English First (EF) have just released their EPI or English Proficiency Index. Essentially it is an analysis of English language ability in countries around the world. But how truthful is it? After just a quick look there are some real concerns that what they’ve done is incredibly unreliable.
They’ve produced this report for the past few years and many newspapers take the findings and repeat them verbatim as news…
Defining a student as intermediate is a very approximate classification of how well they speak English. There is no set definition of what intermediate means, however as a very rough guide students at intermediate level can talk and read about a wide number of subjects using appropriate vocabulary and fairly correct, if basic, grammar. They can confidently use all the main tenses, and are beginning to use phrasal…
Advanced is used to refer to learner levels for students who can hold extended conversations and write extended texts. It is by no means a strict definition and there can be a great deal of overlap between advanced and intermediate students.
Generally speaking, however, advanced students should be aware of differences between formal and informal English and whilst they may make occasional grammatical mistakes and their pronunciation…
Beginners is a general term teachers use to describe students who are just starting out to learn English.
It is rare to find complete beginners in the classroom. Almost everyone has had some exposure to English – however minor – and knows at least a few common English words:
bar
cigarette
hotel
pizza
taxi
…to name but a few. And…
