Intermediate 1 & Advanced 1 (Revision) - Interaction

Advanced 1 - feedback

Many of the students who have had problems have had an irregular attendance, missing contents, explanations and practice done in class or even homework that they should have done/handed in.

If it is your case, the first thing I would recommend to you would be constancy & hard work. It’s essential to evolve at an advanced level.

I would also like to point out that there have been excellent exams too that have shown hard work and effort behind! GOOD JOB & CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Reading: The results have been very good and you have successfully done the activities with the headings and the gaps. Congratulations! Keep practising and reading! How many books have you read this year? Try to read in summertime. Why don’t you read the books I have recommended you throughout the year?

Listening: In general, you have mostly failed the activity including gaps. This means that you understand information in general but you have problems understanding very specific chunks of information. I recommend you underline the key words of the activities and take notes trying to get as much information as possible not losing thread. You should practise regularly. Remember that watching films/series from time to time is not enough since you are not checking comprehension. I recommend you the activities on the blog or the ones on the Internet, specially dictations or activities including gaps. Look for level B2/Advanced.

Writing: The first point to consider is the task: what type of text / genre do you have to write? We have studied several types and you should know the structure & register of them. In the exam, you had to write a discursive essay in which you needed to include arguments in favour and against, and many people just gave their opinion not having structure into consideration. You should also pay attention to the grammar structures, linkers, vocabulary, idioms that you are using in the text. Some people’s texts were too basic and not adequate for the level. Some people didn’t use a single word/structure studied this year having a really poor text as a result. Of course, don’t forget to take into account the number of words and proofread your text once you have finished. Intermediate/ basic grammar mistakes should be corrected if found.

Speaking: In the speaking exam you have to show fluency. Remember that you have to speak for 4 minutes about a topic studied in class and your speech should be well-organised, coherent (you need to use linkers for this), complete and, at the end of it, you should include a conclusion to wrap it up. Some people just spoke about the topic but not in an organised/coherent way: repeating ideas & vocabulary and showing no resources. In addition, your speech should be grammatically adequate for the level and should include advanced structures/vocabulary. Otherwise, it will be very poor to access an Advanced II level. Finally, remember that correction is essential. Some mistakes are not allowed at this level. If you realise them, please correct yourselves!

Let's learn from mistakes!!! 

You'll do a great job in September!

Information from the English Department - Library

Advanced 1: Unit 5 - Grammar revision

Can you complete these sentences?

If in doubt, please revise grammar or ask me in class!

Advanced 1: Vocabulary revision Unit 5

Listen and complete! You can practise your listening and revise vocabulary at the same time!

Manchester: little lecture at the EOI

If everything goes well, today we will be having an informal lecture at 17.00 at school about the city of Manchester!

Think of questions that you would like to ask the speaker!

We hope that you enjoy it!

Advanced 1 - As Good as It Gets

This week we have been working on obsessions (OCD) and addictions and watching part of this great film as an example & good listening practice. Would you like to watch it completely?

As Good as It Gets is a 1997 American comedy that stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic,obsessive-compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt as a single mother with an asthmatic son, and Greg Kinnear as a gay artist. 

Nicholson and Hunt won the Academy Award for Best Actor and Academy Award for Best Actress, respectively, making As Good As It Gets the latest film to win both of the lead acting awards. It is ranked 140th on Empire magazine's "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time" list.

Advanced 1: Revision activities Unit 4

We have been studying a wide range of grammar structures and vocabulary this year. 
Please, revise unit number 4 by doing the Revision activities in page 67.

Here's the answer key! 

 Revise and Check, UNIT 4

GRAMMAR

A-        1 b                   B-        1          to learn

2 a                               2          would have enjoyed 

3 a                               3          travelling

4 b                               4          pay

5 c                               5          doesn’t mind

6 a                               6          would win

7 c                               7          hadn't been wearing

8 a                               8          to attend

9 c                               9          Had...told

10 c                             10        catching

                                                11        wouldn't be living

                                                12        have seen

VOCABU LARY

A-        1          landline            B-        1 broken

            2          casualties                      2 get

3          ceasefire                        3 up

4          voicemail                       4 blow

5          minded                          5 out

6          enquiries                        6 up

                                   

7          sighted               C-        1 of

8          siege                               2 on

9          worn                               3 with

10        arrows                            4 on

11        retreat                             5 on

12        refugees           

Don't hesitate to ask me in class if you have any questions!

