7 Tips to succeed in the Cambridge B2 First speaking exam

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. Looking for useful tips on how to get a good result in the Cambridge B2 First speaking exam? Well, look no further. Instead of poring through

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

Inspirational women from Manchester’s past

International Women’s Day 2021 To mark International Women’s Day, 8th of March 2021 this week’s blog will highlight some of the inspirational women in history that hail from the Manchester area, have studied at the University of Manchester or have connections to Manchester. You may be surprised to learn that some of the amazing women

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 films set in Manchester

If you are thinking about coming to Manchester or Salford to study English and then a university degree, then you should familiarise yourself with the culture of the area. A great way of improving your English is by watching films, or if you are a lower level you could watch film clips. There are a

Why is student teacher rapport important?

Why is student teacher rapport important? At Manc English we think that if we are in a relaxed, supportive environment, we learn better. Therefore we are not afraid of experimenting or making mistakes. The rapport between the student and the teacher is very important, as is the rapport between the learners. If both of these

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

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