising important facts, so stack up on books and get learning.

4. If you haven’t seen yet, there is a huge list of audiobooks available to suit everyone’s taste. And since they do not take up any space in your bag you can download several books at a time and enjoy listening to different stories and scenarios.

5. Another advantage of audiobooks is that you can set your own pace and regulate the speed of the recording. You can set it on low speed, to allow your brain to consume and process new information, or you could speed it up and learn more in an hour.

And if you are still not convinced, I suggest you give it a go and let us know what you think.

Big fans of audiobooks, who I am sure are members of Audible, will most definitely recommend to sign up and explore the rich collection of books that Audible has to offer.

At last, all I have to say is, audiobooks are wonderful! Even if you prefer reading books, you should at least once, try listening to your favourite novel.

 

As promised, here are a few websites where you can download free audiobooks in English:

http://esl-bits.net/

http://www.openculture.com/freeaudiobooks

How to Build a Time Machine

Start here

Work with a partner. Answer these questions:

1. Is it illegal to break the laws of physics? Can you give an example of one law of physics?
2. Do you think time travel is possible? What do you know about Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity?
3. If you could open a portal to the past, where and when would you go?
4. What about a shortcut to the future- would you jump ahead in time? Why (not)?
5. Look at these two images. How are they connected to the idea of time travel?

1 2

A. Match these words ( Black hole, Wormhole, Dark energy, Quantum mechanics) with a definition:

1. a theory that explains the behaviour of elementary particles, both separately and in groups

2. a theoretical form of energy postulated to act in opposition to gravity and to occupy the entire universe, accounting for most of the energy in it and causing its expansion to accelerate.

3. a region in space where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape

4. a special type of structure that some scientists think might exist, connecting parts of space and time that are not usually connected

C. Play a fun game! Falling into a Black Hole!
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/black-hole-boardgame/en/

Video

A. Watch the first part of the video (0.00-1.00) and fill in these sentences:

Time travel is 1 _________________________________________
Einstein’s 2 ______________________________________ claims that the stronger the gravity the slower 3 ________________ moves.
This means that by linking two parts of 4 ____________________ that have different gravity you would in theory be able to travel back and forward in time between the two planets.
Gravity is the strongest close to a black hole, which means that time moves slower close to the black hole than it does on 5__________________________.
The problem is that right now scientists don’t know how to get space explorers from Earth to the black hole 6___________________ because they have not been able to build anything that travels faster than the 7___________________________.
Wormholes are claimed to be the only 8_______________________ that would allow people to travel back and forth in time.

B. Watch the next part of the video (1.00-1.57) and fill in this diagram that summarises how to build a time machine.

Diagram

C. Watch the last part of the video and take notes in order to answer the following questions:

1. According to the video, how far back in the past would a traveller be able to go?
2. How much energy would a time machine actually require?
3. What is the Grandfather Paradox?
4. In your opinion, will time travel ever happen?

Silly Science

alien-1085230_960_720

1. Work with a partner and try to answer these questions:
A. If sound can’t travel through vacuums, why are they so loud?
B. Why does hair go grey?
C. How can fish hold their breath for so long underwater?
D. Why do you get wrinkly fingers when they’re in water for too long?
E. Can a ninja walk on water?
F. Coconuts have hair and produce milk. Why aren’t they classed as mammals?
G. Which came first: the chicken or the egg?
H. What happens if you put mints into a bottle of soda?

2. Watch this video and take notes.

A. Which question from Activity 1 does it answer?
B. What explanation does it provide?
C. Describe the different steps of the experiment.

3. Watch this second video and answer these questions.

A. Which question from Activity 1 does it answer?
B. Fill in these sentences with 3 words from the video:
a. Jamie decides to modify the liquid by adding some blue food colouring and ___________ which is used in pancakes, to make it look like ___________ so Adam can try the experiment under different conditions.
b. The experiment __________ and Adam _____ across the surface.
c. The explanation is that the new combination is a non-Newtonian __________ which can change its viscosity, and, while it may look like a _________, it will act like a solid on impact.
d. Lastly, if Adam steps and stands on it, he will _______ and it is quite clear that ______________ could not _____________.

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The ideal city

Our IELTS students prepare a presentation on a different topic every week. Last week the topic was a description of an ideal city. This is a great way to develop topic knowledge for the IELTS exam. Have a look at their work and hopefully you will find some helpful ideas for your own written or spoken responses in the exam!

The Price of Happiness

1. Can happiness be bought? To find out, author Benjamin Wallace sampled some of the world’s most expensive products, including 8 ounces of Kobe beef, white truffles and silver nano-particles soap. Watch this video based on a TED.com talk and say whether he thinks expensive things are generally better than cheaper ones.

2. Watch the video again. Fill in the table below.

Table blog

3. Essay:

In most developed countries shopping is not only about buying the goods you need, it is also perceived as entertainment. Is it a positive or negative development? Give your own opinion and examples based on your experience. (250-300 words)

Don’t eat the marshmallow!

A few Upper-Intermediate/ Advanced exercises for you, based on an interesting video.

I. Answer the following questions for yourself, then compare your answers with a partner.
a. If your favourite food was in front of you, how difficult would it be for you to wait 15 minutes before eating? How about half an hour or a whole hour?
b. How often do you lie or make excuses in order to go do something more pleasurable?
c. Do you hate having to take turns with other people?
d. Do you routinely try to save a little money in case an emergency should arise?
e. How easy is it for you to motivate yourself to accomplish long-term goals?