Advanced 1_vocabulary unit 4

Let's revise vocabulary in unit 4A!

Advanced 1: Vocabulary Unit 4

Let's practise & learn new advanced vocabulary!

Advanced 1_Listening activity: St. Patrick's Day

Watch the following video and answer the questions:

Listening activity: watch the video and answer the following questions

1.       What’s the other name of St Patrick’s Day?

2.       When did Saint Patrick live? On which day did Saint Patrick die?

3.       What are the symbols of Saint Patrick’s Day?

4.       Where are the most important celebrations in Ireland?

5.       What did Saint Patrick do?

6.       What do snakes symbolize?

7.       What do the Irish put on on this day?

8.       When did the parades start in Ireland? Why?

9.       When was the group “the Saint Patrick’s festival” created? What for?

10.   Which one is the biggest?

11.   Where do they do in Chicago?

12.   When and where did the tradition start in the USA?

13.   Why is St Patrick’s Day so popular?

Afterwards, correct yourselves by reading the transcript:

     St Patrick's Day or "Paddy's Day" is the Irish feast day which celebrates none other than Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who was around from 386-461 AD. The day is celebrated worldwide by the Irish, the Scottish and increasingly by anybody who just wants to party and drink too much Guinness. The day has come to be associated with everything Irish, anything green and gold, shamrocks and plain old good luck. The biggest celebrations in Ireland outside Dublin are in Downpatrick where St Patrick was buried following his death on March 17th 461 AD. The man himself is largely credited with converting Ireland from a Pagan to a Christian nation. He also banished snakes from the island driving them into the sea, although the snakes are probably a metaphor for the druids. Many Irish people still wear a bunch of shamrock on this day, even presidents of the United States. Paddy’s Day Parades in Ireland date from the late nineteenth century originating in the growing sense of nationalism of the period. In the mid nineties a group called the Saint Patrick’s festival was set up by the government. They aimed to offer a national festival to promote Ireland’s sophisticated modern image. The five largest parades in recent years have been held in Dublin, New York City, Manchester, Montreal and Boston. The New York Parade is generally regarded as the largest. Parades also take place in other cities including London, Paris, Rome, Munich, Hong Kong, Copenhagen and Chicago where they dye a stretch of the river emerald green. The Paddy’s day custom came to America in 1737 that was the first year St Patrick’s Day was publicly celebrated in the US in Boston. One reason St Patrick’s Day might have become so popular in the US and elsewhere is that it takes place just a few days before the first day of spring. So say goodbye to the winter blues and wear the green on St Patrick’s Day.

Advanced 1- Grammar: Verbs + obj + to infinitive

Hello there!

This week we have been studying verbs which are followed by an infinitive or a gerund. 

For extra practice, please do the interactive activities on verbs + obj + to infinitive! You can correct yourselves!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/107_gramchallenge45/page2.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/107_gramchallenge45/page3.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/107_gramchallenge45/page4.shtml

If you also want to listen to the explanation, please click on:

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammarchallenge/mp3s/gc_45_verb_object_infinitve.mp3

Exams are over!

We have finally finished doing and correcting exams!

Now we are finally going back to normal!

If you didn't get the results you expected, please wonder:

• Do I work as much as I should? Am I constant & determined?
• Should I change strategy to be better prepared?
• Do I also practise the language outside the classroom (by reading, watching TV, listening to music...)?

If you need some advice, please ask!

Advanced 1 - Listening on Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!


It's a cheesy date but giving valentines to family and friends, as they do in the US, makes it nicer!The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children. When you include the valentine-exchange cards made in school activities the figure goes up to 1 billion! 

Would you like to listen and read the transcript of the activity that we were doing in class?

Go to: 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/newsaboutbritain/2009/02/090210_nab_valentine.shtml

Enjoy Valentine's Day with this beautiful video!

The proof that we are soulmates from Emanuele Colombo on Vimeo.

Do you like it?   What do you think about it?

Video about us! In Spanish this time.

Recommended books - Advanced 1

We have been reading some extracts in class. 



Here you can find a couple books that I would like to recommend to you.

You can choose and read one of them and write a review for me to correct it at the end of the academic year!

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Happy Christmas and all the best for 2013!

Our Christmas Wish List

What's in your wish list? 

Please, help me complete our common list!