We do hear some of the same questions regularly though. So here are a select few that we’d like to share with all of you (although for some, we don’t have all the answers!):

1.For how long must I take a course in order to be fluent?

One of the most common questions, and one of the most vague answers, I’m afraid. It depends.

It depends on what level you’re at now. For some, many months of courses and practice are needed in order to be able to communicate effectively. For others, ‘brushing up’ or ‘fine tuning’ is all that’s needed.

It depends on how good you are at learning languages. Some people learn languages faster than others; it’s as simple as that. Those who learn quickly are very often those who have a high level of confidence and no fear of using new language as much as possible. Intelligence is a factor too, of course.

It depends on how hard you work. Taking a course is a great idea, but if you don’t practice outside the classroom, progress will be slow. Likewise if you are not active in the classroom (by asking questions, getting involved, having fun) then progress will be limited.

And finally it depends on what your definition of ‘fluent’ is. Absolute perfection – native speaker-level language – is an unrealistic goal for most. Often one must live in an English-speaking country for many years before they’re mistaken as a native speaker. In business, you should aim for an ability to communicate professionally and accurately, and an ability to build quality relationships. Grammatical perfection is less important in this context. For life in general, the ability to confidently communicate in English in a wide variety of everyday situations is usually enough. After a while you’ll be able to describe your way around any language you don’t know, so the person you’re talking to understands your meaning. Remember, communication is the goal, not perfection.

 2.What is the best way to learn a language?

You need to get to know your own learning style in order to answer this question, because a learning method that works well for one person may not work well for you. Learning styles have been studied and described in many different ways by different academics, here’s a link to wikipedia on the subject for those of you who are interested.

Fleming, for example, divides learners into three main categories: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Visual learners learn best through visual aids, pictures, diagrams and so forth. Auditory learners learn best through listening (to lectures or discussions, songs or movies). While kinesthetic learners learn best through experiences – moving, touching and doing. Which one are you? Once you know, you can tailor your efforts to learn languages to make them more effective.

The simple answer to this question, and one we’ve mentioned many times before, is hard work and practice. Seek out as many practice opportunities as you can, habitualise the use of the new language in your daily routine, and put in the effort (even when you don’t feel like it). You’ll really be surprised how quickly you can make progress.

3.Am I too old to learn?

I’m not going to say that age doesn’t make a difference. It does. A young child can pick up dozens of new words every day, and in multiple languages. I can’t! However us adults can be more self-motivated, disciplined, ambitious. We enrol ourselves on courses, we make time to do homework, and we are motivated by that job promotion, or that overseas holiday, or that new friend whose Indonesian language is limited.

So while remembering new language might get a bit harder as we get older, many other factors mean that the answer is absolutely not! You are never too old to learn something new.

4. Can I learn English by watching movies and reading books?

To a certain extent, yes. Any practice is worthwhile, and any exposure to the new language (even in songs) is worthwhile. Watching movies and reading books can be especially beneficial if you are an active learner while to do it: try writing down new words you come across, rewinding a tricky bit of pronunciation and imitating, or perhaps even writing a review of the book or movie when you’ve finished. But watching movies or reading books are ‘passive’ activities; you are receiving language, not producing it. To be an effective communicator you also need to work on your ability to produce language yourself; speaking and writing.

These are just a few of the questions we’re often asked at Aim. In coming weeks we’ll perhaps publish a few more. In the meantime, don’t stop asking questions!

“He who is afraid of asking is ashamed of learning” (Danish Proverb).

Let’s be clear: language is about communication. Getting a message across. If you are communicating effectively then you are using the language effectively. Communication is what it’s all about, and the quest for grammatical perfection is holding back the willingness of some Indonesians to actually produce language.

I’m not saying that grammar is unimportant. Of course it is. And this is especially the case in writing. I’m simply saying that effective communication should be the primary objective of a language learner, and worrying about grammar can be a major barrier to reaching this objective. Improving your grammar is one of many ways of improving your ability to communicate in English; others include vocabulary development, pronunciation and intonation development, and development of the four main skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). And not forgetting the most important three ways to improve: practice, practice, and more practice.

Native speakers of English did not ‘learn’ grammar in a classroom. We acquired it when we were very young through imitation and practice, usually with parents (it’s only when we become English teachers that we have to learn the various labels assigned to the grammar we use naturally ‘present perfect continuous tense’ and so forth).

Children have an incredible ability to acquire new language that us adults don’t, so we may need some help if we want to improve. Taking a course or two is the most common way, but we can still acquire language in the same way kids do – through practice, imitation and exposure to new language. After a while you’ll be getting the grammar right just because it sounds right, rather than because you have sat down and learned a thousand grammatical rules (and all of the exceptions to those rules).

In business, if I say to you: “yesterday I go to a meeting”, I would be making a mistake (it should be “i went”), but you know what I mean! If you know what I mean then I have communicated effectively.

So don’t stop working on improving your grammar, but please stop worrying about it!

Strong corporate culture is very useful. He made the decision making process becomes more predictable. He helps the recruiters to hire people who would be suitable to work in a corporate Dalan. He even contributed to the values ​​contained in a company’s brand.

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Anton the English teacher (now living in Africa?)

Having a break after English class

IELTS examiners are often asked to help students by revealing the scoring criteria, or perhaps giving a few ‘insider tips’ which IELTS preparation courses wouldn’t ordinarily include. While revealing the exact scoring criteria (rubrics) is simply not allowed, and tips and tricks are no substitute for hard work and plenty of practice, there is perhaps some insight which be gained by learning about what an examiner is looking for.

In this first of two articles discussing the IELTS examiner’s perspective we’ll explore the speaking test. In part two, we’ll look at the writing test. For a description of the IELTS test itself, as well as some general preparation strategies, see previous articles from the team at Aim for English.