II. Work with your partner and divide the following concepts into positive or negative: moderation, resisting temptation, extravagance, prudence, self-discipline, rebelliousness, fortitude, diligence, conscientiousness, impulsiveness, delay gratification

III. Watch this video

Answer these questions using no more than 3 words and/or a number. Fill in the notes with information about the Stanford University research into delayed gratification

Research conducted at: Stanford University
Participants: 1._______________________________
Method:
• Subjects were put in a room 2. _________________________
• Subjects were given a 3. _________________________ and told to wait 15 minutes
• Subjects were told they would be given 4. _____________________ if the 5. _____________________ was still there after 15 minutes
Results:
• 6. ______________ out of 3 participants could not resist temptation
• The longest subjects waited: 7. __________________
• Successful participants delayed gratification by doing something else

Follow-up study:
• 8. _______________ years later
• The same participants
• 9. _________________ of the initial successful participants had gone on to become highly successful individuals while a great percentage of those who had not resisted temptation were in trouble
• The same results were achieved with 10. __________________ children

Sunflowers

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Today, a whole upper-intermediate lesson for you! The aims are to practice vocabulary used to talk about arts and to distinguish between gradable and ungradable adjectives. You will need a partner to do these activities. Drop us an email at info@elacademy.co.uk, to check your answers.

1. Work in pairs. Discuss the questions.
a. When you visit an art museum or gallery, does knowledge of the artist’s private life affect your reaction to his/her work?
b. Discuss what ideas you associate with van Gogh’s paintings and/or life. Why do you think he painted pictures in the style that he did? Why do you think he cut off his own ear? Student A read Review A. Student B read Review B. Compare your initial answers with the information from the text.

Review A

Review B

2. Read your individual text again quickly. Choose an appropriate heading for each paragraph from the list below. There are two extra headings.
i. Not the language for this story
ii. A story full of feeling
iii. An unsolved mystery
iv. A little bit too much feeling
v. A story with plenty of moving details

3. Read your review again. Work with your partner and answer the following questions:
a. What was the diagnosis that led to van Gogh being committed?
b. Why does reviewer A feel that the prose is not an appropriate illustration of van Gogh’s world?
c. Why does reviewer B feel that the novel is a gripping depiction of van Gogh’s surroundings?
d. What does reviewer A think of the story as a whole?
e. What does reviewer B of the story as a whole?
f. What are the reviewers’ opinions of Dr Rey?

4. Work in pairs. What do you think the words in bold mean? Use the context, grammar and your knowledge of similar words to help.

5. Divide the words in bold from the text, into these 3 categories:
Emotional/ often sad Not good Very good

6. Work in pairs. Tick the ungradable/extreme adjectives (ones that cannot be used with ‘very’).

Enjoying Edinburgh

We love the capital city of Scotland for its beauty, unique atmosphere, fantastic architecture and great history.

We organise weekly excursions around Edinburgh and introduce it to our students coming to ELA from all over the world.

There is nothing more rewarding than showing them all the sights of our city, helping them to immerse themselves into its atmosphere and observing their enthusiasm when they learn about Edinburgh and Scotland.

Photo 2_edited

Edited Collage

 

PicMonkey Collage

PicMonkey Collage

Social Programme Photo 5_

Join us to learn more about ELA and our social programme.

https://www.facebook.com/EdinburghLanguageAcademy

 

https://twitter.com/E_L_Academy

https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/107883963561637315922/107883963561637315922/posts/p/pub

How to study when you have hardly any free time?

Today we’ve decided to look at one of the most popular topics discussed by many ESL students. Almost all adult learners work full time nowadays and as we all know, there is hardly any free time left for learning or improving a foreign language.

However, we do believe that motivation is crucial for any type of activity including language learning.

Let’s look at some ways that can be used to learn or improve your language skills in the situation of almost zero spare time:

1) Find and arrange lessons via Skype.

imagesTUO84W3D

It is the most convenient way of studying as it has lots of benefits for both parties.

• You don’t have to spend time getting to a language school or your private tutor’s house, nor do you have to spend time returning home. Such lessons can be held in absolutely any place where a computer and stable Internet connection are available (your home, cafes, libraries, etc.).
• You don’t have to cancel your lessons when you’re on a business trip or otherwise away.
• All study materials such can be transferred instantly or right before the lesson begins. Therefore, you save money by not purchasing expensive books.
• You can have lessons with a teacher from any part of the world, including native speakers from an English speaking country.
• Some professional teachers record their lessons and send them as an mp3 file to the student who can listen again and again to the lesson.

2) Listen to authentic materials online.

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There are loads of websites that offer users to download or stream various genres of recordings like podcasts, video clips, educational video, seminars, etc.

3) Use your e-readers.

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Almost all of us have an e-reader. Yes, some people might find it hard to read an e-book as the whole reading experience is slightly different to the one with a paper book. However, advantages of such devices are really hard to ignore: you can download any book you like and as many books as you wish; you can find authentic texts and also their adapted versions, which is great for those who have just started learning foreign languages.

4) Practice speaking and writing via forums.

forum

There are a great number of forums online that provide a unique opportunity to chat with native speakers as well as other language learners. You can share your ideas on learning techniques, discuss topics that interest you and even arrange a video chat and practice speaking skills.

5) Listen to songs and audio books.

audio books

If you commute to work by car, you can listen to a CD or an mp3; if you travel by train or bus, you can use your mp3 player and enjoy an audio version of your favourite book.

6) Travel and communicate.

travel

If you love travelling or you have to travel a lot due to your business arrangements, use this opportunity to get acquainted with people and practice speaking with them.

So, now we have at least six ways of learning and improving a foreign language.

What learning tips do you usually use?

Share with us.

Team ELA