How to engage students in the socially- distanced classroom?

This week’s blog has been written by Elsa O’Brien, a Spain-based teacher who teaches young learners and adults at the British Council Madrid and at the University of Comillas. Over the last year, we’ve all seen our lives change unimaginably. For most of us, the way we work now is also totally unprecedented. EFL teachers

Fancy teaching English in a foreign country?

This week’s blog is brought to you by guest blogger Heather Collier, EFL teacher and qualified yoga instructor zenyourenglish Heather has taught in many different contexts: the UK, China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Mexico. Have you ever wondered what it might be like to travel the world and work at the same time? I did

The benefits of extensive reading in EFL

As it is World Book Day on Thursday 4th March, this week’s blog will look at extensive reading (ER) in the context of the EFL classroom. Firstly, let’s consider what extensive reading is. Well, put very simply it is reading for enjoyment. Compare this with the intensive reading that is often done in class, where

Top 10 tips for studying online

Studying online, once the exception has now become the rule for the vast majority of students. The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we live our daily lives, not least how we study. Distance learning used to be an option for studying, the Open University has been around for decades, and was another option for

Questions international students might ask before moving to Manchester to study

What kind of clothes should I bring? Good question. You can have four seasons in one day in Manchester. English weather is very changeable so it’s a good idea to wear layers as one minute you are cold but then when you go indoors you can get too hot when the heating is on. In

How to become a CELTA trainer?

Are you at the point in your teaching career where you would like to move into a different area but not necessarily a management role? Teachers don’t necessarily make great managers. Not everyone wants to be in an office poring over admin. Have you already got your diploma but don’t know what do next? Do

Top tips to improve your IELTS speaking score

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is an exam that measures the English language proficiency of candidates who wish to study or work in countries or organisations where English is used as the means of communication. It tests the four language skills, listening, reading, writing and speaking. Please see my previous blogs about writing

10 top tips to improve your English vocabulary for IELTS

Here at Manc English we want you to improve all areas of English. How can you improve your vocabulary? Firstly, let’s consider the lexical approach. What is the lexical approach to language teaching and learning? Firstly, let’s look at the word lexis which according to the Oxford Learners’ Dictionary is a noun which means “all

Top tips to improve your academic IELTS writing task 2 score

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is an exam that measures the English language proficiency of candidates who wish to study or work in countries or organisations where English is used as the means of communication. It tests the four language skills, listening, reading, writing and speaking. This blog will focus on the writing

Top tips to improve your academic IELTS writing task 1 score

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is an exam that measures the English language proficiency of candidates who wish to study or work in countries or organisations where English is used as the means of communication. It tests the four language skills, listening, reading, writing and speaking. This blog will focus on the writing