How can I improve?

First, know and understand where you are in your learning, and what level resources you need:  CECR - Self evaluation   and/or do this Quick online (free) level test

To improve, let's start with some less traditional suggestions:

1. HOW ABOUT ADJUSTING YOUR DAILY ROUTINE?  

Why not…  

-       Speak with people all over the world for free on https://www.hellotalk.com/?lang=en (language exchange)

- Use AI tools to speak and become more fluent!  For example https://www.loora.com/ or ChatGPT

-      Change your phone/computer settings (paramètres) into English

-       Install Duolingo (app gratuit – niveau 0 à B1+) : https://fr.duolingo.com/ or Gymlish (payant, mais très bien) : https://www.gymglish.com/fr/

-       Add a good online dictionary to your bookmarks to make sure you will use it and check the pronunciation of new words on howjsay.com  

-       Listen / repeat / record / listen (listen to a native speaker, repeat his/her words, record yourself and listen to the recording): technique explained here: shadowing   

-       Try yoga or fitness in English 

-       Listen to a podcast or the news while cooking or brushing your teeth.  BBC Sounds (I'm a radio 4 fan, but there are tons of other choices) is challenging but great!  The Rest is Politics/Ezra Klein/Joe Rogan...

-       Cook recipes in English with Jamie Oliver, Food wishes,   or the BBC   

-      https://lyricstraining.com/ is a great site for gap fill music videos (and not just in English but other languages too !)

-       Play MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) videogames and interact with players worldwide, play with the international students at your hall of residence or chat with English-speaking players on Board Game Arena. Here are some other gaming ideas, recommended by students.

-       Have a go at tongue twisters  

-       Have a shower / mirror conversation with yourself or just think in English

-       Try online karaoke!?

-       Go WOOFing?  https://wwoof.net/ (work and travel - you will have free accommodation and food) 

2. LISTEN TO ENGLISH!

A2-B1-B2 levels: https://www.youtube.com/@LearnEnglishWithTVSeries 

What? Films, series, the radio, Audiobooks, YouTubers, John Oliver, http://www.ted.com/ ...

With or without subtitles? Both! Without them to focus on the music of English and challenge yourself, or with them to try and make the words you read fit what you hear. 

A few English-broadcasting radios from around the world:  https://www.france24.com/en/  https://edition.cnn.com/CNN10  https://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/ https://www.bbc.com/  www.cbc.ca/  http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/ 

Pour suivre les informations en anglais américain pas trop vite :learningenglish.voanews.com/

B2/C1 level - push your listening skills with audio only - how about 

https://www.youtube.com/@restispolitics

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds (particularly radio 4, for current affairs)

https://www.youtube.com/@RestPoliticsUS

https://www.youtube.com/@EzraKleinShow

NB : listening to English enables you to improve your pronunciation

3. GETTING TO GRIPS WITH GRAMMAR 😅

What should I know? Here are the essential items you should master:  

•   Simple / continuous present  

•   Simple past  / present perfect

•   Irregular verbs 

•      Word order in questions and negative sentences 

•   Modals 

•   Personal pronouns and possessive adjectives  

•   Articles a / an / the / Ø

•   The genitive case

•   Adjectives and comparatives 

If you want good explanations in French: https://www.youtube.com/@lestutosdehuito

Please use Upgrade English on Chamilo, BBC Learning English or Englisch Hilfen  to refresh your memory. 

 UPgrade English vous fera réviser la grammaire de façon amusante. Programme Chamilo IEP – accès avec vos logins.

Ebook de grammaire gratuit level 1  (en bas de page)

Ebook de grammaire gratuit level 2 (en bas de page)

Pour apprendre les verbes irréguliers en chantant du rap / or here

More resources on the Internet http://www.onestopenglish.com/ https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/  https://www.engvid.com/  

4. BOOST YOUR VOCAB RANGE

Use the Oxford 3000 (for level B2 vocab)  and 5000 (for level C1 vocab)  lists.  These are the 3000  and 5000 most frequently used words. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/wordlists/oxford3000-5000 

AND READ IN ENGLISH!

The press... for example

https://www.independent.co.uk/ https://www.irishtimes.com/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/ https://www.economist.com/ https://www.heraldscotland.com/ https://www.indiatoday.in/ https://www.newyorker.com/ https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/   

Access to these references is not always free, but you can most often access part of the articles, create a free account or of course use Europresse with your IEP logins. 

Travailler la compréhension écrite:

Unit 14 sur Chamilo UPgrade English pour des exercices de compréhension écrites sélectionnés pour vous.

Books 

Why not read a book in English? If it is the first time you are trying, I would recommend a novel you have already read in French (and which you like!), or a book on a topic you know about already.  The library at Sciences Po also offers you access to many e-books through its ‘Ressources Numériques’ page.   You might also like listening to audiobooks for example with www.audible.fr/ 

 5.  IMPROVE YOUR PRONUNCIATION

Chamilo Boost'English « Language focus » puis « Voicework » (très complet pour progresser à l’oral (intonation, accentuation, rythme de phrase, prononciation…) ) ou Chamilo UPgrade English: Pronunciation tips (très succinct).  Ask your teacher to register you if you cannot connect.

BBC - Tim’s pronunciation workshop

6.  IMPROVE EVERYTHING AT THE SAME TIME 

WRITING!!  Use CHATGPT or other AI tools to self train.  Write your own words.  Then copy paste them into the app, prefaced by "Please correct the grammar and syntax" for instance.  I advise against requesting it "improve the text" as it is likely to rewrite it...  Then identify all the changes and take notes:)

SPEAKING!!  Learn a language for free by chatting with native speakers around the world! Hellotalk

Boost'English est focalisé sur les compétences en anglais – le niveau global est A2-B, mais le voicework et d’autres briques conviennent également à un niveau B2.  Ask your teacher to register you if you cannot connect.

BBC Learning English (gratuit) is a fantastic site which features regular news videos and accompanying exercises + pronunciation help. http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish

La British Council est également une référence (gratuit) http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/ par exemple : http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening-skills-practice

 PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF ANY LINKS ON THIS SYLLABUS ARE NOT WORKING,

Or if there are any others you would recommend I add . Thanks!!