Officially, you will be assessed on four aspects of your speech in the IELTS speaking test:

1. Your fluency
2. Your grammar
3. Your vocabulary
4. Your pronunciation

Fluency basically means ‘the ability to keep going’. Try to give nice long answers to questions (never one-word answers), and try to avoid too much hesitation (errrrrr, ummmmm). Also, don’t just answer the question – try to give one or two extra bits of  information. If the examiner asks you what your favourite food is, for example, you could also mention how often you eat it, or where your favourite restaurant is that sells this type of food.

To improve your fluency, practice is the one and only solution. The more you speak, the more natural you’ll sound, and the more you’ll be able to ‘keep going’.

People often worry a little too much about Grammar in the IELTS speaking test. Yes, it’s important, but sometimes people are so focussed on using correct grammar that their fluency and vocabulary suffer. It’s better to speak naturally and fluently and confidently with a few grammatical errors than to attempt to use 100% perfect grammar but sound unnatural and use simple vocabulary. It’s all about finding the right balance (and practising!). The examiner is looking for correct grammar, but also grammatical range. This means you’ll get a higher score if you can show you’re able to use a range of tenses, complex sentences, passive and active forms, and other grammatical structures. Study these forms well, then practice using them as much as possible. There’s no point being able to get full marks in a multiple-choice garmmar test if you’re not able to use the grammar naturally when you’re speaking.

Vocabulary assessment is quite simple. You should use a wide range of vocabulary, and you should use it correctly. However, the IELTS test is not a good opportunity  to experiment with new vocabulary, so stick to words that you know are correct. Try to avoid ‘boring’ words (e.g. good, bad, nice, big, small) and use more advanced, interesting words (e.g. beneficial, detrimental, appealing, enormous, minuscule)- these will stand out and impress the examiner. Unlike in the writing section, it is OK to use less formal words (e.g. kids, guys, stuff, hang out), and using these words can help you to sound more natural – after all this is the way natives speak. Also unlike the writing, it’s good to use contractions such as ‘don’t', ‘won’t’ and ‘gonna’ in the IELTS speaking test.

When it comes to pronunciation, to get a band 6 or band 7 the examiner will need to understand everything you say very easily. You don’t need to have a native speaker accent, but you need to be clear and easy to understand. Speaking nice and slowly can help, and make sure you don’t whisper! During the test don’t worry too much about pronunciation, but do everything you can before the test to fix any issues you may have. Take a pronunciation course at a school like Aim, copy native speakers’ speech (from films perhaps), record yourself speaking, and (yet again) practice practice practice.

These are the four main assessment areas in the IELTS speaking test, but there are several other aspects of communication which you should also be aware of, including confidence, body language, and your answers to the questions.

It’s easy for me to say, but confidence really is the key. You are far more likely to get a higher score if you are confident. Nervousness often leads to short answers, simplified vocabulary, more grammar mistakes, and quieter speech.

Linked to confidence is body language. While the examiner will not give you a score for body language, like any other human being he or she will notice it. You don’t want to appear arrogant or over-confident, and you don’t want to seem shy and withdrawn from the conversation. Sit up straight, make regular eye contact with the examiner, and use hand gestures when you’re speaking. And smile! Don’t fiddle with hair or pens as this can be distracting, and after you’ve written your notes in part 2, put the pen down!

You may have noticed that you don’t receive a score for the answer to the question. However this doesn’t mean you can just talk about anything and still get a good score! The key here is to give detailed answers, and try (wherever possible) to be interesting. It’s OK to tell an amusing story, or talk about an embarrassing event. If you can stand out from the crowd and be interesting, then an examiner is more likely to reward you with a higher score if you are ‘borderline’ between 2 bands.

If you’ve worked hard on perfecting your grammar and learning plenty of good vocabulary, and have practised speaking as much as possible, then the IELTS speaking test doesn’t have to be something to panic about. IELTS examiners are not monsters, and it is not their job to make you feel uncomfortable. Try to enjoy the experience, and you’ll soon be on the way to IELTS success.

Over the next 5 decades (I told you that this happened long ago) the pattern of language education in the UK has changed. Broadly speaking there has been a steady decline in the numbers of British children studying any foreign language at all. German and Spanish have been encouraged, French is still the most taught language, and the dead languages have pretty well disappeared, but children seem not to feel that learning foreign languages is a good use of their time.

The reason for the decline is most likely two-fold. First, there’s a growing perception that “everyone speaks English”, so it’s better to spend your time doing other things. Even when an English person in Europe tries to speak the local language, chances are that the person they’re talking to will be eager to reply in English, so as to practise their own skills! And secondly, language learning is hard work, and children are not naturally drawn to hard work.

But I have been reading an article on the BBC website about a town in England with a growing enthusiasm, in one school at least, for teaching Mandarin Chinese. It does seem odd that one of the world’s most difficult “foreign” languages should see growing enthusiasm in one of England’s most “English” small towns. I’m guessing that it reflects China’s recent emergence on the global stage, and a sense of mystery about the country, its people, and the long-term impact of its new prosperity.

It shouldn’t be based on the thought that Mandarin will ever be a global language. It simply takes too many years’ full time study to achieve a working fluency in this complex, tonal tongue.

China’s people certainly understand that English is the tool they need in the international arena. In fact there are said to be more Chinese people learning English, than there are native English speakers in the entire world.

Now, English is absolutely the most studied international language in Indonesia. And like all foreign languages it takes effort to learn to speak it well. But AIM is one language school that really makes sure that the effort you have to make will get the fastest results. No gimmicks, no “special offers”, no unrealistic promises. Just great teaching, a great atmosphere, and growing numbers of former students working and studying abroad, and doing globally connected jobs in Indonesia.