Elementary A1 to Pre-Intermediate A2 English
Yes, it is possible. However, you will need to find time to work on your English if you wish to progress from A1 to A2 quickly.
How many hours a day will I need to study?
Think about the number of hours each day that you can study. It will take between 100 to 150 hours of practice to move from A1 to A2 level English. If you can commit to two hours of study a day you could attain your goal.
Do I need an English language tutor?
Working with a tutor will undoubtedly help and speed up your progress. The tutor will help you to define your weaknesses and provide exercises to focus on improving them. However, not everyone can afford to work with a tutor for two hours a day for two months! If possible, try to have at least one lesson a week with a tutor and do any assigned homework. Homework will help both you and your tutor, to work on improving those weak areas.
Why is having a language tutor an advantage?
Studying alone can be difficult. It is difficult to know which skills you should focus on studying. Every student has weaker and stronger areas.
Which skills are you confident using and which skills do you find more difficult?
You may
- lack confidence speaking but have a good understanding of grammar rules
- have confidence to speak but make lots of grammatical errors
- have confidence speaking but have great difficultly understanding different accents
- speak well but repeat the same phrases and sentences continuously due to a lack of vocabulary
No two students are the same. Some students are weaker in speaking or listening, others have difficulty with reading or writing and some students have a lack of vocabulary. A language tutor will help you highlight your strengths and weaknesses.
What should I study on my own?
Any homework from the tutor is a great start. This allows you to learn from your weaker skills and study to improve these. Ask your tutor for recommendations for self-study materials. Your tutor is the best person to recommend resources at your level.
Prepare a study plan
Preparation of a study plan will help you to stay on track and focus on the most important skills for you. Some days you may work longer, or shorter hours. Firstly, add the dates/times of any tutor-led lessons and add time for working on any homework exercises between lessons.
Next, try to plan some time to practice a variety of skills. It is recommended to break the tasks down into shorter 15, 20 or 30 minute segments. Students will usually find one or two tasks slightly easier and this helps boost your confidence and motivation.
If you only have an hour, listen to something in English for around 15 to 20 minutes. Choose something short and listen to it a few times. Remember you don’t need to understand everything. Listening repetition will help the words and language to become more familiar. Repeat the words you do understand to practice your pronunciation and speech.
Spend five to ten minutes thinking about the words and phrases you would use to describe your day. Ask yourself:
- What did I do today?
- Where did I go today?
- Describe the weather.
Adapt the questions to ask yourself about yesterday, last week, last year on holiday or tomorrow to help practice the different tenses.
Finally, read a short piece of text. Look up any vocabulary you don’t understand. If you find the text difficult email your tutor and ask for help in a future lesson. Phrasal verbs, idioms and colloquial English are all frequently difficult for students to understand.
